Pickled Pork & Sauerkraut

 

Sauerkraut is one of those things that people either love or loathe. I am from the love it crew. It is something we would have as an occasional treat when I was growing up. Basically, this was because my father was from the loath it crowd.

Therefore, my mother only cooked it when she knew he was not going to be around.  It was something she had grown up with and adored. As far as I know all of us children love it, although I am sure they will correct me if I am wrong! 

 

My grandfather's people came from the South Shore of Nova Scotia, the Bridgewater/Lunenburg region in an area called New Germany. Lots of Germans settled in that area and so a lot of the foods which were enjoyed have a German or German Dutch history.

My grandfather always made his own sauerkraut.  He kept it in a barrel in the cellar. My mother always told the story about how the juice from the raw kraut cured her of an illness when she was a child.

My sister still makes her own kraut, for probiotic purposes. 

 

Pork and sauerkraut have a natural affinity for each other.  Sometimes my mother would cook it with pork hocks, or a cottage roll ham.  Sometimes wieners.  We didn't really care. We loved it any way she cooked it.

She would always serve it with mounds of fluffy mashed potatoes. I loved to load my potatoes with butter and then mash the kraut into the potatoes. I could eat a whole plate of that and nothing else.

Today I cooked mine with a piece of sweet-pickled pork. Sweet-pickled pork is like the corned beef of the pork family.  

The only way to really describe it is that its pork shoulder which has been preserved in a brine consisting of salt, sugar, seasoning, and vinegar. 

This was a common way of preserving pork back in the days before refrigeration.  This cut of pork would not really make good hams (which traditionally come from the upper leg of the pig.)  The bellies would be smoked and made into bacon.  The shoulder was ideal for pickling.

 

Slow cooking it in this manner, along with some sauerkraut, yields tender and juicy meat.  The sauerkraut helps to tenderize the pork, and the pork helps to inject its flavor into the kraut.  

It is a taste marriage made in heaven. Pure and simple.  This is comfort food with a capital "C."

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE PICKLED PORK & SAUERKRAUT

Very simple ingredients that are available everywhere.

• 1 piece of sweet-pickled pork (about 1 1/2 pounds/680g)
• 1 container of fresh sauerkraut (holding about 3 cups)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 small onion, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 medium apple, cored, peeled and chopped
• 1 TBS soft light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (120ml) boiling water

To serve:

• 1 recipe of fluffy mashed potatoes

 

I know that sweet-pickled pork is not available everywhere, but you can also use a pork Cottage Roll which is very similar.  You can also use smoked pork hocks, or ham.  

If you can find it, however, do use the pickled pork!

The brand of sauerkraut I used this time was from Lewis Mountain Farms in New Brunswick.  Normally I would use Tancook from the South Shore.

I like to add some chopped onion and apple for flavor, as well as a bay leaf. You can also add a few juniper berries if you have them. I did not have any today.  Juniper berries have a slightly piney flavor that goes very well with pork.

I always like to drain and rinse the pork and the kraut well to get rid of some of the salt. I do add some water to the cooking dish to make up for this, but you can use chicken stock instead, or even apple juice which is really nice.

 

HOW TO MAKE PICKLED PORK & SAUERKRAUT

I have used a slow cooker to cook this today, which is actually my preferred method.  It yields consistent results, tender meat and perfectly cooked kraut, but you can also cook this in the oven if you wish.  (You can see the slow cooker I use here. I love it.)

Rinse your meat really well in cold running water and then pat dry. Set aside.

Drain your sauerkraut in a colander and rinse with cold running water. Drain again. Dump into the ceramic insert of your crockpot. Stir in the chopped apple, onion, bay leaf and brown sugar, combining everything well together.

 

Nestle the piece of pork down into the kraut mixture. Pour the boiling water over the kraut around the pork.

Cover and cook on high for 5 to 6 hours until tender. Alternately cook on low for about 7 - 8 hours.

To cook in a conventional oven, prepare as above placing everything into an oven-proof casserole dish. Cover tightly and bake at 325*F/160*C/gas mark 3 for 3 to 4 hours, checking periodically to make sure it doesn't cook dry and topping up with a bit more water if need be.

Spoon the kraut onto a platter. Slice the pork into thick slices and add to the platter. Serve immediately with buttery mashed potatoes on the side.

 

This is one of my favorite comfort food meals. I had not cooked any in ages. I think the last time I cooked it was when I was home in 2011 when my mother had her lung cancer operation.  Today this was a wonderful taste of nostalgia for me.

Of course, I had to enjoy it with my favorite mashed potatoes, nice knob of butter melting into the top of my potatoes.  I was in sauerkraut heaven!

 

Some other comfort food indulgences that you might enjoy are:

FRIED CABBAGE AND POTATOES - I adore cabbage and I adore potatoes. They are two of my most favorite vegetables. Combine them both and I am in comfort food heaven! This is a simple side dish that goes well with just about anything. If you are a vegetarian, it makes a delicious main dish, especially if you serve it with a nice square of cornbread on the side! 

STEWED BRISKET AND POTATOES - Crusty, buttery little drop biscuits . . .  tender in the middle and dropped on top of a beautiful rich gravy, tender potatoes and those delicious chunks of beef brisket!  

Yield: 4

Author: Marie Rayner

Pickled Pork & Sauerkraut

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 6 HourTotal time: 6 H & 10 M

This is comfort food pure and simple. I love to serve this with a nice pile of buttery mashed potatoes. This is cooked in a crock pot, but can also be cooked in a regular oven.

Ingredients

• 1 piece of sweet pickled pork (about 1 1/2 pounds/680g)
• 1 container of fresh sauerkraut (holding about 3 cups)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 small onion, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 medium apple, cored, peeled and chopped
• 1 TBS soft light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (120ml) boiling water

To serve:

• 1 recipe of fluffy mashed potatoes

Instructions

1. Rinse your meat really well in cold running water and then pat dry. Set aside.
2. Drain your sauerkraut in a colander and rinse with cold running water. Drain again. Dump into the ceramic insert of your crockpot. Stir in the chopped apple, onion, bay leaf and brown sugar, combining everything well together.
3. Nestle the piece of pork down into the kraut mixture. Pour the boiling water over the kraut around the pork.
4. Cover and cook on high for 5 to 6 hours until tender. Alternately cook on low for about 7 - 8 hours.
5. To cook in a conventional oven, prepare as above placing everything into an oven-proof casserole dish. Cover tightly and bake at 325*F/160*C/gas mark 3 for 3 to 4 hours, checking periodically to make sure it doesn't cook dry and topping up with a bit more water if need be.
6. Spoon the kraut onto a platter. Slice the pork into thick slices and add to the platter. Serve immediately with buttery mashed potatoes on the side.

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