Hot or cold Sauerkraut? How do you eat it and with what?

[Munkipawse]

Hi All,

Long time lurker but now have the courage to finally post. :)

I love sauerkraut and seem to only eat it when I have a hotdog from a street cart. Something about a steamy blistery hotdog served in a warm soft roll smoothered in mustard and kraut... Ah love in the simplest of forms :). Could any of you share some ideas on how to serve it at home? I am curious how other chowhounds eat sauerkraut and if they like hot or cold.

[JMF]

Never really enjoyed raw, cold, sauerkraut until I made my first batch fermented from scratch last fall. 25 pounds of amazing, tart, crunchy, goodness. I've been eating it cold and raw as a side salad, on sandwiches, with everything. Have to make another batch. And super healthy too. I used over 14 probiotics as the starting culture.

[jbsiegel]

I forgot...I used to eat it cold with thousand island dressing on it. Kind of like a salad???

Now, it's with turkey, on a reuben or on a dog (or just plain). Don't care about the hot/cold thing, although I think I generally tend to eat it hot.

[Khatru]

Cold! On a dog, a sandwich, with grilled sausages or even a burger. But always cold. When heated the flavor just seems to disappear for me.

[EWSflash]

I would just love what you described, maybe minus the mustard. I would also snack on kraut out of the jar in the refrigerator if there was some left over. I don't eat it a lot, but I do really enjoy it.
Check out this recipe- leftover cooked rice, cooked chunked-up ground beef, drained of fat, and a big jar of drained sauerkraut. Mix thoroughly, put in casserole, pepper generously, and heat up in an oven. It sounded gross to me, but it's something I crave now and again since DH introduced it to me.

[Bacardi1]

Always hot, & either on Czech Bread Dumplings or on a Reuben sandwich.

[Bacardi1]

Oh - I forgot to list that I also enjoy kraut as a Pierogi filling. :)

[marymac]

When I married my husband, he introduced me to neck bones and sauerkraut. Good with mashed potatoes and warm applesauce with cinnamon.

[MonMauler]

Sauerkraut, well-done (preferably) on a hot dog.

I'll eat it any way, but that's how I prefer it.

[Puffin3]

In a roasting pan put a two inch layer of 'kraut'. Set a young goose filled with any type of sausage in the cavity. Roast at 200 F until the internal temp is what you like. Crank up the heat to screaming high to brown the skin and remove and rest for longer than you think necessary and carve. Goose should be served warm not hot. Goose and 'kraut' is a classic Alsatian dish.

[Perilagu Khan]

Do they call it Graut?

[Puffin3]

Who's "they"?

[Perilagu Khan]

Midwesterners, of course.

[iL Divo]

my grandfather made the best goose dinners.
thanks for reminding me Puffin

[Bacardi1]

It's also an extremely popular Czech dish. In fact, Xmas wouldn't be Xmas without me roasting a goose & serving it with parents' Czech Bread Dumplings & kraut. Those same dumplings & kraut were served with roast turkey, fresh pork roast, & Jeternice (liver) & Jelita (blood) sausages.

[INDIANRIVERFL]

Cold on brats or wieners. Hot as a side.

As a side my favorite is 2/3 sauerkraut, 1/3 honey comb tripe cut to the same width. Cooked covered with dry white winefor 2 to 3 hours. Add 2 chopped cooking applesand cook until broken down. Add white pepper and adjust for seasoning. I have seen juniper berries, fennel, and crushed black pepper added near the end.

And that is a total of 3 hours gently simmering. Just almost be breaking apart and nearly dry.

[JerryMe]

Almost always hot. I like mine fried, crispy. In bacon grease if I have it. I like it on hot dogs, of course, but also any pork product and mashed potatoes.

[Perilagu Khan]

My shchi recipe features kraut.

Also, I make a version of Der Wienerschnitzel's Polish Sandwich. Learned it from my mom a long time ago.

Melt bacon fat in a skillet.

Add kraut, brown sugar and caraway seeds. Saute' until kraut has caramelized a bit.

Slice high quality kielbasas lengthwise and sear in a skillet.

Spread good rye bread with spicy mustard. Lay on the kielbasa, Swiss cheese and then the kraut. It's murder.

[iL Divo]

you know what Perilagu? I love the sound of that.

[Perilagu Khan]

It is also kosher to lay a dill pickle spear betwixt the two halves of kielbasa.

