Cooksister | Food, Travel, Photography

Food, photos & faraway places

  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • About me
    • Contact me
    • Work with me
    • Legal
      • Copyright notice & Disclaimer
      • Disclosure
      • Cookies and Privacy Policy
    • Press and media
    • Cooksister FAQs
  • RECIPES
    • Recipe Index – by course
    • Baking (savoury)
    • Braai/Barbecue
    • Breakfast & brunch
    • Christmas
    • Dessert
    • Drinks
    • Eggs
    • Fish
    • Gluten-free
    • Leftovers
    • Pasta & rice
    • Poultry
    • Pulses
    • Salads
    • Soup
    • South African
    • Starters & light meals
    • Vegan
    • Vegetables
    • Vegetarian
  • RESTAURANTS
    • British Isles restaurants
    • Dubai restaurants
    • France restaurants
    • London restaurants
    • Montenegro restaurants
    • New York restaurants
    • Pop-ups and supperclubs
    • Serbia restaurants
    • Singapore restaurants
    • South Africa restaurants
    • Sweden restaurants
    • Switzerland restaurants
    • USA restaurants
  • TRAVEL
    • All my travel posts
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Canada
      • Dubai
      • Cruise ships
      • France
      • Germany
      • Greece
      • Grenada
      • Hong Kong
      • Hotel reviews
      • Italy
      • Israel
      • Jersey
      • Mexico
      • Netherlands
      • Norway
      • Portugal
      • Singapore
      • Ski & snow
      • South Africa
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • UK
      • USA
      • Wales
  • PORTFOLIO
    • Freelance writing portfolio
    • Speaking and teaching
    • Photography portfolio
    • Buy my photos
You are here: Home / Recipes / Main course - meat / Schweinsbraten (Austrian slow-roast pork shoulder) and friendship

Schweinsbraten (Austrian slow-roast pork shoulder) and friendship

by Jeanne Horak on April 12, 2011 21 Comments in Gluten-free, Main course - meat

Schweinsbraten © J Horak-Druiff 2011

The past two months have been a bit of a rollercoaster for me.  From highs like our beach wedding vow renewal ceremony and speaking at the Food Blogger Indaba, to lows like my father’s hospitalisation and unexpected death and the sad task of packing up my childhood home and parents’ treasured possessions.  But the one theme that has run through all this like a golden thread has been the rich and diverse friendships that I have, and the miracle of their power to sustain, nourish and cheer me through both good and bad times.

Friendship comes in many forms.  Friendship is coming to the airport as an impromptu welcoming committee on the day I flew home for my dad’s funeral.  Friendship is the dozens of e-mails and heartfelt messages of support from people on my Facebook and Twitter pages, some of whom have never met me in person but were there and willing to stay up and chat on a very dark night. Friendship is rearranging your kids’ sleeping arrangements at the drop of a hat so that Aunty Jeanne can have a bedroom of her own for two weeks.  Friendship is insisting on coming to help me pack up my family home – giving up evenings and weekends – and making the packing of my late mom’s clothes feel like a girly shopping trip, not a terribly sad chore.  Friendship is flying from Johannesburg especially to be at my father’s funeral and support me.  Friendship is giving up a precious Sunday afternoon on 10 minutes’ notice to help clean a very dusty house ahead of a viewing by a potential buyer, and for making me laugh despite the seriousness of it all.  Friendship is my blogMamma‘s constant love, prayers, late-night chats on Twitter and much-needed motherly words of wisdom during a very difficult time.

Thank you, my treasured friends.  You are irreplaceable.

 

SchweinsbratenSpice

Friendship is also wrapped up in the rituals of eating, and one of my favourite ways of hnouring a particular friend is to make a dish that they taught me to make.  The very first person that I ever met online on this blog and then went on to meet in real life was my dear friend Johanna.  We had exchanged blog comments and chatted online for a few months and figured out that we had quite a lot in common.  Eventually we planned to meet up in person and I still remember  being fine about it until I got out of the Tube station close to the restaurant.  Then I was suddenly gripped with all sorts of misgivings.  What if she stood me up, sniggering at my disappointment from behind dark glasses in a cafe across the street? What if we sat down and had nothing to say to each other?  What if she was an axe-murderer (or a 16-year old boy!)?  Clearly my subconscious hates me.

