Sauerkraut ‘Extreme’: how to make the most delicious choucroute yourself
Authentic Alsatian sauerkraut (or choucroute) is eaten with pork. Lots of pork. Smoked sausage, Frankfurter, blood sausage, kasseler and – of course – Eisbein.
Buy a lovely assortment of good-quality pork from the butcher. Think: sausage, bacon, meat and an Eisbein (pork knuckle). You can also make the blood sausage yourself.
Sauerkraut
Cut the onions into half rings and finely chop the garlic. Gently sweat them in a pan in melted pork lard until translucent, but not browned. Add the herbs and spices and heat them along for a few minutes. Deglaze everything with the wine. Place the sauerkraut on top of the onion-and-herb mixture. If the sauerkraut smells musty or is very salty, briefly rinse it under the cold tap and gently squeeze it out. Fill the pan with water to three-quarters of the height of the sauerkraut. Simmer the sauerkraut for 45 minutes, then stir everything and simmer for another 45 minutes. Note: the sauerkraut should be fresh; use sauerkraut from the barrel.
Meat
While the sauerkraut is cooking, boil the pork knuckle for 45 minutes over low heat in gently simmering water with thyme, bay leaves and peppercorns. Then cook it in the oven for 30 minutes at 180 °C. The skin should be golden brown and crispy. If desired, first brush the pork knuckle with a mixture of beer and honey for flavor and color. Warm the pork belly and kasseler on the sauerkraut for the final 10 minutes. At the end, let the smoked sausage and Frankfurter poach for 10 minutes in water kept just below boiling point. Finally, cook the blood sausage for a few minutes over low heat (about 7 minutes on each side).
Alsatian sauerkraut (or choucroute) is eaten with lots of pork: smoked sausage, Frankfurter sausage, blood sausage, kasseler and/or other bacon of your choice. Finish it off with a cured pork knuckle (Eisbein).
Header image: Saskia van Osnabrugge
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