Home-style recipes from around the world

EN
Berlin-style Eisbein served with yellow pea purée and sauerkraut
Serves4 servings
CuisineGerman
Europe

Berliner Eisbein: Simmered Cured Pork Knuckle with Yellow Pea Purée and Sauerkraut

How to make Berliner Eisbein, cured pork knuckle simmered slowly with soup vegetables and spices, served with yellow pea purée and braised sauerkraut. Covers how it differs from roasted Schweinshaxe, choosing cured knuckles, judging salt, checking doneness by the bone and the center temperature, and storing leftovers.

Cooking flow

Cooking steps

STEP 11 / 8

Soak the yellow peas overnight

Dried yellow peas soaking overnight in a bowl of cold water
Soak the dried yellow peas in plenty of cold water overnight

Put 400g dried yellow peas in a bowl with plenty of cold water and leave them to soak overnight. If you forget to soak them, the peas fall outside the conditions of this recipe; no untested shortcut is offered as a substitute.

STEP 22 / 8

Start the knuckles in cold water with vegetables and spices

Cured pork knuckles simmering gently in a pot with soup vegetables and spices
Start from cold water and skim the foam as the pot heats

Cut the soup vegetables and quarter 2 onions, using a separate cutting board from the one for raw meat. Put the cured knuckles, soup vegetables, quartered onions, 3 bay leaves, 2 tsp allspice, 1 tsp juniper berries and 1 tsp peppercorns in a large pot, and add cold water until the meat is covered.

Hold back the 1 tbsp salt at this point, because cured meat varies so much in saltiness. Heat the pot slowly from cold, skimming off the foam that rises from time to time.

STEP 33 / 8

Simmer gently until the meat comes away from the bone

Checking that the simmered pork knuckle meat loosens from the bone
The meat should loosen beside the bone while the knuckle stays whole

Once the pot comes to a boil, turn the heat to low and simmer quietly for about 2 hours, keeping a steady stream of small bubbles. A hard boil makes the meat break apart and the broth turn cloudy. REWE notes that, depending on size, it can take up to 3 hours; the meat is ready when it comes away from the bone easily. Pots and knuckles differ, so don't treat the time as the only signal.

Loosening from the bone is a texture check, not a safety check. As a general home guideline, Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare advises heating meat until the center reaches 75°C for at least 1 minute; confirm the center is fully hot as well. Taste the cooking liquid now, and add salt only if it needs it.

STEP 44 / 8

Cook the soaked peas until soft

Soaked yellow peas cooking until soft
Cook the rinsed peas in water until very soft

Drain and rinse the peas, put them in a saucepan with about 1L water, and cook for about 1 hour until soft. Drain off the water.

STEP 55 / 8

Blend the peas with cooking liquid and butter

Blending yellow peas with pork cooking liquid and butter into a purée
Blend the peas with a little cooking liquid and butter into a thick purée

Add about 100ml of the Eisbein cooking liquid and 1 tbsp butter to the peas and blend them into a purée. Cook it down to thicken, then season with pepper and, only if needed, salt. The cooking liquid is already salty from the cured meat, so taste before salting.

STEP 66 / 8

Braise the sauerkraut with cooking liquid and spices

Sauerkraut braising over low heat with cooking liquid and spices
Braise the sauerkraut gently with onion, bay leaf, juniper and a little cooking liquid

Chop the remaining 2 onions. Heat 1 tbsp lard, sauté half of the chopped onion, then add 800g sauerkraut and sauté it briefly. Add about 150ml of the cooking liquid, the remaining bay leaf and the remaining 1 tsp juniper berries, and cook over low heat for about 30 minutes. If it tastes too sour, add a little more cooking liquid and taste again.

STEP 77 / 8

Sauté the diced ham and onion

Sautéing diced ham and onion in a skillet
Sauté the remaining ham and onion separately for the topping

Sauté half of the 125g diced ham in 1 tbsp oil and mix it into the sauerkraut. Then sauté the remaining onion and diced ham in the pan until lightly golden; this is the topping.

STEP 88 / 8

Plate the knuckle with purée and sauerkraut

Eisbein, pea purée and sauerkraut served on one plate
One knuckle per plate, with pea purée and sauerkraut topped with ham and onion

On each plate, place sauerkraut, one knuckle and pea purée, and top with the sautéed onion and diced ham.

