Franconian Roast Pork Shoulder (Schäufele)
Schäufele Say it: SHOY-feh-leh
Schäufele is Franconia’s celebrated roast pork shoulder, named for the shovel-shaped blade bone. The rind is scored and rubbed with caraway, salt and pepper, then roasted over onions and root vegetables with dark beer until the meat is tender and the crust crackles. It is a Sunday-lunch and tavern classic in Franconian kitchens, served with potato dumplings and red cabbage. The flavor is rich pork, malty beer and gentle caraway, with a crisp, salty rind.
Franconian Roast Pork Shoulder (Schäufele)
Schäufele
Pronounced SHOY-feh-leh
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 2 hr 25 min
- Total
- 2 hr 45 min
- Level
- Medium
Also nut-free and egg-free.
Allergens: contains gluten, celery. Check labels on packaged ingredients.
Ingredients
Amounts are scaled. Cooking times and pan sizes stay the same.
For the roast
For the gravy
Method
Heat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Pat the pork dry. With a sharp knife, score the rind in a 1/2-inch (1 cm) diamond pattern, cutting through the rind and fat but not into the meat. Rub the salt, pepper, caraway and marjoram all over the pork, pressing the seasonings into the scores.
Heat the oil in a roasting pan over medium-high heat. Brown the pork on its meat sides, not the rind, for 2 to 3 minutes per side until golden. Transfer the pork to a plate. Add the onions, carrots and celery to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes, until softened and lightly browned.
Place the pork rind-side up on the vegetables. Add the bay leaf, dark beer and stock around the pork, not over the rind. Cover the pan with foil, tenting it so it does not touch the rind, and roast for 1 hour 30 minutes.
Remove the foil and increase the oven to 425°F (220°C). Continue roasting for 25 to 35 minutes, until the rind is blistered and crisp and a skewer slides into the meat with no resistance. If the edges darken too much, tent them loosely with foil.
Transfer the pork to a board and rest for 15 minutes. Strain the pan juices into a saucepan, pressing the vegetables to extract their flavor, then skim off excess fat.
Bring the pan juices to a simmer. Whisk the flour with 2 tbsp (30 ml) of the hot juices in a small cup, then stir the mixture into the saucepan. Simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, until lightly thickened, and season with salt and pepper.
Carve the pork through the rind into thick slices. Serve with the gravy.
Regional variants
Some Franconian cooks purée the roasted vegetables into the strained juices for a thicker gravy; others finish the sauce with a little extra dark beer.
Cook's notes
- Ask the butcher for a bone-in shoulder with the rind left on; the blade bone is what makes it a true Schäufele.
- Keep the rind dry while the pork braises so it can crackle at the end; if it is still soft, give it another 10 minutes at high heat.
- Let the roast rest before carving so the juices stay in the meat.
Serve with
Potato dumplings (Kloß) and braised red cabbage; a dark Franconian beer alongside.
Make ahead and storage
Cool leftovers, cover and refrigerate up to 3 days. Reheat slices in a covered pan with a splash of stock; crisp the rind separately in a hot oven.
