Many people avoid sauerkraut because they don’t like its sour, bitter flavor. That’s because many cooks use sauerkraut directly from the jar or package. The key to creating yummy Bavarian-style sauerkraut that even kids will love is to thoroughly rinse the sauerkraut first and then cook it with sweet onions, cooking sherry, and a little brown sugar. The sauerkraut will be delicious and slightly sweet – perfect as a condiment for bratwurst, Reuben sandwich, or hot dogs, as a base for choucroute garnie, or as a side dish for Wiener schnitzel, beef rouladen, goulash and other dishes.
Ingredients:
- 1 Tbsp bacon drippings or duck fat
- 2-3 slices of bacon, Canadian bacon, or ham, minced
- 1 cup finely chopped sweet onion
- 2 (16 ounce) packages or jars of sauerkraut
- ½ cup chicken stock
- ½ cup cooking sherry
- 1 Tbsp packed brown sugar
- 1 tsp caraway seeds
Method
- Place the sauerkraut with juice into a large bowl and cover with water – rinse well. Pour the sauerkraut into a colander and use your hands to squeeze out as much water and juice as possible.
- Heat bacon drippings or duck fat in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir the bacon or ham and onion and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add the squeezed, fairly dry sauerkraut to the skillet.
- Stir the chicken stock, sherry, brown sugar, and caraway seeds into the sauerkraut mixture. Reduce heat to low; simmer, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated, 30 to 40 minutes.