But none of these awful possibilities came to pass – we were as compatible in person as we were on our blogs and our planned glass of wine turned into two bottles and an evening of non-stop chatter.  We have seldom stopped talking since – through good times and parties; through family dramas and bereavements; through expensive restaurants and home-cooked meals; and even a road trip through Austria. I have watched her gorgeous kids growing up and I was even chosen by her daughter to be her honourary “Aunty” – a rare honour indeed!  Understandably, we were both devastated at having to say goodbye when Johanna moved to Singapore last year.  I can’t begin to calculate the hours we have spent in various kitchens together, or the number of dishes that Johanna has inspired me to make.  But one of the dishes that most reminds me of her is the divine Schweinsbraten from her native Austria that she taught me to make.  Every time I make it, I miss her company; but as the meat cooks, the warm, spicy smell wraps itself around me, as familiar and comforting as a warm hug from a friend.

There really is no rocket science to this roast – the only fiddly bit is the seasoning of the meat, and remembering to turn up the oven’s heat gradually.  But the end result is utterly spectacular: meat as tender as pulled pork, infused with garlic and spice, and crackling that you would sell your grandmother for – trust me, it’s that good.

 

SchweinsbratenCollage

AUSTRIAN SCHWEINSBRATEN (slow-roast shoulder of pork) – serves 6-8

Ingredients:

1.8kg pork shoulder
about 20 cloves of garlic
1 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp black pepper
2 Tbsp ground coriander seeds
2 Tbsp ground caraway seeds
1 Tbsp ground cumin seeds
water

Method:

If your meat has come from a supermarket packaged in a twine “stocking”, cut off the stocking.  Make sure that the fat is scored.  If not, score it yourself:  using a very sharp knife, make parallel cuts about 1cm apart all over the fat.  Make sure you cut through the tough skin, but do not cut all the way down into the meat.

Peel the garlic and cut about three quarters of the cloves into sticks, which you will use to stud the meat. Turn the meat over so that it is lying fat side down.  Use a thin kitchen knife to prick holes all over the pork, sliding the garlic sticks over the blade into the meat before removing the knife. Leave aout 1cm between each hole and stud the meat all over. Rub the pork generously all over with the salt, pepper and spice mix. As Johanna says “if you feel you are using obscene amonts of spice, you have the quantities just about right”.

Turn the meat over so that the skin side is up.  Stud the fat with garlic sticks as described above.  Crush the rest of the garlic and smear over the roast, including the skin, taking care to work it into the cuts scored in the fat; then rub all over (meat and fat) generously with the remaining salt, pepper and spice mix (grind more if you have to!).  Allow the meat to soak up the flavours for a long as possible, preferably overnight.

Place the pork skin-up in an casserole with lid.  Add enough water so that the base of the casserole is covered with about an inch of water.  Cover with lid and try to cook as long and slow as possible – bank on at least 3.5 hours.  Place the casserole in cold oven and immediately turn the temperature to 150C.  Raise the temperature by about 10C every half an hour, until in the last hour you reach 220C.  During cooking, frequently baste the pork with the cooking juices – baste at least once every half an hour when you turn up the temperature.

Take the lid off in about the last half-hour of cooking so that the crackling crisps up nicely – you can help it along by turning the grill on high for the final 15 minutes of cooking.

I served mine with boiled new potatoes and white cabbage with bacon and caraway seeds.

Here are some more bloggers feasting on pork:

  • Portuguese pork ribs from Andrew
  • Slow-roast pork belly from Michelle
  • Pork-tastic Brazilian feijoada from Rosana

 

Don’t forget that this month I am hosting the Monthly Mingle, my darling sister Meeta’s monthly event.  The theme is Topless Tarts and you have until 30 April to get your entries to me!  Full details are available on my announcement post.

MMBadge-ToplessTarts-04-2011

More deliciousness for you!

  • Really simple crabcakesReally simple crabcakes
  • Does My Blog Look Good in This August 2010 – the winnersDoes My Blog Look Good in This August 2010 – the winners
  • The Underground Restaurant for an Eat Pray Love dinnerThe Underground Restaurant for an Eat Pray Love dinner
  • Saturday Snapshots #101Saturday Snapshots #101

Never miss a Cooksister post

If you enjoyed this post, enter your e-mail address here to receive a FREE e-mail update when a new post appears on Cooksister

I love comments almost as much as I love cheese - so if you can't leave me any cheese, please leave me a comment instead!

