Hello, and Happy New Year!
Well, 2021 completely flew by with plenty of ups and downs. One great thing to come out of 2021 was that I finally got to celebrate Dustin and me getting married. The wedding was pushed from 2020, and lucky for us, we were finally able to celebrate with our closest family and friends this past August.
Well, here we go 2022. Please be good to us all.
In our house, one of our New Year’s Day traditions is to cook pork and sauerkraut. It’s meant to bring good luck, so we always try to start every first day of the New Year with this for dinner. It’s super easy and it’s all done in one pot. We also make mashed potatoes as a side. I think today we might whip up some truffle mashed potatoes rather than a traditional mashed. Ugh, I’m salivating just thinking about it.
The aroma of the pork and sauerkraut wafting through my house is heavenly. It smells absolutely delicious. We like to cook the pork and sauerkraut in beer. Trust me, it makes a difference and gives the pork and brats a completely different flavor than using just water or apple juice. You’re also going to want to cook the pork for at least three hours so it becomes nice and tender. We also like to cook this in a large dutch oven.
We also dip the pork and brats in some coarse ground mustard when serving. YUM! I highly recommend.
I hope you enjoy, and I hope you all have a wonderful and safe New Year!
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Ingredients
2 – 2lb bags of shredded sauerkraut
1/2 head of cabbage, thinly shredded
2 1/2lb whole pork tenderloin
3 slices of thick cut bacon, cubed
1 – 19 oz package of beer brats (5 links)
1 medium sweet onion, thinly sliced
2 – 12oz cans of beer
4 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 bay leaves
5 cloves of garlic powder, chopped
flour
water
salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
- Take the pork tenderloin out of the package and rinse with cool water. The pork I bought came in two long strips. Pat dry with paper towels. Season each side with salt (I use pink sea salt), pepper, and generously season with flour.
- Add 2 Tbsp olive oil and 4 Tbsp butter to a large dutch oven and heat on medium. When the oil is warm, add the pork to the pot and brown on all sides.
- When the pork is browned, remove from the pot and set aside.
- Add the cubed bacon to the pot and cook until lightly browned. Then remove from the pot and set aside.
- Add the onion and cabbage to the pot and braise until the cabbage is cooked down and wilted, approximately 10-12 minutes. Add 1 Tbsp of garlic powder. Stir to combine.
- Add the two bags sauerkraut (juice from the bag included) to the pot and combine. Add the 3 bay leaves and 5 cloves of chopped garlic to the pot.
- Add the pork and bacon back to the pot.
Add 2 cans of beer to the pot.
Fill one can of beer with water and add to the pot. - Bring to a boil and then simmer (covered) for 3 hours or until the meat is falling apart.
- Add the beer brats to the pot. Serve once the brats are fully cooked through.
Directions with step by step photos
- Take the pork tenderloin out of the package and rinse with cool water. The pork I bought came in two long strips. Pat dry with paper towels. Season each side with salt (I use pink sea salt), pepper, and generously season with flour.
- Add 2 Tbsp olive oil and 4 Tbsp butter to a large dutch oven and heat on medium. When the oil is warm, add the pork to the pot and brown on all sides.
- When the pork is browned, remove from the pot and set aside.
- Add the cubed bacon to the pot and cook until lightly browned. Then remove from the pot and set aside.
- Add the onion and cabbage to the pot and braise until the cabbage is cooked down and wilted, approximately 10-12 minutes. Add 1 Tbsp of garlic powder. Stir to combine.
- Add the two bags sauerkraut (juice from the bag included) to the pot and combine. Add the 3 bay leaves and 5 cloves of chopped garlic to the pot.
- Add the pork and bacon back to the pot.
Add 2 cans of beer to the pot.
Fill one can of beer with water and add to the pot.
- Bring to a boil and then simmer (covered) for 3 hours or until the meat is falling apart.
- Add the beer brats to the pot. Serve once the brats are fully cooked through.
