Best Choucroute Recipe

By Rex Marketing & CX Team

Before-and-after choucroute: left, raw meats and cabbage in a pan; right, the roasted finished dish

American Vinegar Works Choucroute

Comforting and fortifying, this is a weekend dish for the late fall or winter. Inspired by the original, traditional dish from Alsace, France, our version has a bit more tang and is wonderfully satisfying. This is an easy and fast meal to prepare but does take a little over 3 hours of passive oven time in addition to the brief prep time.

This recipe features our Maple Cider Vinegar.

Which vinegar to use, and why

A lager-based malt vinegar belongs with sauerkraut and pork. It is toasty rather than sharp, so it seasons without fighting the ferment. We use Octoberfest Beer Malt Vinegar here. It is slow-fermented and aged in oak at our mill in Worcester, Massachusetts, which is why it seasons the dish rather than just souring it.

Make it ahead and keep it

Best straight from the pan. If you are reheating, add the vinegar again at the end rather than at the start, since heat drives off what you paid for.

What to cook next

Try Rolled Cabbage with Hot Dogs & Tomatoes, or browse all our vinegar recipes. If you have not cooked with craft vinegar before, a mini bottle sampler set lets you taste across the range before committing to a full-size bottle. Orders over $85 ship free within the contiguous US.

Related products

Front view of 250ml bottle of Maple Cider Vinegar with barrel-aged label on white background.

Maple Cider Vinegar

Prices: From $13.00

- go to product maple cider vinegar
Octoberfest Vinegar 8.5oz glass bottle on white background — artisanal malt vinegar

Octoberfest Beer Malt Vinegar

Prices: $13.00

- go to product octoberfest beer malt vinegar

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Choucroute

American Vinegar Works

Servings

4–6 People

Prep Time

20 minutes

Cook Time

2 hours 30 minutes

Cuisine

French (Alsatian-Inspired)

Category

Main

Inspired by the traditional Choucroute Garnie of Alsace, France, this version is a fortifying weekend feast perfect for late fall or winter. It layers fresh cabbage and tangy sauerkraut with a variety of German sausages and succulent pork shoulder, all slow-roasted in a bath of chicken stock and Maple Cider Vinegar. While it requires several hours of passive oven time, the preparation is remarkably easy, resulting in a deeply satisfying, one-pan meal.

Choucroute

Ingredients

  • 1 head of green cabbage
  • 2 sweet onions
  • ~ 1 quart of sauerkraut
  • 1 lb pork butt or pork shoulder
  • 1 lb smoked or mixed German sausages (kielbasa works well if you cannot find frankfurters, bratwurst or weisswurst)
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 tablespoon of caraway seeds
  • ½ tablespoon of fennel
  • 1 bottle (250ml) of Maple Cider Vinegar (19.53 as alternative)
  • 1 quart chicken stock
  • Salt and pepper 

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

  2. Core, half, and then cut cabbage into thin ribbons.  Spread cabbage in a large oven roasting pan.  Drain and squeeze sauerkraut to remove excess liquid.  Spread sauerkraut over the cabbage. Quarter the sweet onions and spread the quarters over the cabbage mix. Space out and nestle the bay leaf into the cabbage.  Sprinkle carraway and fennel seeds over the cabbage. Cut the pork butt into four pieces. Cut the sausages in half.  Place the meat over the cabbage bed and between the onions.  Salt and generously pepper the pork butt and cabbage.  Pour in the chicken stock and Maple Cider Vinegar.

  3. Tightly foil the roasting pan and place it in the oven.  Cook for 2 hours or until the pork butt is fork tender.  Remove the foil, turn the oven up to 450 degrees, and cook for an additional 30 minutes allowing the dish to color a bit and some of the excess liquid to evaporate. 

  4. Serve hot with mustard (it is fun to give folks several varieties to choose from) and crusty, warm bread. Accompany it with a nice Resiling, Vouvray, or a well-made and not too sweet hard apple cider. 
Glass mug of hot apple cider with cinnamon stick and star anise on a yellow and red background
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