Pork Roast and Sauerkraut

My family which is mostly German-Irish ate the same meal for New Year's every year of my life. It consisted of pork roast, sauerkraut, kielbasa and mashed potatoes. We ate the pork (pork roast and kielbasa) because pigs are a symbol of progress. Pigs push forward, rooting themselves in the ground before moving, and we need to move into the New Year in the same way. We eat sauerkraut, as it's believed it will bring blessings and wealth for the new year. It also reminds us that with the good comes the bitter as well. We eat potatoes to remind us that even as poor men we still had potatoes to eat.

• Preparation Time: 15 mins
• Cooking Time: 6 hr
• Total Time: 6 hr 15 mins
• Calories: 406 Calories

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 cup minced onion
• ½ cup chicken stock
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
• 2 pounds boneless pork loin roast
• 1 tablespoon bacon drippings
• 1 large red apple, diced
• 2 pounds sauerkraut, drained and rinsed
• 1 pound kielbasa sausage, cut into 3-inch pieces

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Heat bacon drippings in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook and stir onion in hot drippings until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir diced apple and caraway seeds with the onion and cook until apple is just tender, about 3 minutes more. Add sauerkraut and stir.

Step 2

Stir white wine, chicken stock, and brown sugar together in a bowl; pour over the sauerkraut mixture.

Step 3

Put pork roast into the bottom of the crock of your slow cooker. Pour sauerkraut mixture over the pork.

Step 4

Cook on Low until the pork easily falls apart when pulled with a fork, 6 to 8 hours; add kielbasa sausage pieces and continue to cook until the sausage is heated through, 15 to 20 minutes more.