Judd mat Gaardebounen

About This Recipe

Judd mat Gaardebounen (smoked pork collar with broad beans) is not merely a national dish of Luxembourg — it is a symbol of national identity, celebrated every June during the national holiday period and found in every traditional restaurant. A whole smoked pork collar (judd) is first soaked overnight to reduce saltiness, then gently simmered for two to three hours with aromatic vegetables until meltingly tender. The broad beans (gaardebounen) are cooked separately in a creamy sauce flavored with savory (Bohnenkraut) and onions before being served alongside the sliced pork with boiled potatoes and mustard. The dish encapsulates Luxembourg's Germanic culinary roots while expressing a distinct local character.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 1.5 kgsmoked pork collar (Judd/Kasseler), soaked in cold water overnight
• 1 mediumonion, quartered
• 2 mediumcarrots, halved
• 2 stalkscelery
• 1 sprigfresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 kgfresh or frozen broad beans (shelled weight)
• 1 mediumonion, finely diced
• 2 tbspbutter
• 300 mldouble cream
• 150 mlpork cooking broth
• 1 tbspfresh savory or thyme leaves
• 1 tbspflour
• salt and white pepper(to taste)
• 800 gwaxy potatoes, boiled, for serving
• Dijon mustardfor serving

Instructions

1. 1

   Simmer the pork

   Drain the soaked pork collar and place in a large pot. Cover with fresh cold water. Add quartered onion, carrots, celery, thyme, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, skim foam, then reduce to a very gentle simmer. Cook for 2.5–3 hours until a knife slides through effortlessly.

2. 2

   Cook the broad beans

   Blanch broad beans in boiling salted water for 3–4 minutes. Drain and, if using larger beans, peel away the outer skin for a brighter green color and more tender texture.

3. 3

   Make the cream sauce

   In a saucepan, soften diced onion in butter over medium heat for 5 minutes. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in cream and 150 ml of the pork cooking broth. Simmer for 5 minutes until lightly thickened. Add savory, season with salt and white pepper.

4. 4

   Combine beans and sauce

   Add the broad beans to the cream sauce. Stir gently and simmer for 3 minutes.

5. 5

   Slice and serve

   Remove the pork collar from the broth and slice thickly (1.5–2 cm). Serve slices of pork alongside the broad beans in cream sauce, boiled potatoes, and Dijon mustard.

Variations

• •

  Use fresh garden beans (green beans) when broad beans are out of season.

• •

  Add a tablespoon of grain mustard directly to the cream sauce for extra depth.

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

• •

  Spicier: add a finely chopped fresh chile or a teaspoon of crushed Aleppo/Urfa pepper to the aromatics for warm, layered heat instead of a single sharp hit.

Storage

Refrigerate pork and beans separately for up to 3 days. The beans absorb cream sauce on standing — add a splash of cream when reheating.

Frequently Asked Questions