« Saturday Snapshots #137
Saturday Snapshots #138 »

Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. Colleen says

    April 13, 2011 at 12:29 am

    What are mammas for if not to comfort, love and support hmmmm?? Special love to you and hope that you are feeling so much better. Think of you so often. This is a delicious sounding recipe. I have never spiced a pork roast before and am definitely going to try this method. Thank you so much for sharing Johanna’s recipe. Big fat moo hugs xx

    Reply
  2. Nisrine M. says

    April 13, 2011 at 1:09 am

    Sorry for the loss of your father. Friends are what keeps us going in times like these and I’m sure your’re surrounded by many.
    Hugs

    Reply
  3. Johanna says

    April 13, 2011 at 1:14 am

    Oh you made me cry with this post, Jeanne, I miss you so much it’s unreal! Glad the schweinsbraten is some kind of comfort… Hope we can cook together soon, be it in London or Singapore! Xox

    Reply
  4. Krista says

    April 13, 2011 at 2:35 am

    I’m so very, very glad you have such treasured friends to love and care for you, Jeanne. I’m so sorry to hear of your Dad’s passing. I’m teary with you after losing my “second Dad” this week. I love this dish and the comfort it brings you. 🙂

    Reply
  5. meeta says

    April 13, 2011 at 7:26 am

    Friends stick with it through thick and thin – glad you had loved friends looking after you at such a difficult time Jeanne. The Schweinsbraten looks sensational!

    Reply
  6. Firefly says

    April 13, 2011 at 7:59 am

    Oh man….. That’s what pork should look like after being prepared properly. I think I need to do one of these.

    Reply
  7. Rosemary says

    April 13, 2011 at 10:34 am

    It’s a joy to discover the truth that friendship isn’t a big thing – it’s a million little things.
    Love the roast pork recipe, certainly brings back wonderful childhood memories of Sunday lunches. My Dad has a allergy to pork, but loves to eat it, so we would always only have it had lunch time, so he could deal with the allergies before bedtime! Strange family I have!

    Reply
  8. Nic says

    April 13, 2011 at 10:35 am

    That does look like the best pork shoulder ever, full of flavour with the spices. And thank goodness for good friends, looks like you have some of the best!

    Reply
  9. kadirecipes says

    April 13, 2011 at 2:16 pm

    This is a very nice post. I just wanted to cry. Yep this is what we call real friend.
    The recipe look nice

    Reply
  10. Charlie says

    April 13, 2011 at 3:02 pm

    I’ve just read this with a lump in my throat – the power of words x

    Reply
  11. Emma says

    April 13, 2011 at 9:36 pm

    Recipe sounds amazing and am in tears reading your words, reminded me of how alone I felt packing up the threads of my beloved Grandfather’s life when he passed away suddenly last year. Friendships sustain you when you think all else is lost. *hugs*

    Reply
  12. neil says

    April 13, 2011 at 10:32 pm

    A really wonderfully warm post about such a trying time in your life. Yes, we are always here for you. Love your schweinsbraten, that’s right down my alley.

    Reply
  13. Sally - My Custard Pie says

    April 14, 2011 at 6:14 am

    Lovely post and recipe…I hope the writing helps with coming through this difficult time as well as solid friendships.

    Reply
  14. Barbara says

    April 14, 2011 at 10:21 pm

    A lovely post Jeanne.

    Reply
  15. norma says

    April 15, 2011 at 3:17 pm

    I want to rip that skin right of and devour it…..

    Reply
  16. Katie says

    April 15, 2011 at 7:33 pm

    Lovely roast – I happen to have one in my fridge just waiting…
    You have had a roller coaster – and I’m not sure which is more difficult – riding it or getting off when it all settles down. Still sending warm thoughts your way…

    Reply
  17. Barbara @ Modern Comfort Food says

    April 17, 2011 at 1:11 am

    This looks simply perfect, Jeanne, and so in keeping with the ingredients and flavors I love. Johanna’s comment — “”if you feel you are using obscene amounts of spice, you have the quantities just about right” — is one that I’m totally on board with when it comes to pork roast. A beautiful post and recipe.