[iL Divo]

I have a favorite recipe book from one of those charity organizations that I got maybe in Ventura California a hundred years ago while on a quest for yet more cookbooks. in the appetizer section, there is a recipe for some kind of log thing. it's main ingredient = a jar of drained sauerkraut.
the quest is to see if anyone can guess the secret ingredient. the author of the recipe said in her experience, it's never been guessed and always disappears. odd huh?

[rutheye]

kraut on potato chips (an indulgence that I rarely allow)
kraut on pizza

[hypomyces]

My mother's side of the family is Polish and I have always loved a good BIGOS. It is considered a Polish 'Hunter's Stew' with various meats, sauerkraut, and Polish Kielbasa.
Here's a rough guideline to make it
1 jar sauerkraut
half head of cabbage, shredded
1 carrot, shredded
1 onion, chopped
1 large tomato, diced
1 pound mixed meat (my grandma used cubed beef, porc shoulder, pork ribs, rabbit, and squab)
half pound of Kielbasa, cut into chunks
3 strips of bacon
5 dried Polish mushrooms or dried Porcini,soaked drain, then diced
6 dried prunes,diced then soaked and drained
half cup red wine
half tsp dried marjoram and paprika, 1 bay leaf, six allspice berries, crushed, s & p to taste
Rinse and drain the sauerkraut. In a heavy pot, brown the mixed meat and remove. In the same pot, sautée the onion and chopped bacon, then add the fresh cabbage and cook until the cabbage is soft. Add all the other ingredients, and 1 cup of water or stock.Bring to the boil, then place in a 300F oven for 2-3 hours, until the meat is tender. Serve with boiled potatos, good rye bread and pickled beets.

[RealMenJulienne]

Polish sauerkraut soup is the ultimate use for it in my opinion. Yours sounds great. My local Polish restaurant does a simpler version that I just can't figure out how to make.

It's got a clear yellow broth with plenty of cooked-down sauerkraut and onions, with chunks of kielbasa and some other kind of braised stringy meat, I'm guessing pork shoulder. No tomato as far as I know. I'll crack the code someday.

Sauerkraut soup makes me want to marry into a Polish family.

[oooYUM]

Ohhhh !!!
My absolutely FAVORITE meal as a child was the one
my Grammie made (the "Fat" grandma, a large Bohemian woman who
could cook / bake absolutely ANYTHING !!!)

Pork Roast, Saurkraut, and HEAVY potato dumplings !!!!
A bite of everything together on a fork, such HEAVEN !!!
AND, Grammie would cut off some of the pork fat and fry it up crisp for me to eat !
Love and miss her !!!!

[melpy]

I only eat it hot on a reuben. I only order a reunen out.

[igorm]

I love it hot or cold and drink the brine for its vitamins and taste. Favorite to cook, saute farmer's ribs, rinse saurkraut, add onion and granny smith apple, put in saute pan with ribs and put in oven at 350 for one hour , covered. Food of gods!

[bbqboy]

What are "Farmer's Ribs"? Are they same as the short ribs I referred to in my (way)above post?

[JMF]

I never heard the term farmers ribs before.

[igorm]

Farmers ribs have more meat attached to the rib than short ribs.

[EWSflash]

Hopefully they're not from farmers.

[jbsiegel]

I'll eat it hot / cold / whatever! LOVE it! To be perfectly honest, I'd eat it just plain. It's also really good with Russian dressing on it (deconstructed Reuben?).

We ALWAYS have it with turkey dinners at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Turkey combined with traditional bread stuffing and kraut (and maybe a little gravy) is heavenly!!

[centralpadiner]

PA Dutch here, and I just made pork and sauerkraut for dinner last night. My mom used to do it in the oven, but I actually think it is perfect in the crock pot. Got a bone-in pork roast, sprinkle with lots of fresh cracked black pepper, put in crock pour sauerkraut WITH JUICE over top and cook on low for 8 hrs. Serve with mashed potatoes and applesauce. There is nothing better than coming home on a cold day to a home that smells like pork and sauerkraut.

I never understood draining and rinsing . . . sauerkraut juice is the best part of sauerkraut. Mmmmmm poured over the potatoes, sopped up with a piece of buttered white or rye bread..... I think I have some leftovers in the fridge. ;)

[JMF]

Yep, what you said!

[rHairing]

AMEN! Our Ohio New Year meal was spareribs,sauerkraut, mashed potatoes and apple sauce! I also love a good Reuben and brats with kraut, spicy mustard, and raw chopped onions!

