Baekeofa

A speciality from Alsace, here is a recipe with citations from Paul Haeberlin. In earlier times, not every house was equipped with a oven, the housewives brought the marinated meat in a large pot to the local baker, there the baekeofe (or baker’s oven ) was then cooked in the large cooker.

Ingredients for 6 – 8 persons

• 800 g marbled pork (neck or throat)
• 800 g shoulder of mutton or beef
• 2 large onions
• the white of 3 chives
• 2 KG potatoes
• salt, pepper
• 1 bouquet garni

Für die Marinade:

• 1 bottle of dry Alsatian white wine
• 1 crushed garlic clove
• 1 bay leaf

Cut the meat into 70-80 g pieces the day before. Prepare a marinade from the ingredients indicated and mix the meat in it, leave to marinate overnight.
The next day, thinly slice the onions and the white part of the leek. Peel and slice the potatoes. Strain the marinade and keep it for further use.
Line a large earthen pot – I use my large Soufflenheimer – with a layer of potatoes, then onions and leeks in a single layer. Put the meat on top and add the bouquet. Continue like this until the ingredients are used up. Add the marinade and pour enough marinade on top so that the liquid is at about 1/4 height of the pot. The lid of the pot can be “soldered” on with a water-flour-salt paste if necessary, but believe me, it can be done without if you have a good pot.
Cook for 15 minutes at 160°, then reduce the temperature to 120° and cook for about 2.5 hours.
Serve the baekeofa directly from the pot.