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I am normally not a pork and sauerkraut fan, and don't even know what inspired me to fix this recipe, but I'm sure glad I did. When it's really cold, this can't be beat for a good meal - it's a Jeff Smith recipe I've modified a bit. (Normally didn't find his recipes to be consistently good, and sometimes they were ones I knew about previously copied from other cooks, but this one is a keeper.)

Pork and Sausage with Sauerkraut

6 slices bacon, diced
3 yellow onions
3 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
2 apples, cored and sliced
3 lb sauerkraut (1-1/2 qt), lightly rinsed and drained
2 c white wine
15 juniper berries
8 peppercorns
2 bay leaves
1 T brown sugar
2 lb pork spareribs, cut into 3" pieces
1/2 lb smoked ham, cut into 2" cubes
2 lb sausages (garlic sausage, Polish sausage, German smoked sausage, knockwurst or any combination)

Heat a 6-8 qt. cast-iron casserole (do not use aluminum or black iron) and sauté the bacon until clear. Add onions and garlic and brown lightly. Add the apples, sauerkraut, and wine. Tie the juniper berries, peppercorns and bay leaves in a bit of cheesecloth. Add this mix with brown sugar; put in pot and stir. Top the mixture with the cut spareribs, and cover. Cook for 2 hrs on med-lo heat, keeping the pot just at a simmer. (This could be done the day ahead and then refrigerated at this point.) Stir the ham cubes into the kraut and top everything off with the sausages. Do not cut them. Cover and cook until all is hot, about 1/2 hour. Cut the sausages into smaller pieces just before serving. Put all on a single platter. Boiled potatoes make the ideal accompaniment.

Note: I used sweet Italian sausage and Hilshire Farms Kielbasa. Microwaved Italian sausage first to cook pork and degrease. Also, I always use the jarred sauerkraut found in the refrigerated foods section.

Sophie, I copied this...the flavors and ingredients sound really good to me. This is also something my husband would love.

My favorite lamb stew came from Jeff Smith. Boy, what an interesting story he had in the end.

My German taste buds are drooling. Copy/paste to my recipe book.

Someone alluded to Smith's demise. I try to be cognizant of the fact that even Jack the Ripper probably had a dog who loved him. I wonder what happened to the man, but I don't have the degree of interest that would cause me to google his name. There are some transgretions that are difficult to overlook. Sorry.

Sophie,

I am such a lover of winter dishes with Kraut. My favorite Kraut-- other than our own version which we make each summer and then run out shortly thereafter, is a brand called BUBBIES. It is very low in sodium compared to other brands and does not have a touch of vinegar -- only naturally fermented. Bubbies also makes great fresh horseradish and pickles.

Since I am from Puget Sound, I know the sad demise of Jeff Smith well. He was the Chaplin at the University of Puget Sound when my brother attended there decades ago. Jeff is gone now and although his legacy for being a pioneer for cooking on public tv lives on, his life is overshadowed by his poor choices.

Maynard... you're right... don't bother go google him. My mother, God rest her soul, loved Jeff and I'm glad she passed on before she knew how many lives he messed up.

Myrtle

Champagne; I hope you and your husband enjoy this sometime.

Leni, I should have known you had German tastebuds! All these years I thought my German tastebuds were Dutch (along with my Scotch/Irish and French ones), but my husband's geneaology searches have revealed that my Dutch must have been Deutsch because my descendants are indeed German on that one line of the family.

Maynard. I hear ya loud and strong. Many disappointed and downright disgusted folks. (But this recipe is great.)

Myrtle, your sauerkraut sounds wonderful. I need to start making more of an effort to find something more than the refrigerated store brands.

Thanks all for your input. I enjoy hearing from you!

My name Leni is the German nickname for Helena and is pronounced lay-nee.

That recipe sounds so good as it is so cold outside. But are junniper berries something that is in the regular grocery stores and I've just never seen??

Cost Plus World Market has littlel bags of Juniper Berries.

Some markets do have them.

That is a beautiful name and I did not know it was a nickname for Helena, which is beautiful, too. (I wonder why we say Helen when could have Helena?) It's those darn Brits. I can say that because I'm part Scotch/Irish, right? The other parts are French/German.

Carrie, I apologize for not responding sooner. I bought mine in a bottle from the spice section in the grocery store; they are the "Spice Islands" label.

Now I know where the money is on this site. I havn't purchased a "Spice Island" product in twenty years. If it doesn't have a mexican equivilant available in a cellophane envelope, it never reaches my kitchen. And yes, they sell juniper berries.

What money? I'm not sure where I purchased these juniper berries, but it's possible that they came from a military commissary. There was a time when we could save a lot of money on processed foods by buying them there. But I'm also now thinking "Spice Islands" probably wasn't one of the brands.

Anyway, I have a lot to learn about brands I don't know. I'm very much a brand name consumer, nowhere more so than with herbs and spices. I really think there's a big difference in the ones you can buy, so I go with what I know. I have bought Penzey's online, and I prefer Mc Cormick Schilling when I buy off the shelves. Just do not know about the 'cellophane packs', but now that I know that one of our very enthusiastic cooks here advocates them, I'm going to give them a try. (I sure hope it makes me rich. )

Sophie, I was skeptical of those litte cellophane packages of spice myself, but when I couldn't find something (cumin, I think) in the regular spices, I bought one of those packages. It had great flavor, and at 69 cents, was much cheaper than the jarred spices.

Now I save spice jars, wash them, remove the labels, and refill them with my packaged spices.

I found some wonderful "Ground California Chili Powder", lots of flavor, moderate heat, a few months ago, and a nice ground cayenne pepper. I can almost make my own chili powder these days.

Tanya, I bought my first cellophane packet yesterday, but it's epazote and now I have to figure out what to do with it! I remember that it kept showing up in recipes and I've never had it that I'm aware of, so thought I'd buy some. Am hoping someone will post a recipe that puts it to good use.