Sauerkraut

This is close to the way I do it, but he does not use a weight for the cabbage to keep it submerged, I do. This is a DIY recipe, you may need to try several times to get it right, but once you know how to make it, it becomes easier to quickly put a batch together.

Ingredients

Weigh 1 chopped head of red or green cabbage
Salt should be 2% of the weight of the cabbage
A flip-top glass jar with attached lid (see photo below)
Plus a smaller jar that fits within the larger jar

Nutrition

1C = 27c, 6k, 1.3p, 4.1f and 939 mg sodium
Nutrition from FatSecret

Directions

First, I do not wash the cabbage, I just remove the older outer layers (and save them), cut the head into fourths and remove the core; I save that core for another dish. Slice the cabbage as thin or thick as you like, I prefer thin. Measure the amount of cabbage, and place in a large glass bowl (do not use metal or plastic for this).

2) Measure out salt at 2% of the cabbage weight. Sprinkle the salt on the cabbage in the bowl and massage. The salt should be well mixed into the leaves. Take your time doing this, 5-10-15 minutes are not unusual. The leaves will get just a bit wilty and release water.

3) Place the cabbage into a large clean jar, pressing down with each handful you add so there are no air pockets. Fill the jar up with your cabbage, for as you press down and it leaches the water it will reduce in volume.

4) Pour the released cabbage juice remaining in the bowl into the jar and make sure all the cabbage is submerged. If not enough water has been released, keep massaging the cabbage and then compacting it. Once the water is released and it has submerged the cabbage, place one of the discarded outer leaves on top to act as a barrier. Place a baggie filled with a 2% brine (so if it leaks it will not alter the cabbage environment) on top to function as a weight. Remove the rubber sealer from the flip top and just close the jar and clamp it shut. (We want the fermenting to breathe so do not use a jar with an airtight seal.)

The type of container I use, a bigger one though, and without the rubber ring.

5) Store at room temp in a dark place for at least two weeks. Check daily to make sure everything is submerged, it has not changed color (pink or brown is bad), and sniff (moldy smell is bad too). When it is fermented enough to your taste, put in the fridge to enjoy. I ferment it 4-6 weeks.

Comments

A good kraut process is about the salinity, storage temperature, and amount of time fermenting. The salt pulls additional water from the cabbage and makes the brine. The brine is what the good bacteria lives in, and their by-product causes the fermentation. The right amount is a 2% salt solution. If your kraut looks a bit dry you can make a brine = 1-1/2T salt per quart of water and add it.

Do not throw out your sauerkraut juice. You can use it in other recipes like Ketchup, or drink it by itself for its fermented probiotic properties. You can make a salad dressing out of it, add it to dips, or use it as a marinade. Or make more kraut or other veggie pickles.

I am not an expert kraut maker so please experiment and let me know any tips or tricks you know of that I have not included.