How to Make Sauerkraut
- Aug 13, 2024
- 5 min read
I grew up eating sauerkraut and to this day, I absolutely love the taste of cold, crunchy sauerkraut on top of a hotdog or paired with mashed potatoes. Maybe it’s hereditary, but from childhood to now, a good kraut has always been a valuable commodity in my kitchen.
When I started learning about the benefits of Fermented Foods, and how simple it is to nurture our gut microbiome, I decided I really needed to learn how to make sauerkraut. It has to be one of the easiest things you can make in your own kitchen, and your body (and your tastebuds) will thank you for it.
Sauerkraut making is a simple process. There are only 2 ingredients needed, and those are cabbage and salt. I personally prefer using Himalayan Pink Salt, but you can use whatever salt you choose. The ratio is very basic, use approximately 3T of salt for every 5 pounds of cabbage. So just some simple math to get you started and you’ll have delicious, crunchy, fermented cabbage in just a few days.
So how do we make sauerkraut at home? Here are the easy to follow steps:
1. First, get the cabbage. If you have a garden, this is a wonderful reason to plant different varieties of cabbage. Each time I make a batch of sauerkraut, I typically use 3 or 4 heads of cabbage, weighing somewhere in the vicinity of 12 pounds.
2. Next you want to peel off 1 or 2 of the outer leaves and set those aside. Sometimes we need to stuff them into the top of the fermentation jar to keep the shredded cabbage below the liquid line, but we will discuss that more later.
3. Cut off the cabbage bottom, and then cut out the core. I like to cut my cabbage heads into quarters and then just cut the cores out that way. (see photo example)
4. Now I’m a chopper, in fact its very therapeutic for me to chop vegetables...so I prefer to do all my chopping by hand. However, you can use a mandolin or even a grater to cut your cabbage down to size. I try to make long slivers of shred, because I like eating that size and texture the most...but you can play with this step & customize it for yourself!
5. Once chopped, place the shredded cabbage into a large non-metal bowl. Next, add your salt (remember it’s 3T salt per 5lbs of cabbage)...just sprinkle it over the top, and then spend a minute or two gently turning it into the cabbage. I like to use my hands so I can kinda massage the salt into the vegetables...but you can use a wooden spoon if you prefer.
6. Now you give it a rest. After about 10 minutes, you’ll notice that the volume of the cabbage has already dropped down about an inch in the bowl. This happens because salt will naturally pull moisture out of the cabbage.
7. With a wooden implement of some sort, you'll start pounding down the cabbage. (I have an antique sauerkraut pounder), but you can use a heavy rolling pin, a clean ax handle, or you can even buy an official Sauerkraut Pounder – here’s a link to one on amazon:
Now back to the directions...you start mashing/pounding down the cabbage. This typically takes about 10 minutes and is going to reduce the volume of the shredded cabbage by about half, while creating a nice amount of liquid in the bottom of the bowl. This liquid is important, so don’t toss it out!
8. Once the cabbage has been reduced, it’s time to pack it into a fermenting jar. Lots of people will use mason jars, or sauerkraut crocks. I personally like the glass fermenting jars I got from China, but you can use any non-metallic container, as long as you can completely submerge the vegetables under the brine and create a seal on top.
9. When you put the cabbage into the jar, you pack it in there tight. You will want to get your hand in there and you are literally condensing it and packing it as tightly together as possible. It sounds funny when I type that, but it's true. After you get it packed down, you’ll pour the reserved liquid over the top and hope it covers the cabbage. You can create a little side brine if your cabbage didn’t make enough liquid, by simply dissolving 2tsp of salt in a cup of water and pouring over the cabbage. As long as the shreds of cabbage are submerged, you will get a good ferment and not risk mold.
10. A word on mold – mold can happen while fermenting if the vegetable in the jar has too much air exposure. You must keep the vegetables submerged. This is where those extra large leaves can come in handy. If you need to press down your shreds, you can put the leaves on top and then add fermenting weights to keep it under liquid.
11. As the vegetables ferment, they will give off gasses as the lactobacillic bacteria forms, so you may hear your jar rattling sometimes. I like to put a large baking dish underneath any containers I have fermenting, in case they bubble out liquids during the fermentation process.
12. After 2-3 days, give your new sauerkraut a little taste test. If it still tastes like plain cabbage, close it back up and give it another day or two. As soon as it has that yummy sauerkraut tangy taste, it’s finished fermenting. Depending on the time of year and the temperature in your house, it may take a couple days or even a week to ferment fully. Also, the larger your batch, the longer it will take.
13. When the much anticipated day is finally here, you can transfer the sauerkraut into whatever container(s) you’d like to store it in and put it into the refrigerator. Fermented foods last a long time, and refrigeration almost stops the process from continuing...so you can rest assured that when your sauerkraut tastes right, it’s going to stay at that taste once refrigerated.
14. Now all you have to do is enjoy your homemade sauerkraut and share it with your family and friends! Not only is it a delicious component to add to so many meals, but the benefits to your gut health are immeasurable. Let me know if you give it a try!
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