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    Home » Main Courses

    Authentic Schwenkbraten Recipe – Marinated BBQ Pork steak

    Published: Jun 23, 2021 · Modified: Oct 24, 2023 by Marita Sinden · 11 Comments

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    An authentic Schwenkbraten is one of the highlights at German grill/BBQ parties. These German grilled pork steaks ooze flavour. Paired with a fresh salad and some white crusty bread, this dish makes for a comforting meal. I am excited to share with you the recipe and history of this German steak dish.

    Schwenkbraten on a plate. Next to the meat is some german potato sala and lettuce. The Picture is on a wooden surface.
    Schwenkbraten with German Potato Salad and Lettuce

    What is a Schwenkbraten

    Schwenkbraten is a German dish consisting of a marinated piece of meat that is cooked on a grill. This dish originates from the region of Saarland which lies in southwest Germany. The meat is typically grilled on a swinging grill called “Schwenkgrill”. The Schwenkbraten seasoning consists of an array of spices, every German family has different recipes.

    These grilled pork steaks are now one of Germany's most popular street foods and you can find them at Christmas Markets and other festivals.

    Schwenkgrill - a german grill on a tripod in a garden. On the grill you can see an array of meats

    What is a Schwenkgrill?

    A Schwenkgrill (also called a Schwenker Grill”) is a German grill, consisting of a tripod from which a swinging grill is attached. 

    The name “Schwenkgrill'' comes from the German word for swinging “schwenken”. The grill plate is continuously swung over the fire, in order to ensure that the meat is cooked evenly. 

    Another word for this type of grill is “Schwenker” – literally translated means “swinger”. However, also the person who uses the grill can be called a “Schwenker”. To confuse matters more, sometimes the “Schwenkbraten” is also referred to as “Schwenker”. 

    Saarland was heavily influenced by the iron and steel industry. Around the 1950s workers would bring some leftover metal home from their work and build their own homemade Schwenkgrill. 

    For a traditional Schwenkbraten, they say you need three Bs - bread, beer (ideally brewed in the Saarland) and beechwood. Grilling with Beechwood will enhance the smoky flavour. (We did not have any beechwood and grilled our Schwenkbraten with coals).  

    However, there is another version of this famous dish. Idar-Oberstein is a town near Saarland that was famous for its jewel trade. Traders have said to have brought the “Schwenkgrill” back from Brazil where the Gauchos would grill their meat on a similar “swinging grill”.

    On a bbq you can see three pork steaks, one pork belly skewer and onions in a foil.

    What is the difference between Idar-Obersteiner Schwenkbraten and Saarländer Schwenkbraten?

    The main difference is that in Idar-Oberstein the pork is marinated simply with onion, salt and pepper. The Saarländer Schwenkbraten is marinated with a lot of different herbs and spices.

    How to make Schwenkbraten?

    Which cut of meat to use for Schwenkbraten?

    Schwenkbraten is typically made from pork. Ideally use pork neck steaks or pork collar steaks. This cut of meat contains more fat and thus is more flavoursome. You can also use pork chops or pork loin steaks. However, you need to be aware that this cut of meat is leaner and thus less juicy. However, these cuts might be easier to get hold of abroad. 

    Ingredients 

    • 4 pork neck steaks (about 200 g each) You can substitute the pork neck steaks, with pork chop or pork loin steaks. 

    Ingredients for the Schwenkbraten Marinade

    • 150 ml/ 5 fl oz vegetable oil 
    • 2 large onions 
    • 3 garlic cloves 
    • 5 juniper berries (affiliate link) 
    • 1 tablespoon German mustard (affiliate link) (alternatively use Dijon mustard) 
    • 1 teaspoon dried thyme 
    • 1 teaspoon dried oregano 
    • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika powder 
    • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper 
    • 1 teaspoon salt 
    • ½ teaspoon black pepper.

