Roasted Pork with Potatoes and Onions (Schweinsbraten)

Schweinsbraten, also called bratl or roast salted pork, is a traditional meal of the Austrian, Bavarian, and even Bohemian cuisine. Nowadays, a Bratl is a dish for social events rather than an everyday meal. Served in a tray as “Bratl in der Rein”, it is often the highlight of social get-togethers. Typical side dishes are “Stöcklkraut” (parboiled and roasted cabbage) and “Knödel” (dumplings). Even the cold bratl is…
Ingredients
- 1 bottle (12 oz) lager beer
- 1 piece (1.5 kg) pork
- 8 medium potatoes
- 2 tbsp caraway seeds
- 1 pinch salt (or to taste)
- 1 pinch freshly-milled black pepper (or to taste)
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 2 medium-sized yellow onions
Steps
- Preheat the oven to 170–190°C.
- Wash the meat. Pat dry with a paper towel. Cut a diamond pattern (each about 1 inch long) into the fat side for crispness.
- Rub salt, pepper and garlic into the meat.
- Fill a roasting tray with water to 2 cm deep. Place the meat fat side down in it. Sprinkle with caraway seeds. Add onion rings.
- Wash the peeled potatoes. Place next to the roast. Roast at 220°C, about 1 hour.
- When the potatoes are soft, remove and cover with foil.
- Turn the meat fat side up. Sprinkle with caraway seeds and thinly sliced onions.
- Roast another 30–45 minutes. Baste frequently with a little dish juice or beer each time. Add water if liquid is short.
- Brush the crispy rind once more with cold beer toward the end for crackling.
- The meat is done when only juice oozes out (no blood) and the crust is brown and crunchy.
- Deglaze the pan with beer and hot water. Season with salt and pepper. Scrape up the browned bits.
- Cut the meat into thin slices. Plate with gravy, potatoes and bread dumplings.
Notes from the original
- The ideal roast gravy is brown and translucent. Don’t thicken it with flour or cornstarch. This is deemed a deadly sin for Bratl-Connoisseurs!
- To add a wonderful aroma to the gravy, pour some beer over the meat shortly before it is done.
Source. Adapted from “Cookbook:Roasted Pork with Potatoes and Onions (Schweinsbraten)” by Wikibooks contributors, revision of 2025-06-12, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Changes. Steps rewritten into short commands. Introduction shortened. Wiki formatting removed. This adapted recipe is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photo. Schweinsbraten on plate.JPG by Austrian delicacy, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia. Resized; otherwise unchanged.






