Alsace Sauerkraut

If you're looking for a hearty and flavorful winter dish, look no further than the famous Alsatian specialty - Choucroute (Sauerkraut). This dish, made with fermented cabbage and pork, is a true comfort food that will warm you up from the inside out. Join me as we explore the origins of this classic dish and learn how to recreate it in your own kitchen. Like most stews, choucroute reaches its peak flavor when served the day after it's prepared.

Alsace Sauerkraut

Course: Entrees
Cuisine: French
Keyword: Alsace, choucroute
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours
Servings: 8
Calories: 345kcal
Cost: $35
Best food for Winter, to warm your soul
Print Recipe

Equipment

  • 1 Large pot
  • 1 Large dutch oven
  • 2 bowls
  • 3 Large containers
  • 4 deli containers
  • 1 Wooden spatula
  • 1 Ladle
  • 1 Skimmer
  • 1 chinois
  • 1 Mandoline

Ingredients

Salted Pork

  • 1.2 kg Pork shoulder
  • 60 g Coarse salt

Bouillon

  • 1.2 kg Desalted pork shoulder
  • 100 g Pork fat, duck fat or butter
  • 2 g Ground black pepper
  • 4 g Juniper berries
  • 1 g Coriander seeds
  • 4 L Water to cover
  • 2 ea. Carrots
  • 2 ea. Leeks cleaned
  • 2 ea. Celery stalk cleaned
  • 1 ea. Onion piqué
  • 8 ea. Cloves
  • 2 ea. Bay leave

Choucroute

  • 1500 g Raw fermented sauerkraut
  • 400 g Onions thinly sliced
  • 2 g Juniper berries
  • 70 g Pork or duck fat
  • 30 g Garlic cloves chopped
  • 500 g Smoked pork belly
  • 1 bottle Riesling, Sylvaner or beer

Additional Meat & Garnishing

  • 2 ea. Morteau sausages
  • 4 ea. Knacks sausages
  • 450 g Garlic sausage/Saucisson à l'ail optional
  • 8 ea. Yukon gold potatoes peeled

Dish Accompaniment

  • Wholegrain mustard
  • Cornichons

Instructions

Who Invented Sauerkraut?

  • The renowned Alsatian dish, sauerkraut, is widely believed to be a local invention. However, its origins tell a far more intricate story, stretching back to ancient Asia. In the 3rd century BCE, laborers working on China's Great Wall faced harsh winters. Abandoning their supplies due to freezing temperatures, they returned months later to find their cabbages had naturally fermented beneath the snow. This accidental discovery of fermented cabbage became a staple. The technique is said to have traveled westward with invaders such as the Huns, Mongols, or Tatars, though the specifics remain unclear. These nomadic groups, possibly carrying barrels of fermented cabbage, eventually reached Europe. By 451 CE, they had arrived in Alsace, bringing this preserved dish with them amidst their conquests.
    Although fermented cabbage was introduced from the East, Europe had its own long history with cabbage. Wild cabbage grew abundantly in Europe for over 4,000 years. Both the Romans and Greeks fermented cabbage in wine for preservation. It was not until the 16th century that Germans perfected the brining process, preserving cabbage in a mixture of salt and water. They named this dish "sauerkraut," meaning "sour cabbage", which eventually became "choucroute" in French.

From Local Staple to National Symbol

  • While sauerkraut became deeply associated with Alsace, it wasn't until the 18th century that it gained widespread popularity across France, becoming a delicacy among gourmets. The dish became a source of Alsatian pride, and during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, it took on a patriotic role.

Best Cabbage Variety For Sauerkraut

  • There are several varieties of white cabbage choux blanc that can be fermented, but the most common and best is the “quintal d’Alsace” which can weigh for up to 10kg.

Sauerkraut vs Kimchi

  • Sauerkraut has a tangy, acidic flavor that is consistent and distinctly cabbage-focused due to its single-ingredient fermentation. Kimchi, on the other hand, offers a more complex taste. It is typically salty and can be spicy, with a signature umami (savory) flavor. The taste of kimchi varies depending on the vegetables and seasonings used, such as garlic, ginger, and chili.

What To Drink With The Sauerkraut?

