Topic: Schweinebraten                 
                          

Date: 3/5/2005

Service Team Member: Ben                        
Kitchen Team Member: Renee

General Info: Schweinebraten is a roasted pork loin, “Franken-style,” with a garlic caraway sauce, served traditionally with red cabbage and a Semmelknödel.

Purchase Info: 7-9 lb., split center cut (as opposed to the shoulder/ham or chuck end) pork loin (two in one package).  Purchased frozen from Ben E. Keith as a Hormel product. 

Kitchen Prep & Getting Ready: Renee thaws and trims the excess fat from the pork loin, and seasons it with our schnitzel seasoning, garlic, and caraway.

Cooking: The pork loin is then placed in a roasting pan with the aromatic vegetables celery, carrots, onions, leeks and with beef broth/stock.  It is cooked at the high temperature of 450 degrees, covered, for 50 minutes.  It is then uncovered and roasted for an additional 15 minutes to allow the garlic and caraway to form a crust on the pork loin.  The pork loin is then allowed to rest, so that the juices settle back into the meat.

Garnish: Schweinebraten is only served at dinner and is portioned into 3 slices with 7-8 ounce total.  It is garnished with a garlic and caraway demi-glaze sauce (to produce a fuller flavor than the natural juices alone would provide).  Again, it is traditionally served with red cabbage and a Semmelknödel.

Critical Service Steps: Must be nice size roasted pieces of pork loin, not small pieces.  Make sure the sauce still glistens and does not have a matte finish to it.

Other things to talk to your guests about:  A more traditional and “exotic” Bavarian dish, flavor wise (as opposed to Rostbraten, etc.).  Schweinebraten is a leaner cut of pork than the other dishes on the menu (i.e. Schweinshaxe, sausages, schnitzel).