One of our favorites, especially in winter, is sausage and sauerkraut in the crock pot. Our recipe for simple sausage and kraut here, is much simpler than the Alsatian choucroute garnie beloved by the good German speaking folks of the world.
A true Alsatian choucroute garnie can be a little complicated on the ingredient side, using duck fat, raw bacon or pork belly, several types of berries and so on. Stuff we don't usually keep in our pantry on short notice. However, we did find this one below from Christine Gallary, at Chowhound to be doable and very good.
What you need
1 medium yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds prepared or homemade sauerkraut, drained and excess liquid squeezed out
2 teaspoons caraway seeds
10 black peppercorns
5 juniper berries
2 bay leaves
1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and cut into roughly 1-1/2-inch chunks
2 pounds boneless country pork spareribs, cut crosswise into 3-inch pieces
12 ounces cooked kielbasa, cut crosswise into 3-inch pieces
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
Dijon or whole-grain mustard, for serving
Instructions
- Place the onion in a large bowl, season with salt and pepper, toss to coat, and place in the slow cooker. Place the sauerkraut and caraway seeds in the bowl, season with ground pepper, toss to combine, and lay evenly over the onions
- Place the peppercorns, juniper berries, and bay leaves in a 5-by-5-inch piece of cheesecloth, tie tightly with butcher’s twine, and tuck the packet into the sauerkraut. Place the potatoes in the bowl, season generously with salt and pepper, toss to coat, and place in an even layer over the sauerkraut.
- Generously season the spareribs all over with salt and pepper. Arrange the spareribs and kielbasa over the potatoes in an even layer. Pour the chicken broth and wine into the slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on low heat until the spareribs are fork tender and almost falling apart, about 6 to 8 hours. Remove and discard the cheesecloth with the spices. Arrange the meats, potatoes, sauerkraut, and onions on a serving platter and drizzle with any remaining juices. Serve with mustard.