This dish is definitely in my top 15 favorite meals. It is a classic comfort dish to many on my mom's side of the family. Pork and sauerkraut is traditionally served for New Year's, but I like it year round. My mother likes to just throw everything into a crock pot and cook all day long. I prefer to cook and season each item separately, then bring them all together to cook in the oven for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. I start by draining and rinsing a bag of sauerkraut. This all depends on how sour you like the sauerkraut to be. You season the pork chops with salt and pepper then sear them in hot fat in a Dutch oven or oven-proof casserole for a minute or two until nicely browned. You can use olive oil or clarified butter, however, I personally prefer to use rendered bacon fat. I reserve it in the fridge whenever I make bacon. It add a nice depth of flavor to the pork and onions. Then, you saute some onions and garlic for about 5-7 minutes, and deglaze the pan with white wine. Then, you add the drained sauerkraut, some good beef stock, and water to cover by about one inch. Now for an important factor...the seasonings. I like my sauerkraut to be a little more sweet. I add brown sugar, seasoning salt, paprika, thyme, and black pepper. Bury the pork chops in the sauerkraut and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cover and bake it for about 1.5-2 hours until the pork chops are tender. You should monitor it after about 30 minutes. You want to make sure that it has enough liquid. It should have enough liquid to cover it. If it goes dry, you can add more water or beef stock. If it goes dry the sauerkraut may burn. I prefer to serve with a nice dollop of creamy mashed potatoes and maybe some stewed apples. This a very warm and comforting dish to have on a nice cold winter night such as this. Bon Appetit.
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