Its time again for our anual sauerkraut party

[danno]

Plans are to chop about 500 lbs of cabbage this year.   We will also be stuffing 25 lbs of fresh kielbasa and as always the beer will flow.   After the work (if you want to call it that) is done we will be firing up the grill to eat polish and a few quarts of last years kraut

[tefer2]

It makes me hungry just thinking about it. Kraut, sausage and beer, what could be better? Good food, drink, and friends. :cheer:

[Vance G]

It just occurred to me recently that 7.9 gallon brew buckets from a wine making supply and an air lock would be an easy way to ferment sauerkraut.  What is your method please?

[danno]

we use any food grade buckets and a water bladder to hold it down.   We chop it into meat lugs that hold about 10 lbs.   We weight it on a old porcelain meat counter scale that I picked up on ebay for 25.00
The women measure and mix in the salt and pack buckets with a giant wooden pototoe smasher leaving about 3 inches of head space.  We then put about 1/2 gallon of water in  double bagged scent free kitchen waste basket bag and tie shut.   This becomes the bladder.  It creats a perfect seal but allows the fermenting cabbage to burp. 

[tefer2]

Dan, you folks add caraway seeds to your kraut?

[danno]

We have never  added  carawayl but might make a bucket with it this year.   I would also like to try juniper berries to a batch.   It only costs about 7.00 for a five gallon bucket so a batch that we dont like just gets fed to the hogs

[danno]

tefer asked for the recipe.   Very simple! Cabbage and salt.   3Tb of kosher salt to 5 pounds of cabbage.    About 20 lbs will fit in a bucket.

[danno]

It just occurred to me recently that 7.9 gallon brew buckets from a wine making supply and an air lock would be an easy way to ferment sauerkraut.  What is your method please?

The bucket would be fine but not the airlock.   You want some weight on the cabbage. 

[buzzbee]

The sauerkraut party sounds like a real gas!! :shock:

[danno]

alot of fartin and fluffin goes on

[tefer2]

alot of fartin and fluffin goes on

:lau:

[gdog]

Danno you said 3Tb, what does that mean?

[danno]

Danno you said 3Tb, what does that mean?

I ment 3 tablespoons   I thought Tb was the abrev. for it   

[tefer2]

tbs

[riverrat]

I have always wanted to make saurkraut. My grandmother made it and it was good stuff. I have several old crocks I collect western stoneware crocks. I tried to make Kraut in one years ago and it was a disaster. Any recipes or suggestions

[Robo]

I have always wanted to make saurkraut. My grandmother made it and it was good stuff. I have several old crocks I collect western stoneware crocks. I tried to make Kraut in one years ago and it was a disaster. Any recipes or suggestions

I'm no expert,   but here is the recipe I use and it works great for me.    If you are not a fan of caraway, you will want to reduce the amount called for.

http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-easy-homemade-sauerkraut-in-a-mason-jar-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-193124

[danno]

caraway only adds another layer of flavor and isn't needed to ferment cabbage.  We dont use it in our buckets but many like it.   Juniper berries is another one that some add for flavor.    The salt draws the moisture out of the cabbage to make a brine and brettanomyces that is a wild yeast/bacteria and lives in fruits and vegi's  grows and ferments the cabbage.   Brett is the stuff used in sour beers like lambics and berliner weisse.  My next brewing project is going to be a berliner and instead of spending 8.00 on a test tube on brett I am going to give my beer a dose of kraut in the secondary

[BlueBee]

Juniper Berries?  I'm not sure I like Juniper berries.  :idunno:

[danno]

Juniper Berries?  I'm not sure I like Juniper berries.  :idunno:

This is the kind of words of wisdom that got Blueboy up to 3700 posts in 2 short years.   Stay away from my threads you tool