Beer Braised Meats and Sausages
Food As Art with Jane Ellen Sexton
- 9 Cups Drained Sauerkraut (from 5-6 lbs. Packaged Sauerkraut, not canned)
- 1/4 lb. slab smoked bacon, cut crosswise into 1/4 inch pieces
- 2 Medium Onions, Sliced Thin
- 4 Medium Carrots, cut crosswise into 1/4 inch slices
- 5 1/2 Cups Oktoberfest Lager, such as Paulaner (or other beer)
- 1 Cup Chicken Broth
- 3 Bay Leaves
- 1 tsp. Salt
- 1/2 tsp. Whole Black Peppercorns
- 2 lbs. Assorted Smoked Precooked Sausages
- 1 lb. Piece Smoked Boneless Pork Loin, cut into 4 pieces
- Coarse grained mustard to serve on the side.
- Preheat Oven to 325 Degrees.
- Soak sauerkraut, covered in water, for 20 minutes, changing water halfway through soaking.
- While sauerkraut is soaking, in a large heavy skillet cook bacon pieces until golden.
- Pour off all liquid fat except 2 Tbsp. and add onions to bacon.
- Cook stirring until onions are softened.
- Drain sauerkraut well, pressing out excess liquid.
- In a large flameproof roasting pan combine sauerkraut, bacon mixture, carrots, beer broth, bay leaves, salt, and peppercorns.
- Bring mixture to a boil on the stove and boil one minute.
- Cover pan tightly with foil and braise (simmer in the pan) in the middle of the oven for four hours.
- Separately brown the sausages in batches.
- After the four hour braising, add the sausages (whole) and pork loin to the sauerkraut mixture, partially submerging the meat.
- Cover tightly with foil again and braise for an additional 30 minutes.
- Transfer with a slotted spoon to a platter, discarding bay leaves.
- Serve with coarse grained mustard.