Sauerkraut

[zxcvbob]

I made a small batch of sauerkraut in October using preshredded coleslaw mix.  It worked well, but was kind of expensive (a one-pound bag is only 14 ounces.)  I ate it a week ago and it was really good.  So a few days ago I bought a big head of cabbage (3.5#) and sliced it up to make a larger batch. I have some 4L and 6L round Cambro food service containers, and I mix it up in the 6L which it almost filled at first, then transferred to a 4L.  When I packed it down I was surprised how little room it took, about 1.5L, so I bought 2 more heads of cabbage yesterday and cut up another one, salted it, and packed it on top of the first.  Today I cut the last head in half and put the smaller half in the fridge to cook tonight.  Sliced and salted the other half in the 6L container, kneaded in the salt until it was wilting good, then dumped the smaller container on top of it and packed it all down.  The whole batch probably would have fit in the 4L container but it would be dangerously full and might overflow during fermentation.  I tasted a piece that has been going for 2 days and it's already half-sour.  I put a piece of saran wrap on top to seal out the air, then a quart freezer bag loosely full of water to weight it down (in the smaller container the quart bag was enough to seal it w/o the plastic wrap) and moved it to the basement.  It should be ready in a month.

I usually slice cabbage using a big-ass butcher knife.  It's sharp enough but not as sharp as a boning knife, so I used the boner this time (uh, huh-huh, huh. He said "boner")  It was a lot easier to get really thin slices and overall was faster.

I didn't want this batch quite as salty as the last.  I usually use 2% salt by weight which is the classic recipe, but I've read you can go as low as 1.5%.  I split the difference; approximately 1.75%.

I know Mike makes kraut; not sure if anyone else here does.  Do you use the loose outer darker green leaves?  I did.  I peeled them off, cut out the thickest part of the midrib at the bottom, then rolled them up like a cigar and sliced it really thin.  The finished product might not look quite as pretty with the dark green mixed in, time will tell.

[K Frame]

I use the really dense outer leaves whole. I place them on top of the shredded cabbage. Works as a net that helps keep all of the shreds under liquid when you put whatever weight you use. Basically, an all natural version of your saran wrap.

There's also a LOT of lacto bacillus bacteria on the outermost leaves. Putting them into the kraut pot one way or another really helps jump start fermentation.

For shredding I've hand shredded with a knife and I've used my V slicer. The V slicer gives nice even shreds, but I have to cut the cabbage head in either quarters or eights to get it on the slicer. Sometimes it's worth the hassle, sometimes not.

[castle key]

I saw the topic and realized Mike will jump in on this.

Mike and I have an odd past, present, and maybe future. We agree on much, have had heated conflict, and occasionally have had deep brooding and sincere conversations about really significant stuff.

I defer to Mike on all things Sauerkraut.

I am pulling up a chair to listen... really...

[K Frame]

Pull up a chair and listen to the tales of sour cabbage, children!

Sauerkraut is one of those foods that you either hate or love. There's little ground in between.

Even as a little kid I LOVED sauerkraut. Oddly enough, being from a heavily German ethnic family in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country, we always had commercially canned or bagged sauerkraut.

It was ALWAYS on the table for New Year's dinner, and would show up at various times throughout the year.

I started making my own about 15-20 years ago when I realized just how easy it was to make it, and how much better it was homemade.

I've not made it the last few years, though. I really need to make another batch.

[charby]

I've graduated to 1/2 gallon mason jars with air lock lids.

[zxcvbob]

I'm not sure what I'm gonna do with 8 pounds of it.    The last little batch I ate warm but still raw with those bacon-wrapped boneless pork chops KwikTrip had on sale for 99¢.  After cooking the chops, I turned off the heat and dumped the kraut in the pan to warm up and soak up the drippings.

[Ben]

I've not made it the last few years, though. I really need to make another batch.

Same here. Now that I live where there are a couple of really good German stores in driving distance, I've gotten lazy and just buy it. I usually do a couple of quart mason jars at a time using these fermentation lids and glass stones (though I also use outer leaves to cover the kraut, then put the glass stones on top).

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MW97ERY
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01GVSHK8O

Man, talk about inflation. These cost me like half of what they're going for now.

Anyways, I've got a big jar from the German store along with a black forest ham for traditional ham and sauerkraut on Christmas Eve.

[K Frame]

8 pounds?

When I make a batch, I make between 15 and 30 pounds.

[zxcvbob]

8 pounds?

When I make a batch, I make between 15 and 30 pounds.

  I understand that.  But I'm out of practice.  I suppose I don't *have* to eat it raw (even if it's more nutritious that way)  I can bake it with country-style pork "ribs".

[castle key]

Mike, was it you telling me about a batch of 'kraut going south?

If so, what needs to be avoided/watched out for?

[K Frame]

Yep, I had a batch go feral on me.

It turned black and rotten on top.

Scalding everything you're working with -- container and utensils -- goes a long way towards keeping the nasties out. But, sometimes it just happens.

If it doesn't smell like sauerkraut should, sour, sharp, and clean, and has foul odors to it, that's a sign. White kham yeast is to be expected on the liquid. But anything green or black floating in the liquid is a real problem. 

[K Frame]

I understand that.  But I'm out of practice.  I suppose I don't *have* to eat it raw (even if it's more nutritious that way)  I can bake it with country-style pork "ribs".

You can have it with anything. I've stuffed whole chickens with it and roasted them.

I've even made chocolate sauerkraut cake.

[HankB]

When I was a kid we made sauerkraut in pretty big batches, around 50 pounds at a time. We had a big mandolin slicer we used to shred the sauerkraut, and we put it up in a wooden pickle barrel. A couple of leaves went on the bottom and then we filled up the barrel with sliced cabbage. We used canning salt (no iodine added) and slowly pressed it down every couple of inches. By the time we were done, juice was coming out on top. We covered it with cheesecloth and weighted it down with a wooden disc and a big rock. Checked it daily.

I remember moving it from basement to garage and back again, depending on the weather. 

We'd can the kraut once it was done so we'd have it for most of the year. It was a tasty side dish, especially when fortified with diced bacon. We even made sauerkraut soup. (To which - much to my mother's dismay - I insisted on adding ketchup.  )

Yum.

[K Frame]

Love me some sauerkraut soup.

But without the ketchup.

New Year's day I'll be doing Carolina Dry sausage and sauerkraut in the crockpot. Traditionally it's a pork loin roast, but as I was lying in bed last night reading, sausage and sauerkraut in the slow cooker popped into my mind.