Choucroute Garnie

[Draggingtree]

North Country Smokehouse

 

Sausage

Choucroute Garnie
Recipe by Jacques Pépin, Food & Wine

Families in Alsace generally eat choucroute garnie during the wintertime, because it's such a hearty, filling dish. I've adapted the recipe to make it quicker and easier—calling for store-bought sauerkraut instead of the homemade kind, for instance, and suggesting peanut oil as a substitute for duck or goose fat, which may be less accessible. I always serve two or three types of mustard with the choucroute—a hot Dijon, a grainy Pommery and often a tarragon-flavored mustard as well.

Ingredients List

1/3 cup kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
3 pounds pork back ribs or baby back ribs, cut into 3 sections
6 pounds sauerkraut (in plastic bags), drained
1/4 cup duck or goose fat or peanut oil
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
4 large garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
20 juniper berries
3 large bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cups Riesling or Pinot Gris
2 pounds Polish kielbasa, skinned and cut into 2-inch pieces
10 skinless hot dogs
One 2-pound piece of boneless boiled ham (3 to 4 inches wide), sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 pounds medium potatoes (about 10), peeled
Assorted mustards, for serving

Directions

1. In a large, sturdy, resealable plastic bag, combine the 1/3 cup of kosher salt with the sugar. Add the pork ribs; shake well to thoroughly coat the ribs with the seasonings. Seal the bag and refrigerate the ribs overnight or for up to 24 hours.
2. The next day, preheat the oven to 300°. Rinse the sauerkraut in cold water and squeeze dry. Set a large roasting pan over 2 burners on high heat and melt the duck fat. Add the onion and garlic and cook over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened, about 7 minutes. Stir in the sauerkraut, juniper berries, bay leaves, caraway seeds, black pepper, stock and wine and bring to a rolling boil over high heat.
3. Meanwhile, rinse the pork ribs under cold water and pat dry. Nestle the pork ribs in the sauerkraut and bring back to a boil over moderately high heat.

http://ncsmokehouse.com/recipes