Slow Cooker Pork and Sauerkraut

Ah, New Year’s Day.

My second favorite day of the year, after Christmas. I love to sleep in (until 7:30!), stay in my pajamas (and new giant panda slippers) all day, eat leftover party food, and watch the Mummers Parade on television.

 

This afternoon we took a break from the Mummers and watched It’s a Wonderful Life, since I didn’t get to watch it before Christmas. We had hot chocolate (mine with a shot of Bailey’s… in honor of the Building & Loan, of course) and shared the experience of a classic holiday film with the children. Is there a better movie than It’s a Wonderful Life? I think not.

Another tradition in my family is pork and sauerkraut for New Year’s Day dinner. According to PA Dutch tradition, this dish brings good luck & prosperity when eaten on January 1. I make mine in the slow cooker, which is super easy:

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, sliced

2 large cans sauerkraut, undrained

black pepper to taste

4-5 lb pork roast

1/4 cup brown sugar

Directions:

Layer the sliced onions in the bottom of the crock. Empty one can of  sauerkraut on top of the onion, and sprinkle on black pepper (I used about 1/4 tsp). Place the pork roast on top, and then pour the other can of  sauerkraut over the pork. Top with brown sugar. Cover and cook on low for about 8 hours.

I usually add caraway seed, but I didn’t have any this time, and I was too cheap to buy it didn’t think it needed it.  A lot of people add chopped apples to theirs, but personally, I don’t like fruit cooked with meat, so instead I served chunky applesauce on the side.

Kid size portions

What a treat! Non-all natural applesauce!

We also have mashed potatoes and rye bread (there’s the caraway!)

I really like this meal. I always do. Let’s see what the critics had to say:

“Sarah Crewe” says: It’s pretty good. I can see why it’s called ‘sauerkraut’ because it tastes sour.

“Batman” says: It’s too sour. I don’t really like it. But I like the meat.

“Curious George” says: I don’t think I should eat sauerkraut because my belly hurts. I think my belly hurts because that movie was so long.

“Elmo” spit out the sauerkraut and ate only applesauce.

“Don Vito Corleone” says: It’s great, I love it. Can I have seconds?

So my first post/meal wasn’t a huge success, but the way my family eats, it wasn’t a huge failure, either.

Happy New Year!