Making Sauerkraut

[IamMadMan]

The days are getting shorter and soon the days will be cooler.

Here's a tutorial to help you plan in advance if you wish to try and make sauerkraut at home.


II had to search through several hard drives to find this, but here is a tutorial I wrote many years ago for the culinary students I work with. I still use the lesson as it is.

The lesson has some historical info and such, but as you progress through the tutorial it explains the how and why of lactic fermentation.
I feel it can help the beginner to avoid many simple mistakes by defining salt content, fermenting temperature, and so on..

 

[food4thot]

Love sauerkraut. Made it using a recipe from the book Nourishing Traditions number of times that is excellent. The name makes you think it was first created in Germany...

Sauerkraut

 

[Smoking Piney]

Awesome! How you been?

 

[IamMadMan]

Love sauerkraut. The name makes you think it was first created in Germany...

Sauerkraut

The name is of Eastern European (German) origin, but the sour cabbage has Asian roots. The Europeans evolved it to what sauerkraut is today.

https://www.verygourmand.com/gb/blo... look back at a,dish actually comes from Asia!

 

[BackYardRob]

So very sorry, but I hate kraut. But I do appreciate the work that goes into making it, especially good kraut. Hats off to the ones that make it. Smells OK. tastes like sh*t! Only MHO. Cook on, folks!!

 

[sudsandswine]

IamMadMan - did you write a book at one point? 2001 all rights reserved kind of looks like a publication. I know I’ve learned lots from these posts over the years!

 

[locolobo]

I'm gonna try to remember this recipe is here, somewhere. Tried makin some this spring but after 6 weeks it had not done much fermenting so I dumped it. Got a few points that, according to the recipe, I may have done wrong. I will try to use this as a guide next spring. Thanks Mad Man!

 

[NickTheGreat]

I've made probably 10 or 12 batches of kraut in my life. I finally lost a batch a few years ago because I let it go too long.



I use big bags of water for my 'weights.'



I made a nice 'masher' out of some oak last year and haven't used it yet. I made it big, like a boat oar. I'm excited to try it out!

 

[Maylar]

If you use mason jars for your fermenting, there are glass weights made just for that purpose:

https://www.amazon.com/Fermentation-Pickling-Weights-Trademark-Innovations/dp/B08FCQ8DMR/ref=asc_df_B08FCQ8DMR/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=459498241671&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9833930350327799797&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1014863&hvtargid=pla-966520201907&psc=1

 

[LYU370]

A kraut making operation: https://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=219200

 

[IamMadMan]

IamMadMan - did you write a book at one point? 2001 all rights reserved kind of looks like a publication. I know I’ve learned lots from these posts over the years!

No, I didn't write a book, just internal publications used in culinary classes so the other teachers don't steal my work.


I had to add the watermark text because I occasionally found my work published on other websites without my consent and no source credit listed.


Now I publish the text a a graphic file, and then import it into a PDf file. All of this makes it a little more difficult to steal the work. Sadly some want to steal another persons work and publish as their own.

 

[NCGrimbo]

Thanks for the great info IamMadMan!

 

[Big George's BBQ]

Thank You. Love your tutorials

 

[PitRow]

It's been quite a while since I made sauerkraut, I should do it again. A grilled bratwurst piled high with 'kraut sounds pretty good right now. Your write-up is great and I love that you go into the history of it and such. Thanks!