Schäufele is one of the best-known meat dishes of southern Germany, and depending on whom you ask, it can mean something quite different. In Baden, Schäufele is a cured and smoked pork shoulder that is cooked in a broth. In Franconia, by contrast, a raw shoulder is braised in the oven. In this article we explain what a Schäufele is, where it comes from, how to prepare a Baden-style Schäufele and what goes with it.

Photo: Jeremy Keith /Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Schäufele: what exactly is it?

According to Wikipedia, Schäufele (also Schäuferle, Schäuferla or Schäufli) is the southern German name for the flat pork shoulder. The name goes back to the Schaufelknochen (shovel bone), the shoulder blade, which resembles a small shovel. In Switzerland, southern Baden and Alsace the cut is also called “Schüfeli” or “Schiifele”.

At the butcher’s you will usually find Schäufele with the bone and rind. For the Baden-style preparation, you should specifically ask for a cured and smoked Schäufele.

Origins: Baden-style and Franconian Schäufele

According to our sources, it cannot be proven when and where Schäufele was first served. What is certain, however, is that it is widespread in two regional variants, which differ clearly:

	Baden-style Schäufele	Franconian Schäufele
Meat	cured and smoked	raw, with bone and rind
Preparation	cooked just below boiling point in a broth of water, white wine, a little vinegar, onion, bay leaf and cloves	seasoned with salt, pepper and caraway, braised in the oven with vegetables, stock and, if desired, dark beer
Typical side dishes	potato salad, sauerkraut, Schupfnudeln, and in southern Baden lamb’s lettuce at Christmas	potato dumplings, depending on the region salad, sauerkraut, red cabbage or Savoy cabbage

On tradition in Baden: Schäufele is regarded there as a typical festive dish. Wikipedia calls it a traditional dish for Christmas Eve in southern Baden, served with lamb’s lettuce (regionally “Sunnewirbeli”). A guide from Payback also describes it as a dish that ends up on the table in many Baden households on Christmas Eve. In Switzerland, “Schüfeli” is likewise known cured and smoked; according to Wikipedia it is eaten there with broad beans or sauerkraut and is a common Christmas meal.

Preparing Baden-style Schäufele: a classic recipe

The following recipe is a classic basic recipe with the usual quantities for about four to six people. It is based on common recipes from recipe portals and guides (see sources) and is not a recipe from our hotel kitchen.

Ingredients

1 cured and smoked Schäufele, about 1.5 kg
about 1.5 l water and 0.5 l white wine (enough to cover the meat)
1 tbsp vinegar
2 onions, peeled and whole
1 bay leaf
4 cloves
8 peppercorns
6 juniper berries

Preparation

Bring the water, wine and vinegar to the boil in a large pot. Add the onions, bay leaf, cloves, peppercorns and juniper.
Place the Schäufele in the broth. It should be completely covered; add water if necessary.
Reduce the heat so that the broth is only just below boiling point. Do not let the meat boil.
Let the Schäufele cook gently until done. In the recipes we compared, the cooking time is between about 75 minutes and two and a half hours, depending on the size of the cut. Doneness test: the meat comes away from the bone easily.
Take the Schäufele out, cut it into slices and ladle a little hot broth over it. Because of the curing, the broth can be salty; taste it before using it.

Variation with sauerkraut

A smaller variation cooks the Schäufele (700 to 800 grams) together with sauerkraut. For this, grated carrot and potato are mixed into 500 g of sauerkraut, covered with onion rings, apple wedges, bay leaf and juniper, the meat is placed on top and about one litre of meat stock is poured over. Covered, it cooks over a low to medium heat for about 90 minutes.

The right side dish: Baden-style potato salad

Potato salad goes well with Baden-style Schäufele, traditionally dressed with a little of the cooking stock. A simple basic recipe:

1 kg firm-cooking potatoes, boiled, peeled while still warm and sliced
1 onion, finely diced
about 150 ml hot, skimmed and seasoned cooking stock
3 tbsp vinegar and 4 tbsp oil
Salt and pepper

Mix everything together and leave the salad to infuse for at least 30 minutes. Other usual side dishes are sauerkraut, Schupfnudeln (in Baden also called “Buabaspitzle”) or lamb’s lettuce.

For comparison: Franconian Schäufele

If you would like to try the Franconian Schäufele, buy a raw cut with rind. A recipe from REWE uses 1.5 kg of pork shoulder, which is browned well and cooked in the oven with onions, carrots, caraway, stock and dark beer at 160 degrees for three to four hours, until the rind is crisp. It is served with potato dumplings and red cabbage. The preparation has little in common with the Baden-style Schäufele cooked in broth.

Schäufele and regional cuisine in the Southern Black Forest

Anyone setting off on a culinary voyage of discovery in the region will find many specialities that belong together: Schäufele, Black Forest ham and Black Forest gateau are among the best known.

Photo: Wellnesshotel Sonnenhof & Sonnhalde

In our Wellnesshotel Sonnenhof & Sonnhalde in Ühlingen-Birkendorf, in the southern High Black Forest close to the Swiss border, the Restaurant Sonnenhof under head chef and hotelier Uli Blatter cultivates a creative Baden cuisine using regional ingredients. The menu changes with the seasons. You can read more on our page Culinary delights in the Black Forest.

Our packages include the daily gourmet menu (four courses, three courses in the Happy Holiday package), the afternoon snack buffet “sweet & savoury” and the breakfast buffet. If you would prefer not to spend the Christmas days at the stove yourself, you will find information on Weihnachtszauber (23 to 28 December); our article on the following offers ideas for the Advent season Christmas market in the Black Forest. You can book directly on our website. Book page.

Frequently asked questions

What is a Schäufele?

A Schäufele is the flat pork shoulder with the shoulder blade that gives the dish its name. It is prepared with the bone and rind.

What distinguishes the Baden-style from the Franconian Schäufele?

The Baden-style Schäufele is cured and smoked and is cooked in a broth. The Franconian one is braised raw in the oven. The side dishes differ too: in Baden, potato salad is often customary, in Franconia potato dumplings.

How long does a Schäufele need to cook?

That depends on the size and the preparation. The recipes we compared give 75 minutes to two and a half hours for the Baden-style Schäufele in broth, and three to four hours for the Franconian variation in the oven. The doneness test is decisive: the meat should come away from the bone easily.

What is served with Baden-style Schäufele?

Potato salad, sauerkraut, Schupfnudeln and, in southern Baden at Christmas, lamb’s lettuce are customary.

When is Schäufele eaten in Baden?

Especially on Christmas Eve. According to Wikipedia, it is a traditional dish for that evening in southern Baden; Payback names it as a dish for many Baden households on Christmas Eve.

Where can I get a Schäufele?

At the butcher’s. For the Baden-style Schäufele, ask for a cured and smoked cut.

Baden-style Schäufele: origins, preparation and recipe

Schäufele: what exactly is it?

Origins: Baden-style and Franconian Schäufele