Choucroute with Beer

Name: Choucroute with Beer
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: Ingredients for 6 people:; 4 1/2 lbs raw sauerkraut; 2 large onions and 2 shallots; 1 smoked pork shoulder (Thierry Schweitzer or another... but at least red label quality!); 10 1/2 oz semi-salted pork shoulder; 5 1/3 oz smoked bacon; 1 semi-salted pork knuckle; 7 oz unsmoked bacon; knackwurst and cumin sausages as desired; potatoes (3 small per person, do the math yourself!); 1 cheesecloth with spices: 20 coriander seeds + 20 juniper berries, a pinch of cumin seeds + 6 peppercorns); 2 bay leaves; goose fat or lard; 3 bottles (25 oz) beer (Fischer type)

Rita S. "au cochon heureux" @cook_8074167

Forêt-Noire

If you decide to prepare a choucroute, honor it by choosing the best ingredients, and it will reward you.

First, choose quality pork; I can't stress this enough: pork is a noble animal that will delight your taste buds. But there's no pleasure in pork raised in factory farms and sold in those awful vacuum-sealed packages. The meat is soft, watery, and flavorless... not to mention the animal suffering. I won't dwell on this here, but please make an effort to support farmers who prioritize humane animal husbandry (and thus the consumer!).

Here, I offer you my recipe with beer. Unlike white wine, beer adds creaminess and removes all acidity from the dish. Another little trick to make the cabbage tender: a bit of goose fat (or lard!). Don't scream that it's all too fatty! What? A little fat doesn't harm health or even a diet; and yes... know that in January (and February!) I also watch my figure and try to lose the holiday weight. Well, choucroute and dieting go perfectly together... the secret? The quantity consumed! I'm a fan of the "eat half" diet (friss die helfte, in German) and believe me, it's the only method that works. Anyway... let's get to the recipe....

If you decide to prepare a choucroute, honor it by choosing the best ingredients, and it will reward you.

Rita S. "au cochon heureux" @cook_8074167

Forêt-Noire

If you decide to prepare a choucroute, honor it by choosing the best ingredients, and it will reward you.

Saved

Ingredients

Ingredients for 6 people:
4 1/2 lbsraw sauerkraut
2large onions and 2 shallots
1smoked pork shoulder (Thierry Schweitzer or another... but at least red label quality!)
10 1/2 ozsemi-salted pork shoulder
5 1/3 ozsmoked bacon
1semi-salted pork knuckle
7 ozunsmoked bacon
knackwurst and cumin sausages as desired
potatoes (3 small per person, do the math yourself!)
1cheesecloth with spices: 20 coriander seeds + 20 juniper berries, a pinch of cumin seeds + 6 peppercorns)
2bay leaves
goose fat or lard
3 bottles (25 oz)beer (Fischer type)

Saved

Steps

1

The day before, soak the semi-salted meats in water and rinse them well on the day of cooking.
- DAY OF: Wash the sauerkraut well in cold water, then blanch it for 2 minutes in boiling water. Drain and set aside.
- Slice the onions and shallots. Prepare the cheesecloth with the spices and tie it well.
- Take an earthenware baeckeoffe pot and rub the edges with goose fat (or lard).
2

Place a layer of sauerkraut + onions and shallots at the bottom. Add the cheesecloth and bay leaves. Then the meat. Cover with sauerkraut and onion. Do not add the sausages. Do not salt, the meat is enough to season the dish.
3

When everything is nicely packed in the pot, pour the beer; the liquid should just cover everything... be patient, as the beer foams and settles after a while, like this:
4

Place the lid on and bake at 390°F for 2 1/2 hours.
Better: Cook the day before for 2 hours, then on the day of serving for another hour.
30 minutes before serving, add the peeled and washed potatoes to the pot, along with the cumin sausages. Cook the knackwurst in water in a separate pot, simply because there's usually no more room in the main pot;
Serve with a good beer, like a microbrewery beer (Uberach is perfect!) and offer mustard!
HOPLA! Enjoy!