Grandma's pork roast with sauerkraut & bread dumplings

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Mise en Place 🤗

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Season the meat, except for the rind. (Salt, pepper, mustard seeds) Place the belly, with the rind facing downwards, in a roasting pan filled, add beer and transfer into the oven for approx. 30 min. at 180°C/360°F top/bottom.

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Cut one onion, the potatoes, and carrots in half and cut the celery into similar sized pieces.

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Now cut the cabbage and another onion julienne.

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In a saucepan caramelise 1 tbsp of sugar.

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In portions caramelise 1 tbsp of lard with one-third of the chopped cabbage and one-third of the sliced onions until nice and dark.

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Add the remaining cabbage in the pot, brown briefly, deglaze with cider apple vinegar and fill up with water until everything is covered.

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Add 1/2 tbsp caraway seeds, 1 tbsp brown sugar, 1 pinch of salt and pepper to the cabbage and let simmer gently for approx. 1 hr.

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After approx. 30 min. turn the pork belly over and score the rind. Add the vegetables to the roasting pan, add water or stock. (the vegetables should not be completely covered) Add 1/2 tbsp caraway seeds, 2 bay leaves, 1 sprig of rosemary and thyme and transfer back to the oven for approx. 1 1/2–2 hrs. at 150°C/300°F.

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Keep an eye on the temperature, every oven and every piece of meat is different, it should cook slowly but not get too dark.

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Cube the remaining onion and sauté in butter until translucent.

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Add milk, chopped parsley, 1 pinch of caraway, nutmeg, salt and pepper to the onions and bring to the boil briefly.

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Pour the milk over the bread crumbs, leave to cool briefly and mix to combine with 1 tbsp of flour and the 2 eggs. Set aside and leave the dumpling dough to rest for a while.

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After approx. 30 min. form equally sized dumplings. Tip: wet your hands after each dumpling, this not only helps against sticky hands, but also ensures nice and beautiful dumplings.

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Place the dumplings in a large pot with lightly salted water, bring to boil and let simmer for approx. 15 – 20 min., depending on the size. Strain and leave too dry. You can also add the dumplings to the roasting pan, if desired.

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After 1 1/2–2 hrs. at 150°C/300°F. in the oven, switch on the grill function and turn to 250°C/480°F, or full throttle top heat to crisp up the rind. A little salt on the rind enhances the popping and makes it crispier.

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Serve the cabbage, warm, separately and provide enough roast juice for the dumplings 😋 Enjoy!

Enjoy your meal!