Sauerkraut With Pigtails Recipes

EMERIL'S NEVER ENOUGH PORK BEER-BRAISED SAUERKRAUT

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Place the sauerkraut in a colander and rinse briefly to remove some of the salt from the brine-don't rinse it too much, or you will lose a lot of the flavor. (Alternatively, if the sauerkraut is not excessively salty, use as is.) Press to release most of the excess liquid and set aside. In a large nonreactive skillet, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter over medium-low heat and add the bacon. Cook until most of the fat is rendered, about 4 minutes. Add the onions and continue to cook until they are soft but not browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the bacon-onion mixture to a nonreactive roasting pan or large ovenproof Dutch oven. Add the drained sauerkraut and toss to combine. Using a small piece of cheesecloth, make a bouquet garni with the thyme, bay leaves, peppercorns, juniper berries, and garlic and place in the baking dish. Add the ham hocks, chicken stock, and beer and stir to combine. Cover the casserole and bake, undisturbed, until ham hocks are mostly tender, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Meanwhile, melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over high heat and brown the sausages on both sides. Set aside. Brown the pork chops and set aside.
• When the hocks are mostly tender, remove the casserole from the oven. Place the sausages on top of the sauerkraut. If the liquid has reduced to less than 2/3, add a bit more water. Cover the casserole and return it to the oven. Cook for about 30 minutes, or until the sausages are tender and heated through. Add the pork chops and press them into the sauerkraut. Cover and return to the oven and cook until pork chops are heated through and tender, about 30 minutes longer. Remove the casserole from the oven and discard the bouquet garni. Serve immediately, with each person receiving some of each of the sausages, part of a hock, part of a pork chop and some of the sauerkraut. Pass the mustard at the table.

SOUTHERN STYLE PIG TAILS

Steps:

• Place the pig tails in a large stock pot, and fill with enough water to cover. Cover the pot, and bring to a boil. Boil for 10 to 15 minutes. Drain, and clean the pot of any debris, then return the tails to the pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil again, and season with onion, red pepper flakes and salt. Boil for about 2 hours, or until the tails are almost falling apart.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a roasting pan with aluminum foil.
• Drain the pig tails, and place them on the roasting pan. The stock from the tails may be used to cook turnip greens, cabbage or black-eye peas.
• Roast the tails for 30 to 40 minutes, until the tails pop and sizzle and the skin browns. Take care when opening the oven door. Allow the tails to cool, and serve with your favorite side dishes.

SAUERKRAUT WITH PIGTAILS

Steps:

• Pour the sauerkraut into a slow cooker with one can of the chicken broth and the caraway seeds. Cover, and cook on Low for 2 hours.
• Pour the remaining cans of chicken broth into a large pot, and bring to a rapid boil.
• In another saucepan, bring water, milk and margarine to a boil. Mix in instant potato flaked until well blended, remove from heat, and stir in the eggs, baking powder, and enough flour so that the dough is firm but not sticky.
• Pour the remaining cans of chicken broth into a large pot, and bring to a rapid boil. Pinch off pieces of the potato dough, and roll them into long thin dumplings (like pigtails). Drop the tails into the boiling chicken broth, and cook for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Strain the dumplings from the broth, and add them to the sauerkraut in the slow cooker. Season with salt and pepper.

HOW TO MAKE SAUERKRAUT

Steps:

• Thoroughly wash a large tub or bowl (we used on the size of a small washing-up bowl), then rinse with boiling water from the kettle. Make sure that your hands, and everything else coming into contact with the cabbage, are very clean. It's wise to use a container that will comfortably fit the softened cabbage, allowing several inches of room at the top to avoid overflow.
• Shred the cabbage thinly - a food processor makes light work of this. Layer the cabbage and the salt in the tub or bowl. Massage the salt into the cabbage for 5 mins, wait 5 mins, then repeat. You should end up with a much-reduced volume of cabbage sitting in its own brine. Mix in the caraway seeds and the peppercorns.
• Cover the surface of the cabbage entirely with a sheet of cling film, then press out all the air bubbles from below. Weigh the cabbage down using a couple of heavy plates, or other weights that fit your bowl, and cover as much of the cabbage as possible. The level of the brine will rise to cover the cabbage a little. Cover the tub and leave in a dark place at a cool room temperature (about 18-20C) for at least five days. It will be ready to eat after five days, but for maximum flavour leave the cabbage to ferment for anywhere between 2-6 weeks (or until the bubbling subsides).
• Check the cabbage every day or so, releasing any gases that have built up as it ferments, giving it a stir to release the bubbles. If any scum forms, remove it, rinse the weights in boiling water and replace the cling film. You should see bubbles appearing within the cabbage, and possibly some foam on the top of the brine. It's important to keep it at an even, cool room temperature - too cool and the ferment will take longer than you'd like, too warm and the sauerkraut may become mouldy or ferment too quickly, leading to a less than perfect result.
• The cabbage will become increasingly sour the longer it's fermented, so taste it now and again. When you like the flavour, transfer it to smaller sterilised jars. Will keep in the fridge for up to six months.