Hilary Biller turns to an expert for tips on how to make the perfect eisbein

THE world-famous German Oktoberfest, held every year in Munich, began as a celebration of the marriage of Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig to the Saxon-Hildburghausen Princess Therese in October 1810.

To mark the occasion, the people of Munich threw a party, which went on for five days.

Two hundred years later, Oktoberfest is billed as the biggest party in the world, with tourists flocking to the city to drink beer and gorge themselves on German dishes.

The festival takes place on the original site at "Theresienwiese" - Theresa's Meadow - and lasts for two weeks, ending on the first Sunday in October. Last year, over 6-million people attended.

Central to the event are the tents and beer halls selling tankards of Bavaria's best beer, traditional live German music and food.

By far, the most popular eats are the selection of German pork sausages, including the white veal sausages of Bavaria; spit-roasted chickens; schnitzels; and roasted knuckles of pork, known as eisbein.

A large haunch of meat for one, eisbein comes with a crispy crackling. Its name literally means "ice leg" and comes from the ancient use of the long bone in the joint to make ice skates.

Germans are known for their hearty, wholesome food - and prolific use of pork.

In South Africa, eisbein is easily found in most local butcheries - pickled and smoked and vacuum-packed.

Preparing eisbein is the easy part. Getting the crackling really crispy is more tricky.

I turned to butcher George Heitzmann of Schwaben Butchery in Edenvale for his tips on the perfect eisbein.

Established in 1986, Schwaben Butchery is an institution in Johannesburg and known for its German specialties.

"It's so simple," said Heitzmann, gesticulating to the trays of perfectly crispy eisbein on the counter. The butchery sells up to a ton of cooked eisbein a week.

Traditionally, eisbein is made with pickled knuckle - not smoked.

Schwaben prepares the eisbein by covering with cold water - flavoured with juniper berries and bay leaves - and boiling till tender. This should take between 90 to 120 minutes when doing it at home.

To speed it up, prepare it in the pressure cooker for about 45 minutes.

Once it's tender, the butchery removes the joint and coats it in a mixture of their special spice blend - white pepper, salt, garlic and caraway seeds - and deep fries it in a large vat of hot oil till it's really crispy.

I believe it's the intensity of heat of a commercial deep fryer that one can't achieve at home that gives a readymade eisbein the edge. Heitzmann said this could be done at home in a very hot oven of 220°C 10-15 minutes.

In giving eisbein the traditional touch, Heitzmann plated it with sauerkraut (flavoured with onion, speck, juniper berries, bay leaves and caraway seeds), German-style roast potatoes and lashings of mustard.

"Essential is the German beer," he added, cracking open one of Bavaria's finest.

RECIPE

EISBEIN

(Serves 1)

1 large pickled pork knuckle

2 large onions, peeled and quartered

5ml black peppercorns

2 bay leaves

Two to three juniper berries

Spice coating:

5ml caraway seeds

5ml white pepper

5ml salt

5ml crushed garlic

Method

Rinse the eisbein, then cover with cold water in a large saucepan. Add onion, peppercorns, bay leaves and juniper berries. Bring to the boil and cook for 1 to 2 hours until tender. (The stock is a good basis for a soup.) Drain well on a baking tray.

Combine all the ingredients for the spice coating. Rub eisbein with spice coating and bake at 220°C for 10 to 15 minutes or until the skin is really crispy. Or, if you prefer, deep-fry the eisbein. Rub eisbein with spice coating. Preheat a large pan of oil until a cube of bread dropped in the oil browns in seconds. Drop eisbein into oil, taking care as it can splatter (use a mesh cover or lid over pan) and fry till crisp and golden brown. This will take a few minutes. Remove and drain on paper towel. Serve with sauerkraut, German-style roast potatoes and mustard.