You may call it a German sauerkraut recipe, or file it under Bohemian recipes right next to your Austrian and Czech recipes – I’m a German chef and my parents and grand parents came from all these countries. This is culinary evolution at its best!
When it comes to sauerkraut, authentic German recipes are definitely side dishes. Throw in the mid-1900’s Eastern European influence and you get actually a meal in itself.
How To Make Sauerkraut That Sticks To The Ribs.
(Literally, if you make pork chops and sauerkraut!)
Let’s start with a shopping and prep list:
- 2 quarts of good-quality sauerkraut
- 1 pound smoked bacon, diced
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 large Russet potato, peeled, in cold water
- 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- 1 Tablespoon caraway seeds
- 2 Tablespoons Hungarian paprika
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup cold roux (flour cooked in butter)
- 1 large cube beef bouillon
- 2 cups red wine
1. Drain and quickly rinse the kraut so it won’t be too sour; set aside.
2. In a medium pot (4-quarts or bigger), fry the bacon bits until they begin to turn brown; add chopped onions and garlic and cook until the bacon gets crispy.
3. Add caraway seeds, bouillon cube and brown sugar; cook and stir for 5 more minutes.
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Sauerkraut needs bacon!
Onion and garlic
Sugar, caraway, bouillon
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4. Now we add kraut and red wine, and – a wonderful “secret” – grate the potato into the sauerkraut.
5. Finally, we stir in the pepper, paprika, and the cold roux. Stir and cook over medium heat until it bubbles gently. Don’t let it splash on ya!
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Wine kraut!
Grated potato
Seasonings and roux
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6. Turn down the heat to a gentle simmer and let the sauerkraut cook for an hour or longer. The flavors need time to mingle and the potato must be cooked to a creamy consistency.
7. Every 15 minutes or so, stir the kraut to make sure it won’t stick to the bottom. Add more water or wine, as needed.
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Simmering sauerkraut
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You may eat this incredibly tasty sauerkraut alone with some crusty bread, or heat up some smoked sausage or pork chops right with the kraut in the pot. Of course it’s a great side dish for pork roast and roast fowl. Tip: It gets even better when reheated again and again – over the next couple of weeks, or so. Just keep it in the fridge, in-between your feasts.
The shopping links below feature my favorite products for this recipe. Please take a moment and explore my recommendations. No obligation, of course – only pure gourmet food browsing fun! 
Yumm! I truly love a good sauerkraut and this one fits the bill. Of course, you probably knew that I would love your sauerkraut considering how much I love stuffed cabbage — and nice to see that you have added Hungarian paprika to your yummy recipe.
Oh, Julie – if I hadn’t been a fan of cabbage before, I sure would have become one after reading your outstanding page on “Stuffed Cabbage” (click on Julie’s head!). You really understand how to present a recipe to your readers.
[...] Schnitzels, enjoy bratwurst, wieners or smoked pork with your tater salad. Consider making my Bohemian Sauerkraut Recipe for a second, sensational side dish of an authentic Bavarian meal. Enjoy! [...]
I came across this recipe, eager to make authentic German saurekraut after spending almost 3 weeks in Germany during the holidays. Funny thing is that I had fresh Hungarian paprika on hand, but 2 TABLESPOONS?!….It just about killed it (I should have listened to the voice in my head that told me it would be too much). Loved the recipe itself, but will remake with a lot less paprika….more like a teaspoon to start off…and I’ll go from there.
Hello Mikhail,
I’m so used to the milder version of “Hungarian Paprika” mostly sold in grocery stores, the amount might have to be adjusted when using the hotter “real thing”. However, I like to add quite a bit of paprika because of the beautiful color it adds to the kraut. By all means, go small first and add more later, if you like. I apologize for the potentially misleading info.