Vepřo knedlo zelo

Name: Vepřo knedlo zelo
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 180 min
Total time: 280 min
Yield: 6 plates
Cuisine: Czech
Ingredients: 1.5 kg Pork, boneless shoulder, skin on; 4 clove Garlic, crushed; 3 tsp Caraway seed, 2 tsp for the pork, 1 tsp for the cabbage; 3 tsp Salt, 2 tsp for the pork, 1 tsp for the dumplings; 3 medium Onion, two thickly sliced under the pork, one chopped for the cabbage; 300 ml Water; 600 g Sauerkraut, drained, lightly squeezed; 30 g Lard; 1 tbsp Sugar; 1 tbsp Wheat flour, to thicken the cabbage; 500 g Wheat flour; 250 ml Milk, lukewarm; 7 g Yeast, instant dried; 1 piece Egg; 2 piece Bread rolls, stale, diced

Vepřová pečeně s knedlíkem a zelím

The Czech national plate: caraway roast pork with its gravy, braised sauerkraut and thick slices of bread dumpling.

Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen. Native name preserved: Vepřová pečeně s knedlíkem a zelím.

Start cooking

Prep: 40 min
Cook: 3 hr
Rest: 1 hr
Total: 4 hr 40 min
Difficulty: Medium
Spice: No chilli
Cost: A bit special$16–28 USD · indicative, not a store price

Know it before you cook it

About

Vepřo knedlo zelo is the Czech menu shorthand for roast pork, dumplings and cabbage, and the dish is exactly that. A pork shoulder rubbed with salt, garlic and caraway roasts slowly on onions until the fat renders and the skin blisters, and the pan juices become a thin gravy. Sauerkraut braises with onion, lard, caraway and a little sugar until it is soft and sweet-sour. Bread dumplings, made from a yeast dough with cubes of stale roll, boil as logs and are sliced thick with a thread. Three pans, one plate, a half litre of lager.

What you'll need

15 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.

0 of 15 ready

6 servings

Pork
Cabbage
Bread dumplings

Ingredients

Servings

Pork

Pork, boneless shoulder, skin on1½ kg
Garlic, crushed4 clove
Caraway seed, 2 tsp for the pork, 1 tsp for the cabbage15 ml
Salt, 2 tsp for the pork, 1 tsp for the dumplings15 ml
Onion, two thickly sliced under the pork, one chopped for the cabbage3 medium
Water300 ml

Cabbage

Sauerkraut, drained, lightly squeezed600 g
Lard30 g
Sugar15 ml
Wheat flour, to thicken the cabbage15 ml

Bread dumplings

Wheat flour500 g
Milk, lukewarm250 ml
Yeast, instant dried7 g
Egg1
Bread rolls, stale, diced2

Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.

Steps

Step 1
Score the pork skin in a diamond pattern and rub the whole joint with salt, garlic and 2 tsp caraway. Leave an hour at room temperature or overnight in the fridge.
10 min
Step 2
Heat the oven to 220°C. Lay the sliced onion in a roasting pot, set the pork on top skin up, pour the water round it and roast 20 minutes. Turn down to 160°C and roast 2.5 hours more, basting every 40 minutes and adding a splash of water if the pan dries.
170 min160°C
Step 3
Make the dumpling dough while the pork roasts: mix flour, yeast, 1 tsp salt, milk and egg into a soft dough, knead 5 minutes, work in the bread cubes, cover and rise 45 minutes. Shape into two logs and rest 15 minutes.
70 min
Step 4
Melt the lard in a saucepan and soften the chopped onion 6 minutes. Add the sauerkraut, 1 tsp caraway and the sugar, cover and braise over low heat 30 minutes. Stir the flour into a spoon of water and add it; simmer 5 minutes to thicken.
40 min
Tip: Taste before adding sugar. Some sauerkraut is already gentle.
Step 5
Boil the dumpling logs in salted water with the lid on for 20 minutes, turning once. Lift out, prick with a fork and slice 1.5 cm thick with a thread.
22 min
Step 6
Rest the pork 15 minutes. If the skin has not crisped, give it 5 minutes under a hot grill. Skim the pan juices and loosen them with a little water for a thin gravy. Slice the pork, lay on plates with dumplings and cabbage, and spoon gravy over the meat and dumplings.
20 min
Watch: Do not put gravy on the cabbage. It already has its own sauce and Czechs will notice.

Nutrition

Per serving · estimate

Calories: 1141 kcal
Protein: 84.8 g
Carbs: 99.1 g
Fat: 41.8 g
Saturated fat: 14.6 g
Fibre: 5.7 g
Sugar: 9.3 g
Sodium: 1300 mg

Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.

Allergens

Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.

Wheat
Eggs
Milk

Nut-free

Adapt this recipe

The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.

Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 11 November.

Substitutions

Sauerkraut → Fresh white cabbage, shredded, braised with 3 tbsp vinegar
The Moravian habit. Sweeter, less funky, needs more caraway.

Tips

Pour the gravy over the dumplings too. They exist to absorb it.
Potato dumplings (bramborové knedlíky) are the other legal option: mashed potato, flour, egg and semolina rolled into logs and boiled.

History & culture

The national dish by acclamation: pub lunch, Sunday lunch, works canteen, the thing a Czech grandmother cooks when you visit. Bohemia uses sauerkraut, Moravia often braises fresh white cabbage, and some tables put red cabbage down in winter. Dumplings can be bread or potato. Arguments over which is correct are long and settled by nothing.

Roast pork with cabbage and dumplings is 19th-century Bohemian farmhouse food that the pubs of the First Republic standardised between the wars; the three-word nickname is 20th century. The bread dumpling itself is Bohemia's contribution to Central European cooking and spread from there to Austria and Bavaria.

Traditional

Provenance: Editorial adaptation.

Questions about this recipe

Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.

How long does Vepřo knedlo zelo take?

4 hr 40 min all in — 40 min prep, 3 hr cook, 1 hr rest. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.

How many does it serve?

The recipe is written for 6 plates. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.

How hard is it?

Medium.

How spicy is it?

No chilli.

What allergens should I watch?

This recipe is labelled for Wheat, Eggs, Milk. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.

Does it fit a diet?

The published recipe is labelled Nut-free.

9 more questions

What does it cost to cook?

A bit special — about $16–28 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.

What equipment do I need?

Dutch oven, Oven, Stockpot, Saucepan, Mixing bowl.

How much salt do I put in?

The recipe lists Salt at 3 tsp (2 tsp for the pork, 1 tsp for the dumplings).

How much sugar?

1 tbsp of Sugar.

What can I use instead?

Sauerkraut → Fresh white cabbage, shredded, braised with 3 tbsp vinegar. The Moravian habit. Sweeter, less funky, needs more caraway.

What should I watch for?

Do not put gravy on the cabbage. It already has its own sauce and Czechs will notice.

Any tips from this recipe?

Pour the gravy over the dumplings too. They exist to absorb it. Potato dumplings (bramborové knedlíky) are the other legal option: mashed potato, flour, egg and semolina rolled into logs and boiled.

Can I prepare this ahead?

Score the pork skin in a diamond pattern and rub the whole joint with salt, garlic and 2 tsp caraway. Leave an hour at room temperature or overnight in the fridge.

Can I use an air fryer?

This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.