Slow cooker sauerkraut meal
Since I picked the slow cooker beef stroganoff recipe for last week’s meal, I let my partner in crime choose our Crock Pot dish for this week. He picked something from a Prevention magazine slow cooker recipe book called “Sauerkraut Meal.” The name really cracks me up for some reason, but I digress. Here are the ingredients:
2 cups low sodium barbecue sauce
1 cup water
2 lbs. lean pork chops, trimmed of fat
2 lbs. sauerkraut, rinsed
The directions called for mixing together the barbecue sauce and water, then combining the sauerkraut, pork and sauce in the slow cooker and cooking on low for 8-10 hours. I had found a nice package of boneless pork chops, about 1-inch thick, on special at the grocery store, but it was only a 1 lb. package. With only two people to feed, I didn’t think I needed another package of pork. I did, however, use all of the sauerkraut, mainly because I would probably just let the other half of the bag sit in my fridge until it was time to toss it. We used Cattlemen’s barbecue sauce, and I peeled a few Yukon gold potatoes and tossed them in whole to go along with the rest of the dish.
Once again, I didn’t think this dish needed to cook for 8 hours, because the pork was a little bit dry inside. I don’t know if my slow cooker is just super strength or if many of these recipes are wrong. It could also be the particular cut of pork, which is so lean. At any rate, it was still an easy, yummy dinner. The pork was fork tender but not falling apart, the sauerkraut was not quite as sour as it would be if I hadn’t rinsed it and mixed it in with the smoky barbecue sauce, and the potatoes were still in one piece, but creamy and delicious. I just love those Yukon golds.
Next time (if there is a next time), I think I’ll add a shot of hot sauce or some red pepper flakes to the pot to spice it up a bit. And I probably will only cook it for about 7 hours. I don’t see why one could not use a whole pork tenderloin in this meal in place of the pork chops, or skip the sauerkraut and add some broth for a more traditional “sauerkraut meal.”
Next week, I’m going for something more complex, with more seasonings. We’re looking at a recipe for Latin chicken with black beans and sweet potatoes that looks pretty good. Decisions, decisions…
January 14, 2010 - 10:52 AM
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Your bro-in-law likes to add smoked sausage or italian sausage when he makes this. Because I don’t like the kraut to be really sour he’ll add in some brown sugar. I suppose that’s what the BBQ is for in this recipe.
Exactly, Kim. But for people who like the sourness, I can assure you that flavor component is still present in this dish.
The smoked sausage sounds killer good.
This is a traditional meal in my house. I grew up with my German grandma (who learned from her German mom) making this in the winter. I used to make it a lot more before my daughter went Veg. Now I want it again! I used my crock pot, but grandma never had one. She would simmer this on the stove for hours, making it a true dish of love! We didn’t use barbecue sauce, and didn’t rinse the kraut. More German that way. Once in a while she would also use up whatever onions she had and chop them up to add into the kraut. Mashed potatoes always went with this dish. Yum!
Boneless chops typically cost a bit more and when you cook this dish the meat will fall off the bones anyway. Nice and tender.
Tip on the bag of sauerkraut…since I cook for only two meat eaters now…I use the first half of the bag and then roll it down and clamp it off and store it in the freezer. For this type of meal, frozen kraut works fine and the consistency isn’t bad.
Thanks for the freezer tip, Heather. I wasn’t sure if it would freeze well or else I would have done what you suggested.
In central Pennsylvania, this is the traditional New Years Day meal. Not exactly sure why, other than my family always told me that “pigs root forward, while chickens scratch backward, so we always eat pork on New Years Day to look ahead”. It’s a Pennsylvania Dutch tradition
This sounds yummy and so easy, and I want to try this. I like to make my own sauces. Would this be better with a more tomatoey or more vinegary barbecue sauce? How long did you cook it? On high or low?
Thanks for doing this crock pot series. Crock pots rock lots!
I set mine for 8 hours on low, Connie. My Crock Pot will automatically switch itself to “warm,” which it did for the last hour until I got home. I’d probably only cook it for 7 hours next time.
I think if I made this with a homemade sauce, I’d do a sweeter sauce than usual because of the sauerkraut.