# Sauerkraut



## CeeCee

I grew some cabbage in my garden and tried using it to make my first batch of sauerkraut. Unfortunately, I think I messed up somewhere along the way.

I have seen no bubbles. I don't think my cabbage made near enough liquid and now it may have completely rotted. Does anyone have any suggestions, ideas or helpful comments?

Thanks!


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## teachv

The number one, absolute most important thing when making sauerkraut is that it MUST be completely submerged at all times. Number 2 is check often, and scrape off any foam or mold, and 3 is don't use salt with iodine -- it will make the product turn brown and soft (although it's still fine to eat.) Don't get discouraged, just thoroughly wash your crock and try again. Really smash down the cabbage as you pack it in, to bruise and break the leaves and encourage juice. But if it's not covered in it's own juice within 6 hours, add salted water (approx 1/2 teaspoon per cup) until it it is submerged. It MUST be submerged! Good luck!


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## ceilinghobo

Do you know how to make the hotdogs to go with it?


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## tortminder

*How to make frankfurters*



ceilinghobo said:


> Do you know how to make the hotdogs to go with it?


*How to make Frankfurthers, Hot Dogs and other sausages

Emulsified Products

30 pounds bull meat
25 pounds 50/50 beef trim
20 pounds 60/40 pork trim
10 quarts water
5 pounds flavorings*

*5 pounds of flavorings consists of:

Ounces Pounds % 
---------------------------------------------------- 
salt 40 2.5 50 
corn syrup solids 16 1.0 20 
mustard 11.2 .70 14 
cure 3.2 .20 4 
ground black pepper 3.2 .20 4 
coriander 2.2 .14 2.75 
nutmeg 2.2 .14 2.75 
dehydrated onion and garlic 1.4 .09 1.75

----------------------------------------------------

From the above formulation, different products can be made. These differ in texture and taste.

* wieners -- stuff in sheep casing; smoke and cook to 155 F internal temperature.
* dinner franks -- stuff in hog casings; smoke and cook to 155 F internal temperature.
* ring bologna -- stuff in beef casing; form into a ring; smoke and cook to 155 F internal temperature.
* bologna -- stuff in 6-inch diameter fibrous casings; smoke and cook to 155 F internal temperature.
* Leona -- add 20 pounds cooked, diced and skinned hog jowls plus 1/3 cup garlic powder to the emulsion; stuff into 2-inch diameter fibrous casings; smoke and cook to 155 F internal temperature.
* pickle and pimento loaf -- add 5 pounds sweet pickles and 5 pounds pimentos. Stuff into parchment-lined metal molds or waterproof fibrous casing. Can be water-cooked or baked to internal temperature 155 F.
* macaroni and cheese loaf -- add 5 pounds cheese and 5 pounds cooked macaroni. Proceed as with pickle and pimento loaf.

NOTE: Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) intensifies and enhances flavor but does not contribute a flavor of its own. It is the sodium salt of glutamic acid, an amino acid. One to two percent of the population may be sensitive to MSG and have mild to transitory reactions in some circumstances when they consume significant amounts, such as would be found in heavily enhanced foods. FDA believes that MSG is a safe food ingredient for the general population.

*


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## TechAdmin

How long will canned sauerkraut stay good for?


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## teachv

Dean said:


> How long will canned sauerkraut stay good for?


I've eaten suaerkraut that was 3 years old (still in the crock). I can't say that I cared for the taste of it, but the person making it was quite fond of it, and it certainly didn't hurt us. I also know that Miso (which is basically "bean suaerkraut - if that makes any sense) ferments for a least a year, and as long as 6 years.


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## backlash

We made 100 pounds of of cabbage into sauerkraut a few years ago.
Use pickling salt and like teacv said. keep it below the water line.
I have a board that my Grandparents and my Mom used for years.
It goes into the big crock like this.
cabbage mixed with pickling salt be sure to put the cabbage hearts in
Cheese cloth
board
jars of water to mash everything down.
cloth covering everything.
Taste it to see if it has enough salt for you.
Add more if you think it needs it
remove the foam that forms
Stir ever day 
After eating home made I don't eat store bought.
Mom liked to fry it in bacon grease.
Everything is better fried in bacon grease. 
AC


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## sheDaisy

Bean sauerkraut?


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## jebrown

One can only imagine the gas one would get and how toxic it would be from bean sauerkraut


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## mitchshrader

use a mandolin to shred the kraut.. it's a board with a knife blade embedded @ a 45 degree angle, over a slot for the sliced bits to fall through. 

use .6% salt, 10 oz per 100 lbs kraut. use sea salt, it's affordable. you can add more salt at the end of fermenting if you intend to store it longer than usual. 

you'll need a tightfitting lid made of wood that goes IN the crock, holding the kraut below the water line. usually there's a large rock on that lid, for a weight.. 

the lid needs to be scrubbed, bleached, and re-scrubbed, and then rubbed downwith salt, to avoid contaminating the crock with bad bacteria. 

clean matters. wash hands, don't nick a finger, be sure it stays CLEAN.. (this applies to all home food storage & production unless you know better and you don't) 

use a ceramic glazed crock without cracks or visible inside breaks in the glaze.. and CLEAN TIGHT FITTING wooden lid.. kraut & salt & distilled water as needed (use distilled, it's not going to break the bank & it's safest) 

no other ingredients. cellar temps, it's not a room temp thang.. (50-55F max) and it ought to take six weeks to be ready and stay good 2-3 months in the crock. 

i did this. homemade kraut is too good to believe, good for ulcers and tender stomachs, a very healthy food. 

the cabbage you use matters, get BIG heads cause they're grown on fertile (nutritious) soil.. get hard cabbage cause it's lower in moisture (more flavor) and use sea salt or pink mineral salt (cause it tastes better & is more nutritious both) .. no soap on anything. no aluminium. NONE, don't even touch the cabbage with a soapy hand.. 

otherwise it's a no brainer. real easy work.


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## Magus

Here's a recipe we use.

25 volley ball sized heads of cabbage
3 cups of canning salt

1. cut cabbage with gabbage cutter, put about 1&1/2 inches in a 10 gallon crook sprinkle lightly with salt and stomp with a cabbage stomper until juciy with brine. continue this process until the ten gallon crook is full except for about 2 inches. cover with about 1 inch of cabbage leaves, put a stone on top to hold down leaves. I stomp my kraut the first week of oct and let set until new years day then put into jars and colepack it for 2 hrs.

Simple Sauerkraut
2 large heads of cabbage (about 5 pounds)
2 to 3 tbsp noniodized salt

Grate 1 cabbage and place in a crock or plastic bucket. Sprinkle half the salt over the cabbage. Grate the second cabbage, then add it to the crock along with the rest of the salt. Crush the mixture with your hands until liquid comes out of the cabbage freely. Place a plate on top of the cabbage, then a weight on top of the plate. Cover the container and check after 2 days. Scoop the scum off the top, repack and check every 3 days. After 2 weeks, sample the kraut to see if it tastes ready to eat. The flavor will continue to mature for the next several weeks. Canning or refrigerating the sauerkraut will extend its shelf life. Yields about 2 quarts.


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