{"id":12370,"date":"2026-10-27T00:49:22","date_gmt":"2026-10-26T23:49:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sonnenhof-sonnhalde.de\/de_de\/schaeufele\/"},"modified":"2026-10-27T00:49:22","modified_gmt":"2026-10-26T23:49:22","slug":"schaeufele-baden-dish","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonnenhof-sonnhalde.de\/en\/schaeufele\/","title":{"rendered":"Baden-style Sch\u00e4ufele: origins, preparation and recipe"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sch\u00e4ufele 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, Sch\u00e4ufele 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 Sch\u00e4ufele is, where it comes from, how to prepare a Baden-style Sch\u00e4ufele and what goes with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Sch\u00e4ufele
Photo: Jeremy Keith<\/a> \/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sch\u00e4ufele: what exactly is it?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to Wikipedia, Sch\u00e4ufele (also Sch\u00e4uferle, Sch\u00e4uferla or Sch\u00e4ufli) 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 \u201cSch\u00fcfeli\u201d or \u201cSchiifele\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the butcher\u2019s you will usually find Sch\u00e4ufele with the bone and rind. For the Baden-style preparation, you should specifically ask for a cured and smoked Sch\u00e4ufele.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Origins: Baden-style and Franconian Sch\u00e4ufele<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to our sources, it cannot be proven when and where Sch\u00e4ufele was first served. What is certain, however, is that it is widespread in two regional variants, which differ clearly:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/th>Baden-style Sch\u00e4ufele<\/th>Franconian Sch\u00e4ufele<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Meat<\/td>cured and smoked<\/td>raw, with bone and rind<\/td><\/tr>
Preparation<\/td>cooked just below boiling point in a broth of water, white wine, a little vinegar, onion, bay leaf and cloves<\/td>seasoned with salt, pepper and caraway, braised in the oven with vegetables, stock and, if desired, dark beer<\/td><\/tr>
Typical side dishes<\/td>potato salad, sauerkraut, Schupfnudeln, and in southern Baden lamb\u2019s lettuce at Christmas<\/td>potato dumplings, depending on the region salad, sauerkraut, red cabbage or Savoy cabbage<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

On tradition in Baden: Sch\u00e4ufele is regarded there as a typical festive dish. Wikipedia calls it a traditional dish for Christmas Eve in southern Baden, served with lamb\u2019s lettuce (regionally \u201cSunnewirbeli\u201d). 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, \u201cSch\u00fcfeli\u201d is likewise known cured and smoked; according to Wikipedia it is eaten there with broad beans or sauerkraut and is a common Christmas meal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Preparing Baden-style Sch\u00e4ufele: a classic recipe<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ingredients<\/h3>\n\n\n\n