Recipe: Pork and Sauerkraut for the New Year

Gotta say this was a new one on me when I met Himself:  pork braised in sauerkraut until everything is falling-apart tender, mellow and soft.  It is not a New England thing, but it's very much a midwest bohunk thing, and as Himself is a midwestern bohunk, this is our mandatory New Year's dinner. 

(He's arguing with me about calling him midwestern because technically he was born and raised in a mid-Atlantic state.  Trust me, his family is midwestern.  His cousin Amy's wedding reception was in the Slovenian Home in a certain very midwestern city which was a mere two-hour drive from our Pennsylvania house.) 

In the areas of the country where pretty much everyone has some sort of ancestral German or Eastern European claim, the grocery stores lay in Boston butt roasts and bags of sauerkraut like cordwood.  Here, not so much.  It's usually a challenge to find a suitable roast, and nearly impossible to find good sauerkraut, which is why we make our own. 

This year the best roast the Belfast Hannaford could offer was an eight-pound picnic which wouldn't fit in my stockpot, so using the stovetop was out of the question.

Here it is with two quarts of kraut in my next-to-biggest roaster, ready to go in the oven for a nice long braise.   No worries; it's pretty tough to mess this up. 

Pork and Sauerkraut

• Well-marbled pork roast (Boston butt, blade, or fresh picnic) - half a pound or a bit more per person
• Sauerkraut, preferably bagged in plastic or from a glass jar rather than a tin can (half a cup per person, but overall amount will vary with the size of the roast and roasting pan, and how much luck you're hoping for in the New Year)

Season the roast with salt and pepper.  If you like, heat a bit of oil in a stock pot and sear the roast until well browned.  Or just plunk the roast in a stockpot and forget the browning. 

Cover with sauerkraut and add water to come an inch or two up the sides of the roast.  Bring to a boil, then cover tightly and simmer over very low heat, stirring every now and again and flipping things over to ensure the pork and kraut are cooking evenly.  Add additional water if necessary.  Depending on the size of the roast, it should take two to four hours for it to be done.

Serve this with mashed potatoes and a nice veg and you will have health and prosperity all year long!