It’s a family tradition to have pork and sauerkraut for our New Year’s dinner.  My father-in-law would make a big pot of it and family members would eat the sauerkraut so that they would have good luck for the new year.  Since he died two weeks ago, I offered to make it this year.

I made some changes to how it was cooked.  First of all I made it in my slow cooker instead of in a big stock pot.  I also roasted potatoes instead of cooking the potatoes in the slow cooker with the meat and sauerkraut.  Hubby loved it and was impressed because it didn’t have the bitter/sour taste you usually associate with sauerkraut.  He even took some to work with him to share with his co-workers.

The boys did taste the sauerkraut so they would have good luck but being kids didn’t really like it.  At least they tried it which is better than on New Year’s Eve.  I made fish for supper.  The fish was cooked with olive oil and a seasoning mix from one of my Foodie Pen Pals.  Hubby loved it but the boys wanted to give me excuses on why they could not eat it.  They still had to eat it but it was interesting on what excuses they came up with.  The best one is their brain was going to explode since I told them fish is brain food.

Now onto the recipe:

Pork and Sauerkraut in the Slow Cooker

Stars of the recipe:

• 1 -2 lbs. pork roast
• 16 – 32 oz. of sauerkraut (depending on how much pork you have)
• 1 big carrot or 2 small carrots, peeled and cut into small pieces
• 1 apple, peeled and cut into small pieces
• 1 – 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• Salt and pepper to taste

Steps:

1. Drain and rinse the sauerkraut several times to remove the brine.
2. Place the pork roast in the bottom of the slow cooker.  (Mine is 5 qt.)  Sprinkle salt and pepper on the pork roast.
3. In a small mixing bowl, combine the rinsed sauerkraut, apple pieces, carrot pieces, and brown sugar.
4. Place the sauerkraut mixture on the pork roast.
5. Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours.
6. Shred the pork and combine with the sauerkraut.
7. Enjoy with boiled potatoes, mashed potatoes, or roasted potatoes (just serving suggestions)!

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