    Recipe Steps

    Schwenkbraten Recipe steps. First picture shows the onion marinade for the meat in a bowl. 2nd picture says how to cook the onions in a foil tray. 3. Shows marinated pork steaks. 4. Shows the pork steaks on a Schwenkgrill.
    1. Peel and slice the onions finely
    2. Peel the garlic cloves and crush them. 
    3. Crush the Juniper berries (affiliate link) with a pestle or mortar or use another heavy item. 
    4. Assemble the remaining ingredients for the marinade and place them in a large shallow bowl. With a spoon stir the ingredients to achieve a smooth mass. 
    5. Add the pork steaks to the bowl and rub the marinade in. Store the marinated pork chops in an airtight container in the fridge. ( I like to keep them in a zip lock bag, to ensure the pork steaks are fully covered in the marinade.)
    6. Leave to marinate for at least 24-48 hours. Remove the meat from the fridge at least 1 hour before grilling. 
    7. Oil your grill plate before making the fire. 
    8. With the back of a spoon remove the onions from the pork steaks. You can fry them in a pan on the stove or place them in some foil to cook over the bbq. 
    9. Grill each steak for about 10-15 minutes (the exact cooking time depends on the thickness of the steak and the heat of the grill) 

    Recipe Variations

    Prepare your marinated pork steak in a frying pan.

    It is not always convenient to prepare a BBQ. Of course, you can prepare this dish in a frying pan as well. It might miss the smoky flavour of grilled meat, but it will still be delicious. As the Schwenkbraten marinade already contains oil, you can fry on medium heat on each side for 10 minutes.  

    Prepare the Schwenkbraten in an oven 

    You can also prepare your Schwenkbraten in an oven. Preheat your oven to 180°C/356°F. Place your marinated Schweinesteak on a baking tray and bake for approx. 40 minutes. 

    Schwenkbraten in a Bread Roll

    How to serve Schwenkbraten.

    Serve your Schwenkbraten with white bread. You can also place it in a white crusty roll and serve it as a German Pork Steak Sandwich. This is how you can buy them at Christmas markets and summer fairs. 

    The Pork Sandwich is made up of a crusty roll, a Schwenkbraten and optional onions on top and some German mustard (affiliate link). As a popular German street food you sometimes get the option of having a garlic sauce or Krautsalat (German Cabbage Salad) in your sandich.

    You should also serve it with a side salad. Here is a list of typical German BBQ side salads 

    • Pasta Salad (Nudelsalat) 
    • German Carrot Salad (Nudelsalat) 
    • Potato Salad with Dill and Cucumber 
    • German Potato Salad with Apple 
    • Egg and Apple Salad 
    • Cucumber and Radish Salad
    • German Coleslaw
    A large Schenkgrill with Schwenkbraten Steaks at a German Christmas Market
    A large Schenkgrill with Schwenkbraten Steaks at a German Christmas Market

    More German BBQ Recipes

    • A bbq with pork belly skewers on the top. A tong is hovering of it. At the front you can see a aluminium bowl with onions
      Grilled Pork Belly Skewers (Grillfackeln)
    • German Currywurst recipe
      Easy Currywurst Recipe with Homemade Currywurst Sauce
    • Grilling Brats
      Grilling Brats the German Way
    • Three bowls with marinaded pork on a wooden surface. In the back a yellow marinade with mustard, and a red marinade with paprika. At the front a green her marinade
      Schweinesteak Marinade – German Pork Steak Marinades

    Did you try this recipe?

    Please leave a rating or a comment below. I would love to hear from you. You can send me an e-mail or comment on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest.

    Why not share our Facebook Group - Homemade German Food & Recipes. Here we chat about German Food and share recipes.

    Recipe

    Schwenkbraten on a plate. Next to the meat is some german potato sala and lettuce. The Picture is on a wooden surface.

    Authentic Schwenkbraten (German BBQ Pork Steaks)

    Marita
    Try this delicious traitional recipe from the Saarland. This marinate pork steaks are called Schwenkbraten and are traditionally cooked on a Schwenkgrill
    5 from 8 votes
    I look forward to your feedback. Just click the stars above.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 10 minutes mins
    Marinating Time 1 day d
    Total Time 1 day d 20 minutes mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine German
    Servings 4 people
    Calories 365 kcal

    Equipment

    • a grill or BBQ 15

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 4 pork neck steaks about 200 g/ 7oz each 4 You can substitute the pork neck steaks, with pork chop or pork loin steaks. 
    • 150 ml vegetable oil 5 oz
    • 2 large onions

    For the marinade

    • 3 garlic cloves
    • 5 juniper berries
    • 1 tablespoon German mustard (affiliate link) or substitute with Dijon Mustard (affiliate link)
    • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
    • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
    • 1 tsp smoked paprika powder
    • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon black pepper
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions
     