    Reply
  18. Kit says

    May 30, 2011 at 8:48 pm

    This sounds so good, I must try it next time we have pork a pork roast – I’ll think of you and Johanna both!

    Reply
  19. Karen says

    June 11, 2011 at 2:31 pm

    oh, this sounds sooo good. I love garlic in large amounts. Thank you for the recipe.

    Reply
  20. Brad says

    February 5, 2012 at 3:29 pm

    Hi, are you sure that you mean to increast the temperature by 100C every half hour? if that’s correct, after the first half hour I’m at 250C, hotter than your maximum 220C quoted for “the last hour”…
    Am I reading this incorrectly?

    Reply
  21. Debra Triplett says

    September 24, 2017 at 11:05 pm

    I love Austria, my mother is not a cook but she is from Austria. I am an accomplished cook and this recipe was like eating food from Some other country. I ground my spices fresh and the cumin was so overpowering. It was not good

    Reply
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Never miss a Cooksister post!

Get my latest recipes delivered by e-mail!

Search over 500 recipes

Recently on Cooksister

  • Perfect broccoli and Stilton soup [keto, low carb, GF]
  • Masalchi by Atul Kochhar – Indian street food in Wembley
  • Barbecued salmon with blood oranges and capers
  • Roasted Brussels sprouts with feta, pomegranate and pine nuts [GF, V]
  • Love Yourself healthy meal delivery [Review]
  • Antillean
  • Festive roast lamb with pomegranate glaze
  • Rustic blood orange and pistachio galettes

Archives by month

Archives by category

Popular posts

Peppermint Crisp fridge tart - a South African treat
Nigella's Bakewell slices & the Big Bakewell Taste-off
Oxtail and red wine potjie
Roosterkoek - a South African braai essential
My big, fat South African potato bake
Gem squash 101: how to find them, how to grow them, how to eat them!

Featured on

Also available on

The wonderful Museum of the Moon installation - a The wonderful Museum of the Moon installation - a 7 metre diameter scale model of the moon suspended in the Painted Hall at the  @oldroyalnavalcollege in Greenwich this week, by @lukejerramartist. A surreal and fabulous sight!
Do you enjoy free art installations? Then you need Do you enjoy free art installations? Then you need to get down to @canarywharflondon between now and Saturday 28 Jan to catch the free Winter Lights 2023 event, back for the seventh year.

My favourites include @lukejerramartist ‘s Floating Earth; Tom Lambert’s Out of the Dark; Fluorescent Firs; Toroid by This is Loop; and the surreal and mesmerising Anima by MEATS - a tunnel filled with hundreds of thin optical fibre lights that change colour and move in the breeze 😍 

Have you been to Winter Lights? What was your favourite?
“When we look down at the Earth from space, we s “When we look down at the Earth from space, we see this amazing, indescribably beautiful planet. It looks like a living, breathing organism. But it also, at the same time, looks extremely fragile.” - International Space Station astronaut Ron Garamond

To experience the “overview effect” (a phenomenon experienced by astronauts viewing the earth from space), head down to Canary Wharf in the London docklands this week where you can see @lukejerramartist ‘s beautiful Floating Earth installation as part of the Winter Lights event. 

This giant 10m diameter installation is created using high resolution NASA images to create a floating scale model of the Earth, lit from within so that it glows from its current home on the Middle Dock, surrounded by the headquarters of international banking and finance corporations.

The artist hopes that viewed in this context, the installation will make visitors and the bankers working in surrounding buildings question how their money in savings and pensions is invested, and whether investments can be greener.

Aside from being a thought provoking piece, it is also mesmerising and surreally beautiful, so make sure you visit the free Winter Lights event before ends on Saturday 28 Jan.
Happy lunar new year! [Invited] To celebrate the Happy lunar new year! 

[Invited] To celebrate the arrival of the Year of the Rabbit, why not head over to @mamachensdumplings currently doing a residence at the @thegantrylondon in #stratford where you can feast on prawn & chive dumplings; pork, Chinese cabbage and shiitake mushroom dumplings; pork & prawn wontons with Mama Chen’s chilli oil; vegetable dumplings; smacked cucumber salad; and spicy noodles coated in garlic and Szechuan pepper oil.

