Pigs' luck

"Schweineglück" (Pork Bliss) from Altes Gewürzamt for Roasts and Chops

"Schweineglück" from Altes Gewürzamt is a fine spice blend of Tellicherry pepper, grains of paradise, and two types of paprika, rounded off with a hint of vanilla. Rubbed in the night before, it penetrates deep into the Sunday roast, the chop on the grill, and sausage meat.

Schweineglück is the meat seasoning from Altes Gewürzamt in Klingenberg am Main, consisting of eleven ingredients with no added salt or sugar. Tellicherry pepper takes top billing, cumin and coriander form the earthy core, and lemon zest and vanilla provide a delicate finishing touch.

Tellicherry pepper and the trick with the vanilla

Tellicherry are the largest, late-harvested berries from India's Malabar Coast, and they carry more fruit than ordinary black pepper.

The real trick of this seasoning, however, is hidden at the very end. Vanilla is listed last, meaning it is used in the smallest amount, and that is exactly how it should be. The more sparingly it is dosed, the better it rounds off the heat without revealing itself. If you look for it, you will only find it in the finish, just before the pepper takes over again.

Before that, the two types of paprika go to work. The sweet paprika provides the color and the rounded base note, the hot paprika adds a mild heat underneath, and garlic, caraway, and lemon zest keep the blend bright enough for light-colored meat.

For a Sunday roast with crackling

Its rightful place is on a pork roast with crackling—generously rubbed and best applied the night before.

The longer the seasoning sits, the deeper it penetrates, and the better the crust will later hold the juices in the meat. Because there is neither salt nor sugar in the tin, you salt it separately and stay in control. On the grill, this is a distinct advantage, as a sugary rub will turn black long before the chop is cooked through.

Schweineglück is also right at home on fried potatoes sizzling in the pan alongside the roast. Meatballs and sausage meat can also handle it, and anyone daring to make pulled pork can rub the shoulder with it and let it marinate in the fridge overnight.

For the crackling, score the rind in a diamond pattern beforehand without cutting into the meat, and rub the seasoning into the cuts as well. Start the roast with the rind side down in a bit of broth, and only turn it over in the last half hour when the heat increases and the crackling is meant to pop.

Grains of paradise, the pepper of the Middle Ages

The grains of paradise in fourth place are the secret star of this composition.

This West African member of the ginger family was a common substitute for expensive pepper in medieval Europe and was later almost forgotten. Unjustly so, because its heat remains broad and warm, with cardamom and citrus notes behind it. Alongside the fruity Tellicherry, this creates two types of heat with very different tempos: one fast and one slow. Precisely this duality explains why Schweineglück lingers on the palate longer than its delicate appearance would suggest.

Blended in Klingenberg am Main

Altes Gewürzamt consciously avoids dyes and flavor enhancers, and you can taste that in the fact that every single ingredient remains identifiable. The spices are ground in Klingenberg am Main in small batches so that the pepper retains its oils. Altes Gewürzamt does not use any anti-caking agents, which is why the powder sits densely in the tin.

For something bolder and smokier, try BBQ Pork; for more options for the open fire, see our grilling spices and the rest of the Altes Gewürzamt assortment.