Krustenbraten (Pork Roast with Crispy Rind)

	Photo: © A.L - Fotolia.com

Pork Shoulder with Rind (about 3 -4 lbs)
2 Carrots
1 Turnip
2 Onions
1 clove Garlic
Salt, Pepper, Nutmeg, Caraway Seeds

Preheat oven to 400° F (200° C).

Prepare the roast by first cutting a criss-cross pattern into the rind. If the rind is too soft to cut, place the meat in the freezer for 10 minutes. This hardens the rind enough to cut the pattern. Also, when cutting the rind, be sure not to cut into the meat ... cut only the rind. Season the meat with salt, pepper, and caraway seeds.

Wash and peel the carrots and turnip. Chop these into small cubes. Peel the onions and garlic and chop them up into small chunks. Place all the vegetables into the bottom of a roasting pan. Place the meat on top of the vegetables, rind side down. Add 2 cups water.

Note: It's important that during the first part of baking the rind remains moist. Only at the end of the baking period is the roast turned around, the oven temperature is increased, and the rind is allowed to get crispy . This ensures that the rind doesn't get gooey and tough. But, be sure to keep an eye on your roast. With the high oven temperature, the rind can burn very quickly.

Roast the pork for 1 hour in the oven. At this point, make sure that there is still liquid in the roasting pan. If not, add a little water. Reduce heat to 350° F (180° C) and continue baking the meat for another 1 1/2 hours.

At this point, turn the roast over so that the rind is up and out of the liquid. Turn up the heat to 450° F (230° C). Bake uncovered an additional 5 to 10 minutes or until the rind is crispy and brown (but not burnt!).

Remove the roast from the pan. Keep it warm but do not cover it. With a little extra water, loosen the pan drippings and pour this through a sieve into a small sauce pan. Season the gravy with salt and pepper to taste.

To slice the roast, turn it rind-side down for easier cutting. Also, the Krustenbraten should be eaten immediately, otherwise the rind begins to absorb liquid and salt from the meat, softening it.