- 6
Ingredients
- 3 pounds sauerkraut (jarred or packaged, not canned) 1/2 pound thick-cut bacon, roughly chopped
- 6 smoked pork chops
- 2 cups chopped onions
- 2 chopped garlic cloves
- 1/4-pound piece pork belly or a smoked ham hock
- 20 juniper berries (lightly crushed)
- 1 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
- 2 cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups dry Riesling (preferably Alsatian)
- 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 pounds small round potatoes
- 2 pounds mixed sausages such as Strasbourg, bratwurst, weisswurst and kielbasa
- Dijon mustard
- whole-grain mustard
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Rinse sauerkraut under cold water, drain in a colander and squeeze dry.
In a 8-9 quart Dutch oven cook bacon until golden over moderate heat; drain on paper towels. Lightly brown pork chops in bacon fat in batches; transfer to a plate.
Cook onions and garlic in bacon fat until translucent. Return bacon and chops to pot and add pork belly or a smoked ham hock. Cover with sauerkraut, fluffing to separate strands, and scatter with juniper berries, caraway seeds, cloves, bay leaves and a few grinds of pepper. Pour Riesling and chicken broth over all and bring to a simmer.
Cover and braise in oven until pork chops are tender, about 1½ hours, adding more broth or water if sauerkraut looks dry.
Meanwhile, boil potatoes; peel and keep warm. Cook sausages in a pot of barely simmering water for 10 minutes (don't let the water boil or the sausages will burst).
To serve, drain sauerkraut (discarding spices, if desired) and place on a heated large platter. Slice pork belly and kielbasa and arrange on platter with other meats and potatoes. Serve with mustards.