Travel alongside Cook’s Country’s Editorial Director Bryan Roof as he explores the communities and cuisines that make up the great American dinner table. In this episode, he shows you how to make homemade Sauerkraut inspired by his trip to Olympia Provisions in Portland, Oregon.
Get our recipe for Sauerkraut:
Get our recipe for Choucroute Garnie:
Watch our video on our visit to Olympia Provisions:
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Where can we buy the crock?
I am excited to make this recipe
this has inspired me to start!
I have made Sauerkraut
I've heard most of the store bought sauerkraut doesn't have the good probiotics for your gut because they pasturize it or something like that before shipping it out to the stores. Whereas homemade will still have the good stuff for your gut health.
With quality sauerkraut costing $10 a jar. Making this ourselves has been a big cost savings. So much so, that the crock and the special cabbage mandolin have been paid for over the past couple of years of exclusively making it ourselves. We tend to just make plain, salt & cabbage only kraut. It is far more versatile than a flavored kraut.
I use one of those crocks and love it. Also I do not cook my kraut. Just load it into Mason jars and store in the refrigerator. Much healthier and crunchy kraut; cooking destroys much of the benefits.
Caraway seeds & some dill weed. Wait one month & yum! Need more than 2 weeks for real bite.
One tip I would give would be, when your cabbage doesnt give you enough liquid to submerge it (and this will happen), use distilled water to cover the cabbage, not tap water.
I use a 6gl crock crock that belonged to my wife's great great grandmother. Share with the whole family . Useless fermentation goes 45 days,then jar up and refrigerator ,no heat.
I always appreciate your videos. Thank you so much, Bryan.
Can you use sea salt as an alternative?
Boy this recipe couldn't come at a better time as the young kids are saying this right here is coming in clutch going to need this cuz I got some killer sausages and I want to have them with this sauerkraut and killer mustard thank you for sharing.!!
I love making sauerkraut. Usually in a couple of 1 litre/quart mason jars. I'd love to know where to get those fermenting crocks though!
Your volume is extremely low !!!
thank you so much,nice easy and healthy
I am able to get specially grown cabbage heads for making my batch each year. They weigh between 15 and 20 lbs each. I make about 20 lbs a year and then can most of it. We follow a German recipe that calls for the corriander and Juniper as well as apples. I remove the apple pieces when its ready. We age for 6 weeks.
I was taught in Germany to add finely shredded onion or apple to the ferment as a boost. I also like curtido which is essentially kraut with carrots, jalepenos, onions, garlic, cilantro… Or a myriad of variations. We LOVE our ferments!
How get rid of the salt?
I made sauerkraut years ago when we were pretty much broke and looking for every way we could scratch out some food for cheap. We used the big glass jar with a bag full of water as the seal which worked great. I never thought of Juniper berries, but when I lived in Germany, sometimes at a resturant I would get it with caraway seeds. I loved it that way
We like to throw in some jalapeños
Jalepenos!
So, how does one obtain such a crock?
I have been making my own sauerkraut for 35 years. I tried using cabbage from the store. It is great for salads, cole slaw, etc. I didn't feel the flavor was as good as using cabbage that is normally used by people that make and eat a lot of sauerkraut……the Huterites. We have numerous Colonies near here. When I started making kraut, I got my cabbage from them. The cabbage they used was Flat Dutch. I used that for years. Then one year I went to get cabbage and they sold me Bravo. That is what they still use today. I think the Bravo does make the best Kraut.
I cut my slaw with a slaw cutter right into a 5 gallon crock. I then add the salt and pound it with a wood dowel made from a piece of stair handrail. I attempt to pound hard enough to bruise the slaw. This helps to remove all air and produce juice for the brine. The Ball canning book calls for 3 Tablespoons salt to 5 pounds of cabbage. I try to get that ratio. I layer it till the slaw reaches about 4 inches from the top. I then take a dinner plate and cover the slaw. I use a plate that is about an inch smaller in diameter than the inside of the crock. I then add a 12gallon jar full of water on top of the plate to weigh the cabbage down and keep the cabbage submerged. I them use a clean bath towel to cover the whole thing like a tent. I then clean the mold and scum from the top and replenish the liquid level with a brine of 1and 1/2 tablespoons of salt to 1 quart of distilled water. The Ball book says to ferment for 3 to 6 weeks. I never go less than 6 weeks. You would be surprised the flavor that develops during that aging time. I mean would you make wine and start drinking it as soon as it gets done fermenting, or would you allow it to age???
I have got people that eat my sauerkraut that originally told me they did not like sauerkraut.
I regularly make sauerkraut and always add caraway seeds.
In Norway the Sauerkraut (surkål) is not fermented at all, at least the regular kind that people buy. It's very tangy and often sweet and always there are caraway seeds. (karve). Love those. The only fermented foods here are: fish, cheese and dairy, emphasis on the fish.
I have made sour rant in mason jars. I have caned sour meant and pork for a fast meals in the busy winter monthes.
Had to giggle at the "stressed cabbage" I will be trying this. A neighbor had made us some in a 5 gallon bucket, but when we checked it, it was moldy. YUCK. Looking for a crock now to try again. Just in time for New Years pork and sauerkraut!
Then what? Take it out of the crock and refrigerate?
Thanks for this Bryan. Excellent job as always! 👍