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Looking forward to 2025? That’s a heavy question. The state of our finances, our safety, and even our food seem rather insecure in the upcoming year. We may be moving onward, but it feels like we’re stepping back into the darker times of history: either 1930s Germany or 1790s France. Needless to say, it’s going to be quite a ride, making the old new again.
Despite these worries, I’m stepping into New Year’s Eve with hope. And to bring good luck, my family will be starting the year with some pork and sauerkraut.
Everybody’s Pennsylvania Dutch grandmother has the very best recipe for pork and sauerkraut, according to the internet. As I was scouring newspaper archives and tattered cookbooks for the oldest possible pork and sauerkraut recipe to come out of Pittsburgh, I found myself staring at an advertisement from 1934. Pork and sauerkraut, according to the advert, is supposed to bring one “good luck or something.”
When taking a deep dive into old recipes, nothing really has changed with this meal since around the 1930s. Bits and pieces about New Year’s feasts that I found prior to that didn’t mention the dish. Rather, people were feasting on turkey or chicken.
I know, in my family, that pork and sauerkraut has been served since at least my grandparents’ day. And every recipe, whether it’s from the 1930s, the 1950s, the 1970s, or beyond has been relatively the same: a tenderloin of pork, a pound of sauerkraut for every 2 pounds of meat, onions, apples, caraway seeds, basic spices, and some oil. Some folks even sprinkle in their own secret ingredients like brown sugar or honey.
In modern times, most people make this recipe in a slow cooker — set it and forget it. I remember my aunt preparing hers in a pressure cooker. However, I’ve always cooked mine low and slow in a cast iron Dutch oven.
To be honest, I’m not the biggest fan of pork tenderloin. While I enjoy the New Year tradition, I feel the classic P&S would taste better with a fattier cut of meat. One wouldn’t have to add oil to the recipe, and all that cabbage, apple, and onion could soak up some delectable fat if, say, one were to smoke a big ol’ pork shoulder instead of slow-cooking a sad little tenderloin. If we’re to assume that pork and sauerkraut hails from an old-timey Pennsylvania Dutch tradition, would the meat not have been cooked outside?
So today, unlike most of these articles, I’m taking something old, something tried and true, and making it new, original recipe be damned. Here’s my version:
- • 1 5-lb. pork shoulder (butt)
• 2 lb. sauerkraut
• 2 large sweet onions, sliced thin
• 3 apples, sliced thin
• 2 Tbsp. caraway seeds
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Pork seasoning (Traeger or whichever brand you like) to coat your meat
• ¼ cup brown sugar
Prepare your pork shoulder with a dry rub of pork seasoning and brown sugar. Place in a disposable aluminum roasting pan uncovered. Smoke at 275 degrees for 6-7 hours or until the internal temperature surpasses 160 degrees.
Pull from heat and allow to cool. Gently pull the meat apart with two forks. Set aside ¼ cup of liquid/fat.
Pour ¼ cup of leftover pork fat into your dutch oven on the stovetop. Toss in onions and apple slices. Cook for about 5-6 minutes on medium until they begin to soften. Add pork, sauerkraut, remaining juice, and spices. Cover and cook on low for around 1 hour until the flavors combine nicely.
For this recipe, you’re going to need a very large Dutch oven. If you prefer to use a slow cooker, go for it! Simply sautée the onions and apples in a skillet with the pork fat first, then add about an hour to the cook time to combine the flavors nicely.
If you don’t have enough space in either a Dutch oven or slow cooker, you may choose to combine half the smoked meat with half the sauerkraut and save the rest of your lovely smoked pork for pulled pork sandwiches or pork rillettes. Serve this dish with mashed potatoes if you’d like. Happy New Year!
This article appears in Dec 25-31, 2024.