[Tripeler]

Whoa! Sounds great, especially when washed down with a particularly hoppy IPA!

[missclaudy]

Love it with peanut butter on a cracker, love kim chi and peanut butter even more.

[lamaranthe]

The traditional way Choucroute is served in France is hot, with pork hocks, smoked pork chops, pork side and sausages (Strasbourg and Montbéliard types). With a small jar of Dijon mustard. As far as cooking it at home, I would not start from scratch. I buy a jar of Bick's Wine Sauerourkraft, I put it in a double boiler (with its liquid, black peppercorn and juniper, NO salt and lots of butter knobs) and I let it simmer until the saerkrout is melting but not caramelized. Lots of recipes on the web.

[huiray]

Sauerkraut, kielbasa*, rice vinegar (not always), bay leaves. Simmer. Yum.

* "Plain" Kielbasa; or Kielbasa Wiejska, Mysliwska, Jalowcowa, Weselna, etc etc; or Bratwurst, Weisswurst, Knackwurst...

[dberg1313]

I make sauerkraut at home every year with about 100 lb. of cabbage. It sells like crazy at our historial society holiday market - one buys a jar, then sits right down and eats it straight out of the jar! Of course I always save some for home use, to cook with roast pork for New Year or anytime - also good with spareribs, knockwurst, any pork dish. I like it cold too, as a kind of relish. It is incredibly easy to make, I agree.

[huiray]

Sounds wonderful. I often get a few pounds of nice sauerkraut from my local German butcher/sausage maker (who also takes in game from local hunters for processing), from the barrel in the back. :-)

[bitchincook]

I like it warm, with caraway seeds, as a side dish with pork chops.

[JMF]

I get two of those plastic 1lb packages of sauerkraut they have in the refrigerated section of the market. And several large sweet onions, two large ripe tomatoes, some caraway seed, and apple cider or white vinegar, bone in pork chops, and sugar. I throw the kraut in a large pot, thinly slice the onions, and add, also salt and pepper, and a teaspoon or two of caraway seed. Start with a teaspoon, you can add more later, it shouldn't taste too much of caraway seed, just a touch. And water to barely cover. Bring to a boil and drop to a simmer. Throw the tomatoes on top until the skin breaks, fish them out and chop them up and put back in to the kraut. Cook for about an hour while I brown the pork chops and set aside with all juices saved. I taste the kraut and add some vinegar and sugar so it is nicely sweet & sour. I may add a squeeze of ketchup or a tablespoon of tomato paste. I add the pork chops and get them down into the pot so they are covered and I braise it all until the pork is just at the falling off the bone point. I fish out the chops, get rid of the bones, and cut meat into bite size and put back in with the kraut. Serve in bowls with small boiled potatoes on the side. Meaty, tangy, stick to your ribs cold weather food.

[JMF]

After this thread I had to make up a big pot of sauerkraut with pork last night. Added apple this time and it came out excellent.

[EWSflash]

Oh, your description is lovely. I like it that way, sometimes I get seized by a notion for something tart, and just have a few forkfuls out of the jar, it's good with a pork roast, obviously, and prominently figured in a Reuben sandwich. Hallupsie, also, my MIL's recipe, do a search for a real 1950s recipe that makes you crave it despite what it entails.

[bbqboy]

Short ribs braised, then smothered with kraut, an onion sliced and baked in the oven. I grew up eating this dish and still do.

[kaleokahu]

Hi, Munkipawse:

I never hated kraut, but I never particularly liked it, either. Until recently.

IMO, like Brussels Sprouts, kraut benefits from roasting and caramelizing. What I do is drain it, put about 3 parts kraut to 1 part shredded apple and 1 part shredded onion in a saute with 2T butter and sprinkle with a little sugar. I do it mostly on the stovetop, slow and low, but it works in the oven as well. I may add dashes of Eau de vie de Pomme (Apple brandy) and/or balsamic vinegar if I'm wearing my fancy pants.

This 3:1:1 mix--uncooked--also works well as an aromatic marinade for whatever meat you're planning to serve. If you salt your cut heavily, discard the mix you used as marinade.

My favorite kraut dish is thin-sliced marinated porkchops, seared, then perched in a gratin over 1/2 this caramelized mix, with the other 1/2 placed atop, then baked at 300F. Swishing the mix into the fond before assembling is a good idea. I like how the mix finishes fairly dry, but the chops are kept moist.

