Pork and Sauerkraut

Opening morning of deer season, and Wren was up before me. I found her in the kitchen at four-thirty in the dark, already dressed, eating a bowl of leftover soup with the focused calm of someone who has made a decision and is living inside it. She's eleven years old and she was ready before I was. I did not point this out but I noted it.

We walked out to the stand in the cold before dawn, Wren close behind me, neither of us talking. The woods were just beginning to separate themselves from the dark when we settled in. I had told her we might not see anything opening morning — deer are unpredictable, the best preparation doesn't guarantee results, patience is the whole skill — and she had nodded in a way that meant she understood and also was not worried. She sat absolutely still for two hours.

A buck came in at seven-fifteen, small and young, moving along the edge of the creek. I watched Wren watch it. She was steady. When it paused at thirty yards I asked her quietly if she wanted the shot and she said no, not that one, and I respected that immediately. She said afterward that she'd wanted to wait for something she was sure about, and that she wasn't sure about that one. That's the right instinct. That's what takes years to develop and she arrived with it already.

We saw two more deer that morning, a doe that came too close too fast and was gone before she could settle, and another buck at distance that didn't offer a shot. We came home empty-handed at noon and ate venison from last year's freeze with beans and dried chiles and Wren declared it excellent and said she'd be back for the full week next year. I said she was welcome every year for as long as she wanted to come.

We didn’t come home with anything, but we came home satisfied in a way that’s hard to explain to someone who hasn’t sat still in cold woods for hours and watched a kid make a wise decision. What we needed was something that had been cooking low and slow while we were out — something that asked nothing of us when we walked through the door. Pork and sauerkraut is exactly that: a meal that rewards patience, which felt right given the morning we’d had. Wren had two bowls and said it tasted like winning anyway.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 3 hours | Total Time: 3 hours 15 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

3 lbs bone-in pork shoulder or pork loin ribs
2 lbs sauerkraut, drained (reserve 1/4 cup liquid)
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons olive oil or lard
2 bay leaves

Instructions

Season and sear. Pat pork dry and season all over with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high heat. Sear pork on all sides until deep golden brown, about 3–4 minutes per side. Remove and set aside.
Soften the aromatics. Reduce heat to medium. Add onion to the same pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and caraway seeds and cook 1 minute more.
Build the braise. Stir in sauerkraut and its reserved liquid, chicken broth, and brown sugar. Nestle the seared pork back into the pot, pressing it down into the sauerkraut. Tuck in bay leaves.
Braise low and slow. Bring to a gentle simmer, then cover tightly and reduce heat to low. Cook for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until pork is tender and pulls apart easily with a fork. Check occasionally and add a splash of broth if the pot looks dry.
Rest and serve. Remove bay leaves. Transfer pork to a cutting board, let rest 5 minutes, then slice or pull apart into chunks. Serve pork over or alongside the sauerkraut, spooning pan juices over the top. Good with rye bread, boiled potatoes, or on its own.

Nutrition (per serving)

Pork and Sauerkraut — What We Ate When We Came Home Empty-Handed