0 / 0
Ingredients

Ingredients

1 / 3

For the pot

Ingredient Amount Role and notes
Cured pork knuckles (gepökelte Eisbeine) 4 (about 1.6–2kg in total) The main ingredient. Uncured pork shank gives a different saltiness and cured flavor
Soup vegetables (Suppengrün) 1 bunch A usual soup-vegetable mix such as carrot, leek and celery
Onions 2 (of the 4) Quartered, for the pot
Bay leaves 3 (of the 4) Aroma for the cooking liquid
Allspice berries 2 tsp Warm spice aroma
Juniper berries 1 tsp (of the 2 tsp) Aroma for the meat
Black peppercorns 1 tsp For the cooking liquid
Salt 1 tbsp Not added at the start here. Add only if needed after tasting the cooking liquid
Water Enough to cover the meat Start from cold water
2 / 3

For the pea purée

Ingredient Amount Role and notes
Dried yellow peas (gelbe, getrocknete Erbsen) 400g Soaked overnight in plenty of cold water
Water about 1L For cooking the peas
Butter 1 tbsp Richness for the purée
Pepper and salt To taste Salt only if needed
3 / 3

For the sauerkraut and topping

Ingredient Amount Role and notes
Fresh sauerkraut (frisches Sauerkraut) 800g The sour side dish
Onions 2 (the remaining 2) Chopped; half for the sauerkraut, half for the topping
Lard (Schweineschmalz) 1 tbsp For sautéing the onion and sauerkraut
Bay leaf 1 (the remaining 1) For the sauerkraut
Juniper berries 1 tsp (the remaining 1 tsp) For the sauerkraut
Diced ham (Schinkenwürfel) 125g Half into the sauerkraut, half for the topping
Vegetable oil 1 tbsp For sautéing the diced ham
0 / 0

Berliner Eisbein: A Quiet Pot, a Soft Purée and Sharp Sauerkraut

What this pot should keep

Simmer the cured knuckle gently, never at a rolling boil, until the meat comes away from the bone easily. Let the cooking liquid tie the plate together: a little goes into the pea purée, a little into the sauerkraut.

Steam rises slowly from a deep pot where bone-in pork knuckles sit under water with soup vegetables, bay leaves and whole spices. Beside it, yellow peas soften into a thick, pale golden purée, and sauerkraut braises with onion and juniper. Eisbein is cured pork shank simmered until tender, and in Berlin, Germany, it belongs to the city's classic dishes: visitBerlin presents Eisbein with pea purée among Berlin's kitchen classics, as part of a down-to-earth, hearty regional cooking.

This recipe follows a single Berlin-style recipe from REWE for 4 servings, with its ingredients, amounts and order kept together. One change has been made: the original adds 1 tbsp salt to the pot even though the meat is already cured. Cured products vary a great deal in saltiness, so here the salt is held back until you have tasted the cooking liquid.

Eisbein is not the same as Schweinshaxe. Both come from the pork leg, but Eisbein is simmered, while Schweinshaxe is roasted or grilled. If you are looking for a crisp, roasted knuckle, this is a different dish.

Ingredients: Serves 4, Built Around Cured Pork Knuckle

Cured pork knuckles, dried yellow peas, sauerkraut and soup vegetables
Cured knuckles, dried yellow peas, sauerkraut, onions, soup vegetables, spices, diced ham, butter, lard, salt, oil and water

Where an ingredient is divided between steps, the split follows the method.

The cooking liquid from the Eisbein pot is also used: about 100ml for the purée and about 150ml for the sauerkraut.

Allergies and food safety

This dish is built on pork, lard, ham and butter. The butter contains milk. Check the labels of processed products such as cured knuckles, diced ham and sauerkraut for any allergens that matter to you. Use a separate cutting board and utensils for raw meat to avoid cross-contamination.

Equipment

  • A large, heavy pot big enough to keep 4 knuckles covered with water
  • A slotted spoon or ladle for skimming foam
  • A bowl for soaking the peas
  • A saucepan for the peas
  • A hand blender
  • A saucepan for the sauerkraut
  • A skillet for the ham and onion
  • A separate cutting board and utensils for raw meat
  • A food thermometer for checking the center temperature

Choosing and Substituting: Ask Whether the Knuckle Is Cured

Cured pork knuckle comes first. When buying bone-in pork shank, ask the butcher whether it is cured (gepökelt) or uncured. Uncured shank will not taste the same as cured, and a quick home cure is not offered here as an equivalent.

