Recommended sauerkraut recipe?

Question

List my old recipe. Looking for a sauerkraut to use in a complex Hungarian dish. So better to be simple or basic, to work with but not overpower the other ingredients. Which recipe(s) have you made and liked?

Lori T. · Answer

I'm sending my Christmas greetings and New Year's wishes for you and yours Nancy.  I'm so glad the kraut worked out so well for you, and hope you make a repeat batch in the coming year.

Nancy · Answer

To 702551 and Lori -Thank you both!My first batch of sauerkraut in years has now completed fermenting and is launched!Tastes good, stored in the fridge.Cooking after the holiday when I can get the ingredients for my Hungarian casserol.eMerry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Nancy · Answer

Yes, no worries. I’m still doing the weighting. Just didn’t write about it.Yes the pour spout are very useful!

Lori T. · Answer

I think if you leave the spout lid open just ever so slightly it could work, but you'll still want to weigh down the fermenting cabbage and have something like a cheesecloth blockage in the spout so nothing gets invited in.  I've got some of those pour spout lids too- don't you find them so useful?  And not just for liquids.  I found them handy for stuff like lentils and oatmeal-which can pour out into a measure cup as well.

Nancy · Answer

PSI browsed the fermentation lids and pickle things, and they look good.For the time being, I figured out I could use some plastic pour-spout lids I bought for my mason jars for both the fermenting days and releasing the gasses.

Nancy · Answer

Ok, sounds good and easy to do with equipment I have on hand. Then, after the batch for this Hungarian dish, I can decide whether to get the fermentation lid.Thanks again.

Lori T. · Answer

You can do this in a mason jar without the fermentation lock or a pickle pipe arrangement, yes.  I find it easier to do in a wide mouth jar than regular mouth as well.  You will need something to weigh down the cabbage so it stays below the top level of brine, but another small jar filled with water will do that as a rule, if you use one of the large uncut cabbage leaves beneath it so you don't get stray bits floating.  Then cover the mouth of the jar with a bit of cheesecloth secured with a rubber band- so nothing goes in.  At a cool room temp, no more than 70F, I find it takes about 10-12 days to reach my favorite sour level.  You just start tasting it after about a week, using a very clean fork to fish out a bit to taste.  Oh, and you will want to set your fermenting jar in another container, because you will most likely get overflow in the first few days of fermentation.  I like fresh kraut myself, so I make it in a half gallon canning jar, and I use the lock as I described.  If you don't want to water bath can it, it will last in the fridge several weeks or you can freeze it as well.  And if you are going to make it regularly, I really do recommend either the fermentation lock and lid or a pickle pipe.  They aren't that expensive on Amazon, and you don't have to buy a huge lot of them either.

Nancy · Answer

Lori - this also sounds good. But what if I want to make this version and don’t have one of those fermentation life’s or pickle pipes? Any way to donut with standard jars? Nancy

Lori T. · Answer

All of the recipes for a basic fermented kraut work, honestly.  The main influence has to do with the fermentation temperature and how far along the sour you want it to go.  Having said that, though- I will tell you my recipe includes a thinly sliced sweet onion, thinly sliced garlic cloves and juniper berries.  Although I have done it the old fashioned way with a weighted plate, etc- I much prefer using a closed system similar to that used for beer- a fermentaion lock inserted in a large mouth jar lid that I bought from both Amazon and from a local brewer supply.  There are also such things as "pickle pipes" which work much the same way.  This way you don't have so much concern with unfriendly types of things falling into the mix, or have the lovely odor wafting through the house.   I wish I could give you a recipe for this, but I've been making kraut for longer than I would care to divulge on an internet site.  My family hails from Germany, so subpar stuff won't do.   You can add in shredded carrot, turnip or kohlrabi to a kraut mix as well.  I make several variations myself-but for the goulash sorts of things, it's the plainer version with onion, garlic and juniper berries.  It won't overpower that by any means.

Nancy · Answer

Thanks for both the directions, and the understanding of how the fermentation works (or doesn’t).Will try this,Nancy

702551 · Answer

I've been making sauerkraut myself for about ten years and I don't use a recipe.

Basically I just shred cabbage, weigh it, and then add kosher salt equivalent to 2.0% by weight. So if I weigh out 1423 grams of cabbage, I add 28.46 grams of salt. In reality, I round up a gram or so to ensure the brine doesn't fall below 2% salt by weight.

This is important because any brine below 2% has a vastly higher risk of unwanted secondary fermentations, mold, etc. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) survives that 2% threshold where most other microorganisms do not. I'm sure there's a Serious Eats article that covers this.

The other key thing is to ensure all the solid food mass is completely submerged in liquid. Then I let it go for about two weeks. That's really it. Sometimes I add a linen spice bag with crushed caraway seeds and juniper berries, but that's totally optional.

I also make kimchee following the same 2% brine guideline, no recipe. Just cut up your desired veggies, weigh out (mass-based metric system is clearly superior for this), then add the appropriate amount of salt. Like sauerkraut, kimchee is a LAB fermentation. Same biological principles are in effect.

That's my non-recipe for sauerkraut. Best of luck.

Nancy · Answer

That is, I lost my old recipe.

Recommended sauerkraut recipe?

12 Comments

Popular on Food52