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Schwenkbraten
Marinated grilled pork neck steaks
Saarland marinated pork neck steaks on the swinging grill
Schwenkbraten is the pride of the Saarland, where every village fair, football club party and summer Kirmes has a Schwenker: a round grill hung from a tripod and swung gently over a beech-wood fire. The meat is pork neck steaks marinated overnight with heaps of onion, garlic, marjoram and paprika, and they come off juicy, smoky and slightly charred. Locals often add beer to the marinade, but this recipe leaves it out, so no alcohol is involved. Serve with bread rolls, potato salad and mustard. Chef's tip: pork neck has fine marbling, so it stays moist; do not swap it for lean pork loin, which dries out on the grill.
- Total time
- 35 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 4 pork neck (collar) steaksabout 2 cm thick, 200 g each
- 3 onionsthinly sliced into rings
- 3 cloves garliccrushed
- 4 tbsp sunflower oil
- 2 tsp sweet paprika
- 1 tbsp dried marjoram
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Mix the 4 tbsp sunflower oil, 3 cloves garlic, 2 tsp sweet paprika, 1 tbsp dried marjoram and 1 tsp ground black pepper. Layer the 4 pork neck (collar) steaks steaks in a dish with the 3 onions, brushing each steak with the mixture.
10 minStep 2: Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 12 hours or up to 2 days. Never leave raw pork to marinate at room temperature.
720 minStep 3: Light a charcoal or wood grill and let it burn down to glowing embers with medium heat; you should be able to hold your hand above the grill for 4–5 seconds. Take the meat out of the fridge 20 minutes before grilling, scrape off most of the onion and season with the 1 tsp salt.
10 minStep 4: Grill the steaks for 12–14 minutes, turning every 2–3 minutes, until browned with some charred edges. If you have a swinging grill, swing it gently so the fat never flares. A common mistake is grilling over flames: the fat drips, flares up and burns the outside before the middle is cooked.
14 minStep 5: Check the thickest steak with a meat thermometer: pork is safe at 145°F in the centre. Rest the steaks for 3 minutes before serving.
3 minStep 6: Meanwhile fry the marinated onions in a pan on the grill until soft and browned, and pile them on top of the steaks.
6 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 450 kcal
- Protein
- 38 g
- Carbs
- 4 g
- Fat
- 31 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does schwenkbraten take?
- About 35 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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