Dried yellow peas, whole or split, both work. Frozen green peas give a different flavor and texture and will not make the same purée.

Diced ham (Schinkenwürfel) is diced ham, not the same thing as bacon. If you substitute, expect differences in smokiness, fat and salt.

Juniper berries can be left out if you cannot find them, but the aroma of the meat and sauerkraut will change. Allspice and juniper are easiest to find under those general names.

Lard can be replaced with vegetable oil; the aroma becomes lighter.

Sauerkraut: if you use a seasoned jarred product, taste it for salt and sourness and adjust the amount of cooking liquid you add.

Method: Simmer Slowly, Then Build the Sides from the Pot

Doneness and salt

Judge the meat by how easily it comes away from the bone, not by the clock alone, and confirm the center is fully hot. Taste the cooking liquid before adding any salt.

When Things Go Wrong: Causes and Fixes

Problem Likely cause What to do
The meat is falling apart and the broth is cloudy The pot boiled too hard Lower the heat to a quiet simmer with small, steady bubbles
The meat still clings to the bone The knuckle is large, or it needs more time Keep simmering gently; REWE notes up to 3 hours depending on size. Check the center is fully hot too
Everything tastes too salty The cured meat was salty, or salt went in early Don't add salt to the pot at the start. Taste the cooking liquid, purée and sauerkraut before adding any
The peas were not soaked The overnight soak was skipped This falls outside the recipe's conditions; no untested shortcut is offered as the same result
The sauerkraut is too sharp A strongly sour product Add a little more cooking liquid and taste as you go, rather than adding sugar the recipe does not call for
Jarred sauerkraut tastes off-balance It was already seasoned Check its salt and sourness and adjust how much cooking liquid you add

Storing and Reheating Leftovers

REWE says leftovers keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Following Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's general home guidance, cool leftovers quickly in shallow containers before refrigerating, and reheat until the whole portion is thoroughly hot, with the center reaching 75°C or more.

Ways to Vary the Plate

  • Leave some texture in the purée. Blend the peas less so some stay whole. This changes the texture; it is not presented as a traditional form.
  • Add a little more cooking liquid to the purée. It links the purée to the flavor of the meat, within the logic of this recipe.
  • Soften sharp sauerkraut with cooking liquid. Add it a little at a time and taste.
  • Serve boiled potatoes alongside. This is an addition outside the ingredients of the recipe followed here.
  • Offer mustard at the table. Kitchen Stories serves its Eisbein with sauerkraut, pea purée and mustard; it is not a required ingredient of the REWE recipe.

Eisbein in Berlin, Its Name, and How It Differs from Schweinshaxe

Pea purée is the companion that defines Eisbein's place on the Berlin table. visitBerlin's guide to dining in Berlin lists Eisbein with pea purée among the city's kitchen classics, in the context of simple, hearty local cooking. That places the pairing in Berlin today; it is not evidence that the recipe has stayed the same for centuries.

Eisbein should not be treated as one uniform method across Germany. The Berlin and northern style simmers cured knuckle, while in the south the leg is more often roasted or grilled as Schweinshaxe. The two share a cut but differ in cooking and texture.

The name has more than one explanation. REWE's FAQ mentions the idea that the bone was once used for ice-skate runners, and a derivation from the Old High German isben. Kitchen Stories also repeats the skate story without offering evidence. None of these is settled, so they are best read as competing theories rather than history.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between Eisbein and Schweinshaxe?

Mainly the cooking method. Eisbein is cured pork knuckle simmered in water, associated with Berlin and the north; Schweinshaxe is roasted or grilled, associated with the south. Regional habits vary, so this is a broad contrast rather than a strict rule.

Where can I buy cured pork knuckle?

Ask a butcher for cured pork knuckle (gepökeltes Eisbein) and confirm whether the bone-in shank they offer is cured or uncured. Uncured shank will give a different result.

How long should I simmer it?

Start from about 2 hours at a gentle simmer. REWE notes up to 3 hours depending on size. It is ready when the meat comes away from the bone easily and the center is fully hot; Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's general guideline is 75°C at the center for at least 1 minute.

What should I serve with it?

Yellow pea purée and sauerkraut are the core. Boiled potatoes and mustard can be added as optional extras, but they sit outside the recipe followed here.

Where does the name "Eisbein" come from?

There are several theories, including the use of the bone for ice-skate runners and a derivation from Old High German isben. None is confirmed.

Sources