I have always hated sauerkraut (as usual, just ask Mom). Droopy, pungent fermented cabbage swimming in a lake of salty, stinky... uh... krautjuice? Thanks, I'll pass.

So imagine my dismay when Scheidt told me how excited he was to make his mom's traditional sauerkraut for New Year's Day.

Me: "Ew. I don't like sauerkraut."

Scheidt: "Ours is different."

Me: "I doubt it."

Scheidt: "I'll make it. You'll see. You'll like it."

Me: (eye roll) "Whatever."

So it pains me more than I can express to admit: I actually liked this sauerkraut. Why? What turned the kraut corner for me? This kraut doesn't have that awful pungent taste, because it's buried under the flavor of FOUR DIFFERENT KINDS OF SMOKED MEATS! Yeehaw! Now that's a traditional German recipe I can get behind.

But in seriousness, this is delicious because the expected sour-pungency of the sauerkraut works in balance with the intense - and I do mean intense - smokiness of the meat. And on top of a pile of buttery mashed potatoes (which was also a new one for me - sauerkraut with spuds!), I finally understood why sauerkraut leads to a happy New Year.


Rita Scheidt's Smoky Sauerkraut
As told to Burghilicious by her son

This makes a "reasonable" quantity of sauerkraut - probably enough to happily feed 8-10 people. Scheidt, however, made an unreasonable double recipe, which was enough for all of 15216. I think we've still got some in the freezer.

3 pounds sauerkraut*
1 pound thick-sliced bacon - double-smoked if you can find it - chopped to 1/4 inch strips
4 inches pepperoni, chopped to 1/4 inch chunks
1/2 pound cottage ham, chopped to 1/4 inch chunks
1 pound hot or garlic kielbasa**, halved and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 pound mild kielbasa, halved and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons peppercorns
2 teaspoons whole allspice
4 bay leaves
1 cup water

Drain the sauerkraut in a fine mesh sieve, reserving at least 1 cups of fluid (referred to hereafter as "krautjuice"). Press on the kraut to extract as much liquid as possible. Rinse well with water, then squeeze dry. Try to get out as much water as you can Put the strained kraut into the crock of a large crock pot***. Refrigerate the krautjuice for later.

Next up: meats. In a large frying pan over medium heat, cook the bacon until brown and crispy. Strain the bacon into the crock pot. Pour the drippings into a small bowl and reserve. Cook the pepperoni in the same pan until crisp. Add the pepperoni drippings to the bacon grease and put the pepperoni in the crock pot. Finally, sauté the cottage ham with both kinds of kielbasa until well-browned. Add the meat to the pot and discard the drippings.

Rewarm some of the reserved drippings in the frying pan. Sauté onions until golden brown, then add to the pot.

Now you're ready to cook. Add the remaining reserved drippings, spices**** and water to the crock. Cook on low, stirring occaisionally, for 2-3 hours. At this point, do a taste test on the juices that have rendered in the pot. If you find it to be less-than-optimally sour, add some of the reserved krautjuice (Scheidt recommends about 1/2 cup). If you find it to be too sour, dilute with a 1/2 cup of water. It's all to taste. Continue to cook on low for another 2-3 hours, until the kraut is a deep, rich golden brown. At this point, don't cook too much more or the kraut will get soft and mushy.

Serve over a generous helping of mashed potatoes. Guten Appetit!

*Use the bagged, refrigerated sauerkraut, not the canned kind. Scheidt recommends Snow Floss brand.
**Preferably, you'll get your sausages fresh from the butcher. It's the perfect opportunity to find a German or Polish butcher to try.
***Or you can do it in a pot on the stove. Just simmer over low heat when it's time to cook.
****This is the one place where I'd depart from the original recipe. I found the whole peppercorns to be too intense when I bit into them, so I'd suggest quarantining the peppercorns, allspice and bay leaves in a cheesecloth sachet in your pot. However, Scheidt's favorite part of the dish is nailing a whole smoky peppercorn, so this is just a matter of preference.