And afterwards, make sure you head up to the @unionsocialoc bar for a cocktail - I loved the Moreish Fashion with bourbon, PX sherry, chestnuts and mandarin orange bitters!
Got leftover Stilton (or any blue cheese) from Chr Got leftover Stilton (or any blue cheese) from Christmas? Turn it into this super simple and super indulgent broccoli and Stilton soup! So easy to make and soooo delicious to eat - and it is low carb and GF. What more could you want?! Click the link in my bio for the full recipe. What’s your favourite soup?
CELEBRATE. So the fireworks are over, the champag CELEBRATE.

So the fireworks are over, the champagne is finished and the leftovers are all eaten. We are one week into 2023 and I have had some time to think about what my intent is for the year. 

In 2022 my brother had a life saving kidney transplant. Since the operation, he has had a Peanuts cartoon as his WhatsApp profile pic, where Charlie Brown and Snoopy are sitting on a pier talking. Charlie says “Some day, we all die Snoopy.” And Snoopy replies: “Yes - but every other day, we will live.”

Waking up in the morning is a gift, every day, and it is so easy to forget this. The last few years have been difficult for so many people and the coming year promises its own challenges. But every day that we don’t die is a day to live, to celebrate life in some small way.

So my intention in 2023 is to celebrate. Celebrate our achievements however small. Celebrate our friends and family. Celebrate small things. Celebrate life.

Did you make any resolutions or goals for 2023? I would love to hear them in the comments! Wishing you all the very best for 2023 🥂
Happy new year, everyone! Here are some scenes fro Happy new year, everyone! Here are some scenes from last night with friends in Deptford. My deconstructed avocado ritz; @twinkleparkstephen ‘s bobitie; Giles’ Ottolenghi tomato salad; and Jean’s clementine trifle - and the London night sky ablaze with fireworks!  How did you spend your evening? 🥂🎇🎆
Merry Christmas to all those celebrating - I hope Merry Christmas to all those celebrating - I hope your day was merry and bright, filled with family, friends and love 🎄🥂. Mine was spent alone at home - my choice and the result of a combination of Covid (not mine!) and rail strikes 🤦‍♀️ but very relaxing and indulgent!
Looking for a stylish and easy Christmas starter y Looking for a stylish and easy Christmas starter you can make ahead? Look no further than my individual smoked salmon terrine! Hot smoked salmon, cream cheese and chives wrapped in cold smoked salmon in a ramekin. Still one of the most popular Christmas recipes in my blog, it looks cheffy but is soooo simple to make - and will save you time and effort on the day! Get the recipe by clicking on the link in my bio.

How is your Christmas meal prep going? Are you entertaining at home or going to friends or family? 🎄🥂🎄🥂🎄
Load More... Follow me on Instagram

Follow Jeanne Horak-Druiff's board Recipes by Cooksister on Pinterest.

Cooksister

The South African Food and Wine Blog Directory

The South African Food and Wine Blog Directory

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Jeanne Horak is a freelance food and travel writer; recipe developer and photographer. South African by birth and Londoner by choice, Jeanne has been writing about food and travel on Cooksister since 2004. She is a popular speaker on food photography and writing has also contributed articles, recipes and photos to a number of online and print publications. Jeanne has also worked with a number of destination marketers to promote their city or region. Please get in touch to work with her Read More…

Latest Recipes

Bowls of broccoli and Stilton soup
Salmon with blood oranges dill and capers
Brussels sprouts with feta and pomegranate
Roast lamb with pomegranate glaze
Blood orange & pistachio galettes
Cauliflower topped steak with melted cheese
Plate of potted smoked salmon with slaw and a glass of champagne
bowls of pistachio pomegranate bircher muesli

SITEMAP

Home

Contact

About me

Recipe Index

Restaurant Index

Copyright & Disclaimer

Cookies & privacy policy




blog counter

© 2004 - 2023 · Jeanne Horak unless otherwise stated - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. You may not reproduce any text, excerpts or images without my prior permission. Site by RTW Labs

Copyright © 2023 · Cooksister on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Cooksister cookie consent
We use cookies to ensure you receive the best experience on our site. If you continue to use this site, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions. Accept
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT