As a child, I couldn’t stand the taste of kielbasa and sauerkraut. My father would make this every New Year. But as with most people, my tastes changed as I grew older. The list is long of items I would avoid as a child, but truly enjoy as an adult.
A few years back a friend of mine served her version of kielbasa and sauerkraut and I decided to try it. It was good, but still a little too pungent for my tastes. While I didn’t finish the whole serving, I was able to identify the dish’s potential. As a child I knew I didn’t like sauerkraut, but as an adult I could identify WHAT I didn’t like about it. Sauerkraut was just too sour for me!
Over the years since, I have tried making my own version several different ways. I’ve done stovetop, slow cooker and oven baked varieties. I’ve varied the flavor profile slightly each time. The only constant was that I wanted a sweeter kraut to offset to tang you get from the fermentation process. I’ve tried pineapple, sugar, apple, juices, you name it! And after much trial and error came up with the recipe you are about to enjoy.
Prepping the sauerkraut
The key is to rinse the brine off. I strain and RINSE the kraut through a fine mesh strainer. You could also use a colander, but you would want to line the colander with cheesecloth to help prevent it from getting pushed through the holes. After it is rinsed, give it a quick squeeze to remove some more of the moisture.
Taming the sauerkraut
Now that the kraut is a little dry, we need to moisture back into the dish, I traditionally use a sweet apple (like a honeycrisp) and store bought apple juice. It doesn’t take much. after all, this is not a kielbasa and sauerkraut soup! The addition of the brown sugar helps to fortify the sweetness of the apple to provide a wonderful sweet to compliment the sour. This dish also works well with crushed pineapples. I would probably start with 1/2 of a can and adjust as needed.
What is the best way to cook Kielbasa and Sauerkraut?
While this dish works well in a slow cooker, the kielbasa will not caramelize unless you sauté it first. The caramelization process releases the nature sugars in the sausage which not only adds a little more sweetness to the dish but texture as well. For the slow cooker method I would cook on low for 4-6 hours to let the flavors come together.
Having gotten that out of the way, my preferred method has come to rely on a combination of stovetop and oven cooking. The sauerkraut, fruit and spices will cook on low heat for two hours to let the flavors meld. Once that step is completed you will cook the kielbasa and sauerkraut in the oven for an additional hour. The oven will help to add to the caramelization of some of the sausage, which again is key to great kielbasa and sauerkraut.
This dish also pair well with our favorite mashed potato recipe!
