Sauerkraut: The Science Of (A Call To Arms)

[Steve Retherford]

No bursted bag Pix?

[Jon Solberg]

Man lots of reading out there on this. Hard to pick a starting point. air lock, no air lock, glass, plastic, weights, crocks, on and on. : /

So the lack of O2 is important. Why can't I just put the salt and the cabbage in a vacuum sealed bag and let it sit a few weeks?

How much does it off gas? Is this even a possibility?

Testing Testing: Vac bag kraut.

What the heck. Left the bag long to allow for a cut and reseal for venting the off gas if needed.

[LangInGibsonia]

+1!!

[Cheef]

Franks is processed-cooked and I suspect preserved with vinegar.
Franks Kraut is the exact reason I went on a quest for Grandmas saur krat.
If it hadn't been for tasting the real deal when I was a kid I would be among the MANY kraut haters in the world
store bought kraut is nothing like home made.

[ribeyeguy]

I grew up in Franksville, Wisconsin, home of Frank's Kraut and the annual Kraut Festival. Try to imagine the smell of a small town that processed raw cabbage 24/7/365 and then had the balls to hold an annual festival that commemorated it. It was horrible. The smell alone forever soured me on eating it much less making it in my own home. To this day whenever I drive past a cabbage field being harvested in late summer I come close to vomiting.

I apologize to all the kraut lovers out there but more so than anything else it's the one food that truly sickens me.

[Cheef]

You would possibly blow the bag. It would for sure inflate it.
I spent a LOT of money on the traditional Harscht style stoneware crock.
This Crazy Korean makes better kraut (in my opinion) it makes it quicker, cheaper, and less messy.
The Crazy Korean just took so much hassle away it amazes me.

[Jon Solberg]

Man lots of reading out there on this. Hard to pick a starting point. air lock, no air lock, glass, plastic, weights, crocks, on and on. : /

So the lack of O2 is important. Why can't I just put the salt and the cabbage in a vacuum sealed bag and let it sit a few weeks?

How much does it off gas? Is this even a possibility?

[Cheef]

DWCowles Funny you should mention loving sauerkraut as a kid. My (now) 6 year old grand daughter considers herself my official sauerkraut tester. She samples and critiques and pretty much lets me know when it is ready for the jar and refrigerator. She has been my official taste tester since she was 2 years old. She does NOT consider fermented brussell sprouts to be worthy although I kind of like them as much or better than kraut.

[Cheef]

http://www.thepetbeastro.com/2014/08/why-you-and-your-pet-need-fermented-foods/

A short article on probiotic benefits from ferments for your pets.

[Jon Solberg]

I had no idea it would be good for puppys. Cool!

[Cheef]

Dr ROK I am using the .9 Gal crock shown in that link. It easily hold 5# of cabbage--I would guess it could hold 7.5# easily. I do 5 pound batches because it gives me time to get the next batch ready by the time the first batch is gone. I give my dogs a small spoonful every day - it is loaded with probiotic and supposed to be really good for a dogs short digestive system. Funny as hell-they come running when I open the kraut jar.

[DWCowles]

I used to love sauerkraut when I was a kid (many many moons ago) until I got sick on it and haven't touch it since.

[MBMorgan]

The above recipe is something I reverse engineered from a dish my wife and I had while visiting Versailles, France quite a few years ago. They called it something like "Choucroute de Poissons". It was the above sauerkraut topped with gently steamed shrimp and white fish fillets over which was a very good white (bechamel) sauce. The white sauce was then topped with clams (mussels would work, too) that were braised in sherry then garnished with a bit of fresh parsley. We initially expected that sauerkraut and seafood might be a little weird ... so of course we ordered it and it was awesome! After much experimentation, I think that the reverse engineering effort was more than successful and we've enjoyed it at home many times since.

Here's the full recipe if any brave souls can convince themselves that seafood+sauerkraut makes sense:

Choucroute de Poissons (MBM)
Based on a restaurant dish served in Versailles

Choucroute

• Ingredients
  • 4 slices bacon, diced
  • 2 yellow onions
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 2 apples, peeled, cored, & sliced thin
  • 1 quart jar sauerkraut (good stuff … not canned)
  • 1 1/2 cups white wine
  • 10 juniper berries
  • 6 black peppercorns (or 12 green)
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
• Directions
  • Heat 6-8 quart pot (not iron or aluminum)
  • Sauté bacon until clear
  • Add onion and garlic; brown lightly
  • Add apples, sauerkraut, and wine
  • Add juniper berries, bay leaves, peppercorns, and brown sugar; stir
  • Cook for 2 hours on medium-low heat; just simmering

White Sauce

• Ingredients
  • 2 cups milk
  • 3 Tblsp chopped yellow onion
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Cayenne pepper or Tabasco (just a few shots) to taste
  • 4 Tblsp butter, margarine, or 3 Tblsp olive oil
  • 3 Tblsp flour
  • Salt to taste
• Directions
  • Bring milk to simmer
  • Add onion, bay leaf, and cayenne pepper
  • Simmer for a few minutes, then strain
  • Return strained milk to stove
  • In another pan, melt butter and stir in flour to make roux - don't brown
  • Remove milk from heat and stir in roux
  • Simmer, stirring, until thick (10 min)
  • Add salt to taste

Steamed (Shell)Fish

• Ingredients
  • Shrimp - several large ones per serving
  • Fish filets - orange roughy or other white fish
  • Salt, peppercorns, fresh parsley, herbs de Provence, white wine
• Directions
  • Add peppercorns, garlic, wine to water, bring to boil
  • Sprinkle (shell)fish with salt, parsley, herbs to taste
  • Steam until just done - 5 minutes?

Clams Braised in Sherry

• Ingredients
  • 3 slices bacon, diced
  • 1/2 yellow onion, diced
  • 3 or 4 clams or mussels per serving
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup sherry - enough to braise clams
  • 1 Tbsp parsley, chopped
• Directions
  • Sauté bacon until clear
  • Add onion; brown lightly
  • Add clams; toss to coat
  • Add sherry (carefully); reduce by half … tossing occasionally to recoat
  • Cover and steam until all clams are open
  • Sprinkle on small amount of parsley; toss once more to distribute
  • Remove from heat

To Serve

• Choucroute on plate or platter (pick out the bay leaves and peppercorns)
• Fish and shellfish over the choucroute
• White sauce over the fish and shellfish
• Clams over the sauce
• Fresh parsley on top as garnish

[Jon Solberg]

[LangInGibsonia]

Sounds delicious. I guarantee if you do that same thing to homemade 'kraut your head will explode! Haha!