Crockpot Pork and Sauerkraut

December 31, 2024

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Crockpot pork and sauerkraut. The standard New 12 months’s Eve recipe for good luck within the new yr. Pork shoulder and sauerkraut, with apples, onions, and bacon so as to add taste, cooked within the crock pot all afternoon.

A platter of pork shoulder ribs, sauerkraut, and potatoes

Bounce to:

I’m republishing this recipe as a result of my sister-in-law requested me about it, and I figured sprucing it up for the New 12 months is a good suggestion.

Pork and sauerkraut is a New 12 months’s custom in my spouse’s household. She remembers the custom fondly. Or a minimum of, she does now. When she was rising up, she wasn’t a giant fan. (Sauerkraut? Eeew!) Her grandma would all the time hound the youngsters to eat a minimum of one strand of sauerkraut, “as a result of it brings good luck within the new yr”. Evidently, the grandkids weren’t satisfied.

I grew up loving sauerkraut; I’ve fond recollections of scorching canine carts in downtown Cleveland, canine loaded with all the pieces, the place the spotlight was the sauerkraut. My love of those scorching canine was a turn-off to Diane once we have been relationship; she could not imagine I cherished these “smelly canine” a lot. I used to be thrilled along with her household’s New 12 months’s sauerkraut custom. I needed to work on Diane, thought; she ate her sauerkraut out of obligation, not as a result of she wished to. Ultimately I used to be capable of finding some sauerkraut recipes that she did not hate. In actual fact…she sort of likes this one.

And! Now I get to torture our youngsters with sauerkraut on New Years Eve. “Come on, youngsters, it’s important to eat one strand. Nice Grandma is watching you!”

Wish to assure good luck within the new yr? Have some pork and sauerkraut! You may solely have one strand if it’s important to. However I am going to wager, when you style it, that you will have greater than that.

Components

8 ounces bacon, reduce into 1 ½ inch items
2 kilos sauerkraut, drained and rinsed (I desire bagged sauerkraut)
1 pound new potatoes, scrubbed
2 apples, cored and diced
2 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon thyme
½ teaspoon coriander seed
½ teaspoon entire peppercorns
2 bay leaves
3 kilos pork western ribs or pork nation ribs
3 teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon recent floor black pepper
1 giant onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 ½ cups Riesling or different dry white wine

Gear

6-quart or bigger crock-pot or different sluggish cooker.

Tips on how to Make Crockpot Pork and Sauerkraut

Brown the bacon

Put the bacon in a chilly fry pan and switch the warmth to medium. Cook dinner, rendering the bacon fats and turning sometimes, till the bacon is browned and crispy, about ten minutes. Take away the bacon from the pan with a slotted spoon. Depart 2 tablespoons of bacon fats within the pan and discard the remaining.

Prep and layer components within the crock pot

Whereas the bacon is browning: Drain and rinse the sauerkraut, and place within the backside of the sluggish cooker crock in an excellent layer. Scrub the brand new potatoes and put them in a hoop towards the skin fringe of the crock. Core and cube the apples, and put them in the midst of the potatoes. Sprinkle the brown sugar, thyme, coriander seeds, peppercorns, and bay leaves into the crock. Sprinkle the pork with 3 teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoon floor pepper, then layer on high of the opposite components within the pot. Put the browned bacon within the pot at any time when it’s prepared; in my case it wound up on high of the apples.

Saute the aromatics

When the bacon is completed, add the diced onion and crushed garlic to the pan, then sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt. Cook dinner, scraping the browned bacon drippings into the onions, till the onion is beginning to brown across the edges, about 5 minutes. (Whereas the onion is cooking, proceed with the layering the components step if it isn’t finished but.) Add the wine to the pan and convey to a simmer. Scrape any remaining browned bits from the underside of the pan, then pour the onion/garlic/wine combination into the crock excessive of the pork.

Gradual cook dinner the pork

Cowl and cook dinner on low warmth for 8 hours or excessive warmth for 4 hours.

Platters of pork, potatoes, and sauerkraut, ready to serve

Plate and serve

Take away the pork ribs to a plate. Take away the potatoes with a slotted spoon, reduce into quarters, and sprinkle with some salt and pepper. Take away the bay leaves and throw them away. Stir the components left within the crock into the sauerkraut, then take away the sauerkraut to a serving platter utilizing a slotted spoon. Ladle a cup or two of the liquid left within the crock over the sauerkraut, ribs and pork. Put the pork and potatoes on high of the platter of sauerkraut, serve, and revel in.

Recipe Notes

Riesling: Riesling is available in quite a lot of sweetness ranges, from dry (no sweetness) to syrupy candy (dessert wines). A dry to semi-sweet Riesling is my choice for this recipe. German Rieslings have their sweetness degree as a part of the title; search for halbtrocken (off-dry), or trocken (dry). Actually, any cheap white wine that is not too oaky will work. (The one wine I’d keep away from is affordable chardonnay, which tends to be heavy on the oak.)
Why an affordable white wine? As a result of about half a bottle goes into the sluggish cooker. I wish to drink the great things, not cook dinner it. If you happen to’re serving a crowd, get an affordable bottle for the pot, then some higher wine for everybody to drink with the meal.
No Alcohol: The alcohol helps carry out the flavors within the meal – some flavors are solely alcohol-soluble – however for those who don’t drink alcohol, simply change it with water or apple juice.
Apples: I take advantage of granny smith apples as a result of they maintain up higher to the lengthy cooking time, however you need to use no matter apples you have got readily available.

Variations

Pork Roast: As a substitute of the pork ribs, use a pork shoulder roast. Improve the cooking time to 10 hours on low or 5 hours on excessive.
Add smoked sausage: When you’ve got a pound of kielbasa or smoked sausage, slice it and add it on high of the apples. You will have bacon, smoked sausage, pork ribs, and sauerkraut. What could possibly be higher?
Purple wine as a substitute of white wine: Purple wine is widespread in German sauerkraut, so if that is what you have got readily available, forward and use it.

Storage

Leftovers are good for just a few days within the fridge, or for months within the freezer. Attempt to add some liquid from the pot into the container whenever you freeze it.

What to serve with crock pot pork and sauerkraut

Crock pot pork and sauerkraut could be a one-pot meal. However, if you wish to serve a selection of dishes, I like to recommend mashed potatoes, inexperienced beans, and a salad on the facet, in addition to some crusty French bread or dinner rolls.

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