  • In Alsace Riesling and Sylvaner are ideal. The white wines of Loire like the Sancerre the Vouvray dry or the Cheverny go perfectly with sauerkraut. Beer is also traditional accompaniment, particularly strong-tasting German and Belgian varieties. In red the corresponding wines are the Pinot noir of Alsace wines for Touraine or Sancerre in the Loire and finally, in the Beaujolais the Saint-Amour.
  • The Morteau sausage also known as the Belle de Morteau, is a traditional smoked sausage from the Franche-Comté French historical region and take its name from the city of Morteau in the Doubs department. Morteau sausage can be subbed for any smoked fatty pork sausage. Also ask a local butcher for the best alternative.

Salting Pork

  • The salting process is essential as it not only seasons the meat but also acts as a natural tenderizer. By removing a large part of the water content from the meat, the salt helps to break down tough muscle fibers, resulting in a more tender and succulent dish. To begin, generously rub the pork shoulder with coarse salt. Place the salted meat in a container, cover and refrigerate overnight. Drain the salted pork and rinse. Soak meat in cold water for an hour. Renew water and repeat. Drain meat; set aside.
    salting pork shoulder

Preparing Potatoes

  • Potatoes can simply be peeled or tournée. Tournée is French for the word "turned" and refers to a method of cutting and peeling root vegetables into oblong, seven-sided football-like shapes. Soak potatoes in a bowl of cold water as you finish peeling or cutting them. Cold water slows down the oxidation process. Use potato scraps for later use.

Bouillon

  • For the onion piqué which means pricked onion, is made by pricking a whole and peeled onion with a few cloves. In the large pot, melt fat along with juniper berries and coriander seeds. Add the pork shoulder, water, vegetables, herbs, onion piqué and ground black pepper to the pot (no additional salt is needed).
    choucroute bouillon
  • Bring to a boil and let it simmer on low heat for 2½ hours; uncovered. After this time, add the Morteau sausages (whole, do not cut) and potatoes to the pot and let everything cook together for an additional 30 minutes. Once the cooking is complete, turn off the heat and place the pot in a cool area. Once it reaches room temperature, transfer the pot to the refrigerator to chill. Alternatively, if the weather is cold enough, you can place the pot outside to cool; uncovered.

Preparing Sauerkraut

  • When cooking with fermented cabbage (sauerkraut), balancing its acidity can elevate your dish significantly. A straightforward method to achieve this is soaking the raw sauerkraut in lukewarm water for around 20 minutes. It gently reduces its tangy intensity, making the flavor more harmonious. If you'd like an even milder taste, simply repeat the soaking process.
    washing sauerkraut
  • Next, melt the fat with juniper berries in the dutch oven. Then, cook the sliced onions and chopped garlic until fragrant. Next, add half of the choucroute to the pot and give it a good stir to combine the flavors. Now, it's time to add the smoked pork belly skin side up. Cover it with the remaining choucroute. Pour in the wine and cover the pot with a lid. Let the flavors mingle as you bring the mixture to a boil and then simmer on low heat for 2½ hours. Alternatively, you can cook it in a fan oven at 300ºF/150ºC. Once the dish is cooked, remove the lid and let it rest for 30 minutes on the stovetop. After the resting period, remove the pork belly from the sauerkraut. Drain any excess liquid from the sauerkraut. Refrigerate meat and sauerkraut.

The Day After

  • Skim off the solidified fat that floats on the surface of the bouillon. Remove the pork shoulder, Morteau sausages and potatoes. Pass the bouillon through the chinois. Discard remaining solids.

Presentation

  • Cut the chilled smoked pork belly and shoulder into 8 portions. Cut each Morteau sausage in 4. Reheat sauerkraut and potatoes with some of the bouillon. Separately, heat up knacks and garlic sausages in the bouillon for 5 minutes. Slices of garlic sausages can also be seared in some fat right before serving.
    sliced smoked pork belly
  • The choucroute can be served as a whole centerpiece or portioned into individual cast iron dishes for a more personalized presentation. Add choucroute on the bottom dish first, top with meats and ladle out some bouillon, cover the dish and bring to a boil. Bon appétit!

Nutrition

Serving: 300g | Calories: 345kcal

2 thoughts on “Alsace Sauerkraut”

  1. Thank you Bruno and maybe i will see next time the variation with fish. I have the last one to Maison Kammerzel in Straßburg. It was surprise that the fish and the withe sauce pairs so good with sauerkraut, i never expect that. Au revoir and will see next time. One more time thank you for all what you make.

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