I’ve long known that it’s a tradition to eat pork and sauerkraut on New Years Day, so I started asking friends what recipe they use. I learned that people enjoy practically all cuts of pork with kraut to ring in the New Year.
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Simple Pork and Sauerkraut Recipes
My husband grew up eating smoked sausage and kraut on a regular basis. This was not just a January 1st tradition in the house with German heritage on both sides of the family. This was one of the staple meals in his family on a regular basis, so his mom made it in the crockpot, oven, skillet. He just likes eating it, so he wasn’t concerned with how it’s cooked.
Growing up my mom always made (and still does) pork and kraut to begin the year. She makes country style ribs some years and a pork loin roast other years. My mom typically adds brown sugar to her kraut, while my mother in law does not.
Traditional Sauerkraut and Pork Recipes
I’ve heard some people add a can of beer as a tradition, but neither of our families has done that.
With all of these options, we did the only logical thing, we tried more than one! We purchased fully cooked smoked sausage and heated it up in a skillet over medium-high heat. Then we added the kraut and heated it up. Here is the skillet that we use. This is my husband’s favorite option. The smoked sausage has a great flavor and the kraut, well if you like kraut you’ll like this.
We also seasoned half of a boneless with salt and pepper, piled the kraut on top and roasted it in a covered pan until the loin reached an internal temperature of 150 Fahrenheit. I was aiming for 145 Fahrenheit, but I got distracted. Next time I’ll set the timer to avoid getting distracted! Here is the roasting pan that we use.
I like to reference Pork.org when searching for good information about pork. Since so many cuts are popular there are handy resources on the cuts of pork page on Pork.og.
Sauerkraut is one of my husband’s favorite meals. These pictures equal true love to him.
Printable Recipe for Pork Loin and Sauerkraut
Pork and Sauerkraut
Classic pork and sauerkraut recipes for New Year's Day!
Ingredients
- 4 pounds boneless pork loin roast
- 32 ounces sauerkraut
- salt
- pepper
- 1/2 cup brown sugar optional
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Coat roasting pan with non stick spray.
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Place loin in roasting pan. Season pork loin with salt and pepper. Pile sauerkraut on top of pork loin. Place lid on roasting pan.
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Roast for pork for 10 - 15 minutes per pound. Use a meat thermometer to cook pork to an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
Printable Recipe for Sausage and Sauerkraut
Sausage & Sauerkraut
Simple sausage and sauerkraut recipes for New Years day or any day!
Ingredients
- 16 ounces smoked sausage
- 16 ounces sauerkraut
- 1/2 cup brown sugar optional
Instructions
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Cut smoked sausage into smaller chunks or bite sized pieces. Warm pre-cooked smoked sausage over medium high heat in a skillet.
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Set sausage aside and heat sauerkraut. Stir in brown sugar if desired. As the sauerkraut gets warm add sausage. Serve and enjoy!
Following in my mother’s footsteps, I’ve always cooked pork loin on New Year’s Day… but after reading your Sausage and Sauerkraut recipe I think I’m going to change it up for 2018!! Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for reading & sharing that you plan to try something new!