Do you have a favorite Thanksgiving food that seems to only be made in your family? I do. It’s sauerkraut. It’s always been a staple in my mom’s side of the family. There is always a big crock of it served alongside all of the other Turkey Day staples, and I can’t have a holiday with out it. So this year, when I was going to be spending Thanksgiving with my hubby’s family, I decided it was time for me to learn how to make Aunt Kath’s sauerkraut.
hot mess leftovers
If you like sauerkraut even just a little bit, make this recipe. It will change your life.
You will need:
½ lb. thick-cut bacon, coarsely chopped
2 ½ large sweet onions, sliced thick
2 tablespoons caraway seeds
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced thick
2 – 32 oz. jars sauerkraut, drained
½ cup chicken broth
salt & pepper
In a large, non-stick skillet, toss in your bacon. Cook over medium/high heat for 5 to 7 minutes, until fragrant and some fat has rendered in the pan. Add in the sliced onions and cook for another 7 minutes or so, until translucent. Sprinkle in the caraway seeds and stir. Then add the sliced apples and drained sauerkraut. Season with salt and pepper and stir well to mix everything up. Drizzle in the chicken broth.
ready to go in the oven
Cover very tightly with foil or use a tightly fitted lid over top of some foil. Bake at 325 for 3 hours. Stir half way through, at the 1 ½ hour mark. After 3 hours, assess just how “droopy” you like your kraut. Here we like it when all of the apples and onions have literally melted away and the mixture has severely decreased in size. This time we cooked it for another 1 1/2 hours.
*Note: this keeps very well in the fridge – for about 3 weeks
Serves: 8-10 as a side dish
Time: 20 min prep and hands-on + about 4 1/2 hours baking time.
From: family original
 |
