As you'll remember, I was recently in Franken visiting Gemma, which meant an afternoon well-spent in the Kellerwald. Basically as soon as we decided we were going to the Kellerwald (you know, about 5 seconds after we scheduled the visit), I knew exactly what I was going to eat there.
Schäuferla is one of Franken's most loved dishes. It's pretty much a giant chunk of meat. Well, technically it's a pig shoulder - but I feel as though "giant chunk of meat" better captures the pure intensity of this meal. See what I mean?
I don't really know the secrets behind cooking it, but there are a few very important key factors that make Schäuferla so amazingly delicious. First, the meat is unbelievably tender. I'm not even sure why they give you a knife - if you just poke it the right way, the meat slides right off the bone. Next, there is the crispy fat bit at the top. Ok, don't run away screaming - it's good, I swear! Trust me, I'm the first person to throw away more than I eat just to avoid accidentally getting any fatty bits. But on a Schäuferla it's not the usual nasty, slimy fat invading your meal. It's just a neatly isolated, delightfully crispy rectangle of fat sat clearly on the top of the chunk of meat. A lot of people actually consider this to be the best part of the entire meal.
Along with your chunk of meat, you also get a Kloß (potato dumpling) and some Sauerkraut. A perfect combination. But be warned, as you can tell by the pictures, this is an ungodly amount of food. One of Gemma's teachers always told her that being able to eat an entire Schäuferla was sign that you were really Fränkisch. Now, I can't lie - may have skipped breakfast that morning to save room for this delicious treat, but I'd say I passed the test!
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