Sauerkraut directly translated means sour cabbage and is a very typical German food. Sauerkraut is thinly sliced fermented cabbage and has a very characteristic sour taste.
A popular German dish is sauerkraut served with Schupfnudeln (potato noodles). However, you can serve your sauerkraut with roast pork or sausage. It is a popular beer garden food.
Sauerkraut, like all cabbage recipes, is of course very healthy, full of vitamin C and other nutrients. A word of warning though, if you are not used to eating it, be careful as it can cause an upset stomach.
I learned how to make sauerkraut from my wife’s grandmother, who is German. In this recipe I am trying to incorporate all my answers to the different questions that have been asked when I posted this before.
For best results, weigh cabbage and salt using a ratio of 40 pounds of cabbage to one pound of salt. One cabbage produces a lot of cabbage that is cut. So if you used a one pound cabbage, that would equal 16 oz. bag.
I use a kraut slicer and crock, but any crock and a sharp knife will do. You can use a bread or cutting board and a large knife to cut the cabbage.
Remove green and dirty leaves from the outside. Cut the cabbage heads in half and remove as much of the core as you can. Now it’s time to weigh the head of cabbage. We keep a running total of the cabbage we use to make sure we use the correct ratio of salt to cabbage. When we find out the total amount of cabbage we are using, we measure out the exact amount of salt needed. We use a kitchen scale to weigh the cabbage and salt.
Put about 5 pounds of cabbage and about 2 ounces of salt in a large bowl and mix with your hands. Put in a pot and pack gently with a potato masher and mash the cabbage until a little juice comes out. The first batch may not produce juice, but after putting in the second batch of cabbage and salt, the juice should easily rise to the top. Repeat until you have used all the cabbage and the correct amount of salt. You should not store your kraut in a metal container.
After putting the last of the shredded cabbage and salt into the pot, mash the cabbage with the potato masher until the juices come to the top. We use a piece of white cloth as a piece of sheet to cover the kraut. Then we put boards on the cloth and a stone to weigh the kraut down so that the juice reaches the top. Some people use one or more large plastic bags filled with water to weigh down the sauerkraut so that it sits below the juice. If you use plastic bags, make sure they are the type that can be used with food. Garbage bags won’t do.
During the curing process, kraut requires daily attention. Remove dross as it forms and wash and scald cloth frequently to keep it free of dross and mildew and wipe down the side of the pot. Fermentation will be complete in about three weeks. Kraut should be kept in a place where the temperature is in the mid 50s to 60s. You need enough heat to keep it going during the fermentation process. However, not so much that it spoils.
Kraut works from the top down. To check if the sauerkraut is done, wait about 2 weeks and dig into the center of the sauerkraut about 5 to 8 inches. Take some out and try it. The kraut should be firm but not crisp and have a good kraut flavor. If it’s not ready, let it sit for a few more days and then try again.
