I haven’t made pork and sauerkraut in years. The last time I made it, I still owned a crockpot. The last meal I made in that crockpot was pork and sauerkraut.
I was so disappointed with the way the dish came out I remembered it was strike three for the crockpot. To me, the texture of foods is off, and it’s impossible to build flavor.
Instant pots like Sam have remedied the flavor ability with a sauté function. He uses his all the time and produces some delicious food. His sauce in his instant pot is pretty damn close to mine.
I wrote previous posts about crockpots and how they aren’t my thing. I understand the purpose for busy people on the go or people who prefer to make “dump and go” meals.
Most people don’t enjoy food prep and cooking as much as I do, and I applaud anyone preparing any meal at home.
Let’s face it, figuring out what to make for dinner, shopping for ingredients, and cooking the meal takes effort. If a crockpot works for you, then, by all means, crock away.
Back to that pork and sauerkraut, we bought a case of pork ribs at Restaurant Depot during the summer, so I decided to braise a couple of racks instead of barbecuing or smoking them.
Eating pork and sauerkraut on New Year’s Day is an old German tradition that is supposed to bring good luck to the new year.
When I planned to make pork and sauerkraut, I wasn’t thinking about good luck or German traditions. I was thinking how my mouth was watering for pork and sauerkraut.
I am a more advanced cook than when I made this dish before. Back then, I followed a recipe from a German Cookbook and didn’t know how to build flavors.
I also didn’t know to remove the membrane from the ribs. I didn’t season the ribs and brown them before braising them in sauerkraut.
After the ribs were browned, I sautéed onions and apples until golden brown, then added sauerkraut and brown sugar. I added salt and pepper and let it cook for ten minutes while the oven was preheating.
I placed the browned ribs in a large roasting pan and topped them with the sauerkraut mixture and the pan’s juices. I added water until the liquid came up halfway on the ribs.
I covered the pan, popped it into a 300-degree oven, and let it braise for three hours. In the meantime, I made potato dumplings.
Whenever I made pork and sauerkraut, I topped it with Bisquick-type dumplings, put the lid back on the crockpot, and let them cook. The dish always looked better than it was.
Cooking the dumplings on top of the dish was easy but made it dry since they sucked up all the juice from the pork and sauerkraut. I was not happy and vowed never to do that shortcut again.
I made potato dumplings this time, which I’ve only made once or twice. As I mentioned earlier, I am a much better cook now and can take bland, ordinary dumplings and turn them into something special.
I let the dumpling dough chill for a few hours before forming them. I also boiled them in chicken stock instead of water for more flavor.
In a small sauté pan, I melted a tablespoon of butter, added gluten-free breadcrumbs, and toasted them. I added freshly chopped parsley for a bit of color and freshness.
Fresh Italian parsley has a purpose in many dishes that can make or break the dish. Dried parsley, on the other hand, is suitable for adding color to a dish; that’s about it. By the way, have you ever smelled dried parsley? It smells like horse food.
Today’s dish was easier to prepare than it was years ago when I followed a recipe and used a crockpot.
Cooking is second nature to me now, and so is building flavors. The extra steps aren’t additional anymore; it’s the way I cook. I only use recipes when baking because baking is a science.
I remember being impressed and in awe of people who could cook from their hearts and souls, not their brains. They could tell when things were ready by feeling them with a quick touch of their hands.
It was the same thing whenever I watched someone dance; they became the dance, the vessel based on how the music made them feel. They danced “in” the moment right then and there.
I can now cook and dance this way. It happened little by little over time. I learned to trust my instincts and use my senses. The more confident I became, the more I enjoyed cooking and dancing. I still hold my breath when I am baking because you never know.
Our dinner of pork and sauerkraut was the best I had ever made or eaten. It was flavorful and juicy with fall-off-the-bone tender pieces of pork. The sauerkraut still had some tooth to it. It wasn’t limp and textureless like it was in the crockpot.
The potato dumplings were light and fluffy, not dense like the ones I used to make. The crunchy, flavorful breadcrumbs on top gave the whole dish a nice crispy texture. The fresh parsley brightened it up.
Will our traditional German New Year’s dish bring us good luck in 2023? Who knows? What I do know is that it was a fantastic first dinner of the year.
As far as that old crockpot is concerned, I took the crock outside and smashed it after eating that last disappointing dish I made. Several times, I swung the base from the cord into the ground and tossed it into the trash can. That took care of that. 😜
Fully agree about crockpots. I keep a small one that’s positively ancient to make Boston baked beans. That’s it. Works great for beans and is used maybe twice a year but it sucks at everything else. I’ve never made dumplings because ones I’ve had in the past were heavy gooey sinkers. How’s about sharing your recipe? 😉