Aloha,
Kaleo

[Karl S]

Btw, for caramelizing, a nonstick electric fondue pot is a superb device...

[kaleokahu]

Hi, Karl:

Sounds like it would work great. I'm trying to rid myself of most countertop electrics, though.

Aloha,
Kaleo

[Munkipawse]

KaleK. that sounds good. i like the salty, sweet, savory combo. I guess what i like most about sauerkraut is when its still crunchy. I love bacon with cabbage but never thought about adding sauerkraut with bacon or other pork yumminess. does the shredded apple take on a tanginess when its cooked or does it make everything slightly sweet?

[kaleokahu]

Hi, Munkipawse:

Both tart and sweet, but probably more sweet. *Rounder* if that makes sense to you.

Aloha,
Kaleo

[mels]

I love that stuff. It is really good on sandwiches. I love to make vegetable reubens- essentially rye bread, sauteed mushrooms, onions, and spinach, a layer of swiss cheese, a layer of sauerkraut. Swipe each side of the bread with olive oil or butter, toast each side. When nice and brown and your cheese is melted, add a smear of homemade thousand island dressing. Insanely good.

[gbque]

My wife and I love kraut! Living in Wisconsin we eat it in a lot of German preparations. My favorite stand alone cooking method is very simple and goes with just about anything, my wife and I eat it right out of the pot.

Cook off 6-8 slices of good thick bacon until crisp, drain off half the grease.
Saute 1 hole sliced onion until soft.
Add one can franks original sauerkraut and one can franks sweet sauerkraut.
Simmer uncovered till slightly reduced and flavors meld.
Goes great with cider brined pork!

[MiriamWoodstock]

No expert here, but have you tried the raw, still-active, burbling stuff from the farmer's market? Strong and delicious! (I think most jarred stuff has been previously cooked, right?) Like Bagelman, I too like to drink the juice, and my husband hates when I do :)

[bushwickgirl]

Speaking of the juice, I used to buy small 6 oz cans of sauerkraut juice, don't remember the brand, for a vitamin K laden beverage. It was a real eye opener in the morning, and was pretty good in small quantity in a bloody as well. I haven't seen it on the market in years, sadly.

[gilintx]

I've not tried the raw stuff from the farmer's market, but homemade raw active kraut is incredibly easy to make at home, and has a kick like nothing else. Just lightly salt then pack some thinly sliced cabbage into a non-reactive container, pound it down until it starts to give up liquid, then top it off with some bottled water. Use a weight to keep the cabbage under the brine, then let it sit in a cool place until it tastes right (about a week in my case).

[bagelman01]

Canned Kraut (Silver Floss is my Favorite) HOT. On Hot Dogs or Kielbasa, on a deli sandwich.
Used to make potted short Ribs with Kraut, sliced white potatoes and caraway seeds.

Jarred New Kraut...cold on the plate with a cooked meat such as pot roast.

Canned or bagged, as part of the filling for Pierogies with potatoes and cheese.

I will drink the juice from jarred kraut, but not canned.

I will also use New Kraut and pickles and pickled tomatoes to make a non-Italian gardiniera salad.

[shaogo]

Ditto. Exactly. Bagelman.

Jarred New Kraut should either be from the pickle-macher on Essex St. in NYC or Ba-Tampte.

We're very fortunate because we're very close to New Britain, Connecticut's Broad Street where there are no fewer than five Polish markets selling no fewer than three different styles of the "barrel" sauerkraut. That's good cold or hot. My favorite is the spicy one with shreds of carrot in it, too.

[bagelman01]

with pickled red bell peppers on the side...................

lunch one day next week?

[EWSflash]

Carrots in kraut I can get behind...

[Karl S]

Always warm, never cold.

Saute some thinly sliced onion in fat of choice (goose/duck fat, lard, bacon grease are all good). Rinse the kraut, add to the pan. Add some white wine (Riesling is very good...) and caraway or juniper seeds (I prefer the caraway to the juniper, but then I am of Germanic rather than Alsatian descent), and some cracked pepper if you like. Add in some diced apple or pear. Simmer away.

[CindyJ]

Hot -- and lots of it -- on a grilled NY deli frank. Or, if it's Ba Tampte, cold, right out of the jar.

[bushwickgirl]

I like that brand, and also their half sours.

