New Years 2015!! Can it really be? Where in the world did 2014 go? I, for one, am really excited about 2015. New opportunities, new places to visit, new people to meet and new food to discover. Sounds like a great year to me.
I grew up in a relatively conservative Pennsylvania Dutch family in beautiful Lancaster County PA. Food was a part of all of our celebrations and New Year’s was no exception. Eating pork and sauerkraut on New Years day goes back to my German / Swiss ancestors and it is said to bring good luck for the coming year. Being the inquisitive person that I am I wondered what in the world pork and/or sauerkraut had to do with luck. Thank you google, it would seem that pigs root forward hence looking forward into the new year. (Chickens scratch backwards!! who knew?) It may have escaped my for bearers that the luck for the new year did not extend to the pig…
All that to say, I love pork and sauerkraut and it is super easy to make. I called my brother Sam who makes the best of the best P&S! This is more of a process than a recipe so here goes.
a 3lb pork shoulder with bone in. (I used 3 of these)
Roast in the oven with no added salt or pepper for about 45 min at 400F
Remove from the oven and pour off any excess fat. My pork was from a local farm, Sweet Stem Farm, and it was incredibly lean so I didn’t need to pour any off.
Pour a cup of boiling water into the pan to deglaze all of the goodness that is browned in.
In a large kettle put the pork on the bottom. It will not be done, the time in the oven was to give it deeper flavor, and pour the sauerkraut in on top. Cover and bring to a boil, then turn back and allow it to simmer for an 2 hours. Turn off, allow to cool. Refrigerate overnight.
Return the pot to the stove and heat to a simmer. Simmer until the pork is tender and falls off the bone. (If you are using boneless pork test to see if it pulls apart)
You are good to go! Serve with the obligatory mashed potatoes.
Happy New Year!
* a word to sauerkraut. We are partial to Silver Floss. It has the correct balance of sour that works with the pork.
Swiss Woods Bed and Breakfast
Debbie Mosimann
The PA Dutch Broad