    • Peel and slice the onions finely.
    • Peel the garlic cloves and crush them.
    • Crush the Juniper berries (affiliate link) with a pestle or mortar or use another heavy item.
    • Assemble the remaining ingredients( mustard (affiliate link), thyme, oregano, paprika powder, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper) for the marinade and place them in a large shallow bowl. With a spoon stir the ingredients to achieve a smooth mass. 
    • Add the pork steaks to the bowl and rub the marinade in. Store the marinated pork chops in an airtight container in the fridge. ( I like to keep them in a zip lock bag, to ensure the pork steaks are fully covered in the marinade.)
    • Leave to marinate for at least 24-48 hours. Remove the meat from the fridge at least 1 hour before grilling. 
    • Oil your grill plate before making the fire. 
    • With the back of a spoon remove the onions from the pork steaks. You can fry them in a pan on the stove or place them in some foil to cook over the bbq. 
    • Grill each steak for about 10-15 minutes (exact cooking time depends on the thickness of the steak and the heat of the grill) 
    • Serve with a side salad and white crusty bread. If you like you can place the cooked onions on top of the steaks.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 365kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 1gFat: 38gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 22gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gSodium: 627mgPotassium: 128mgFiber: 2gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 478IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 35mgIron: 1mg
    Keyword German BBQ recipe, German pork steak, marinated pork steak
    Did you make this recipe? I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Please leave a quick Comment and star rating. I appreciate your feedback.

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    Comments

      5 from 8 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Axel says

      April 30, 2025 at 4:44 pm

      5 stars
      Thank you for the recipe - I was always hunting for a good marinade and this does the trick after tripling the garlic! It was delicious on a charcoal grill!

      I live on East Coast of the US where Schweinehals is a difficult cut to find. The closest is boneless pork shoulder aka Boston butt. Then hope it's not too gristly inside and slice it across the grain.

      Also, thank you for explaining the difference between the Saarland and Idar-Oberstein versions. As a kid I spent many summers at my grandparents house on the border between Rheinland Pfalz and Saarland, and enjoyed both versions at summer kirmes fairs.

      Reply
      • Marita Sinden says

        May 03, 2025 at 11:06 am

        Hi Axel, thanks for trying the recipe and I am glad you enjoyed it! I am glad I could bring back some memories of your childhood summers 🙂

        Reply
    2. Dave Clay says

      July 08, 2022 at 2:28 am

      I have been trying to find a recipe for German Pork Steak Sandwich. I used to get this all the time when I served in Germany, though I never knew its proper name. A German food truck used to stop in front of our barracks around lunch and it almost always sounded better than what was served in the Dining Facility.

      Reply
      • Marita says

        July 27, 2022 at 12:11 pm

        Hi Dave, thanks for your comment. I have another few marinades for pork steaks that you might be interested in: https://mydinner.co.uk/schweinesteak-marinade/

        Reply
    3. Frank Thom says

      February 27, 2022 at 6:26 pm

      5 stars
      I found the recipe while looking for advice on using onions after they have marinated the pork. Having lived in Idar-Oberstein for several years, I first learned of the Schwenkbraten there, served with daikon radish salad. Here, I use pork loin, in a bed of onions with salt & pepper, and marinate in the fridge for 3 days. Grill worked great on them, as I don’t have a Schwenker! However, wife throws out the onions, while I have always sauteed them and enjoyed along with the pork. I will try your recipe, which looks great.

      Reply
    4. Cat | Curly's Cooking says

      July 09, 2021 at 5:48 pm

      5 stars
      So interesting to read about the grill. I absolutely love pork and these flavours sound delicious. Perfect for the summer.

      Reply
      • Marita says

        July 09, 2021 at 8:26 pm

        Thank you, I am glad you found this post interesting. I hope you get to try the recipe

        Reply
    5. Kate says

      July 08, 2021 at 8:12 am

      5 stars
      So interesting to read about traditional German BBQ food, thanks so much!

      Reply
    6. Karen says

      July 06, 2021 at 5:47 pm

      This looks so comforting and tasty - I love German recipes like this and I’m bookmarking this for later! Thank you for hosting - Karen

      Reply
    7. Karen S Burns-Booth says

      July 06, 2021 at 5:46 pm

      This looks so comforting and tasty - I love German recipes like this and I’m bookmarking this for later! Thank you for hosting - Karen

      Reply
    8. Janice says

      July 06, 2021 at 8:44 am

      5 stars
      This looks so delicious. I was really interested to read about the grill and I love the mustard pork chops!

      Reply

    Hi, I'm Marita

    Food enthusiast & home cook. I returned to Germany after living in the UK for 20 years. Here at My Dinner, you will find traditional and authentic German recipes with cultural backgrounds.

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