[ipsedixit]

Doesn't matter if it's hot or cold.

I often treat kraut like the step sister of kimchi.

[Munkipawse]

So does that mean its a part of your family or just politely tolerated? ;)

[BrettLove]

Yum. There is a "sturgeon & sauerkraut tart - american caviar mousseline & applewood smoke" on The Modern's (NYC) menu that I'm dreaming about trying on a future visit. And while not exactly sauerkraut, there is a riff on "corned beef and cabbage" at Picholine-nyc; I love cabbage, feel that it gets a bad rap here (the US, not Chow!), and am always psyched to see it treated with honor and featured by chefs. Did Raymond Ost do a cookbook? His Alsatian rest. here in Boston (Sandrine's) often features "the 'kraut", and any book of his'd probably have some recipes... I'm not a pro, but maybe search Central European/Eurasian cookbooks (Alsatian to Austrian?, Polish to (Jewish) Russian ?) for more ways to feature this poor "stepchild"? Wish I had a jar in the fridge to dip into! Sorry if I hijacked the thread, sauerkraut just struck a chord with me this a.m.!
Peace!

[ipsedixit]

More like I grew up eating kimchi (and all iterations of Korean and Chinese pickled vegetables), and kraut is like a wonderful adopted sibling.

[Wawsanham]

That's a good analogy! Kimchi and Sauerkraut are sisters. Personally, I also eat it either hot or cold, usually as a side dish. It's good as a kind of salad mixed with grated apple and carrots.

[mhofherr]

Sauerkraut and kimchi. I could live eating eating fermented foods. I sweat just thinking about rightly done kimchi.

[AntarcticWidow]

I recently prepared sauerkraut for an appetizer. I rinsed, drained and squeezed out the excess water, then mixed with thinly sliced onion, minced garlic, grated parmesan cheese, and just enough mayo to bind. Next, I cut 2-inch rounds from rye bread slices, topped with the mixture and popped them into a 375 degree oven for about 10 minutes. I guarantee you won't miss the corned beef!

[bushwickgirl]

Ah yes, very nice. I bet the sauerkraut won't even be obvious either. Paulj's is a classic also.

But what about cold kraut ideas?? There's the rub.

[AntarcticWidow]

Some thought they were eating a hot crab salad type thing - imagine that. I want to try Paulj's method as well.

Cold? For me, it's straight out of the jar. Don't know if that makes me odd, though.

[Munkipawse]

AW, just reading your description had my mouth watering. Sounds like another good sammy choice for me. Thanks. I seem to forget all the different bread enhancers :)

Cold out of the jar sounds good to me as well...

[EWSflash]

Wow- sounds wonderful.

[paulj]

I get a couple of pounds of sauerkraut from my butcher, along with a ham shank. I then braise them together (drain and squeeze the kraut first), along with onion, crushed juniper berries, smoked sausage if available, diced apple etc. Cook at low heat in a dutch oven for a couple of hours until the kraut is soft and browning, and the ham is falling off the bone. Maybe add some potatoes toward the end.

This is an approximation of the classic French Alsatian's sauerkraut casserole, Choucroute

[Munkipawse]

Uh... Speechless. And i bet this makes an awesome lunch the next day. :)

[EWSflash]

My mother used to put diced apples into sauerkraut and cook it to kingdom come, to the point that it wasn't even very tart any more, to which I say "Why bother? Make a damn apple pie."

Kind of a purist about it, I guess. I do like my tart foods.

[paulj]

What was missing in her version was all that porky goodness! :)

[EWSflash]

Maybe- maybe. I just think she way overdid it with the apples and the long cooking. Took all the chutzpah out of it. Sometimes she did that.

[bushwickgirl]

To be honest, I like it either way. Mostly hot on a dog, as a side with onions and a bit of gin and juniper berries, or in a bean soup; braised with pork chops, potatoes and apples, on a Reuben, etc.

However, there are days when cold kraut on a grilled dog or cold corned beef sandwich, as part of a cold vegetable salad, or just out right of the bag on a plate, as a pickle option, fills the bill.

[CorinneD]

Put a pound of spicy smoked sausage in a crock pot. Squeeze the juice out of 1 lb can or bag of kraut. Put it over the sausage. Dump 1 bottle of Honey Brown beer over it & let it cook on low for a few hrs. Serve on buns.

I have a recipe for German lasagna that uses kraut & kielbasa. Good stuff!