Brined Pork and Sauerkraut recipe

All Recipes Meat and Poultry Recipes Pork

Ingredients

2 cups water
2 cups apple juice
¾ cup cider vinegar
3 tablespoons dark molasses
½ cup kosher salt
1 tablespoon pickling spice
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
4 cups ice, divided - or as needed
1 (4 pound) pork loin roast
2 (27 ounce) cans sauerkraut, drained
½ onion, sliced
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon ground coriander
4 carrots, diced
2 apples, cored and sliced
1 cup dried cranberries
¾ cup chopped walnuts

Nutrition Info

543 calories
carbohydrate: 50 g
cholesterol: 106.2 mg
fat: 20 g
fiber: 8.9 g
protein: 42.5 g
saturatedFat: 5.3 g
servingSize: -
sodium: 7056.2 mg
sugar: 34.7 g
transFat: : -
unsaturatedFat: : -

Directions

  1. Pour water, apple juice, cider vinegar, molasses, kosher salt, pickling spice, and black peppercorns in a saucepan, bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve salt and molasses. Simmer to blend flavors, about 5 minutes. Pour 2 cups ice into brine and stir to melt ice and cool brine.

  2. Place pork loin into a large container and pack 2 more cups ice, or as needed, around the meat. Pour brine over ice and pork, cover, and refrigerate at least 4 hours to overnight.

  3. Remove pork roast from brine and place into a slow cooker, pour 2 cups brine over the meat. Discard remaining brine. Spread sauerkraut, onion slices, brown sugar, fennel seeds, and coriander over pork roast. Set cooker on Low and cook for 3 hours. Add carrots to slow cooker and cook 1 more hour, add apples, cranberries, and walnuts and cook until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the roast reads 160 degrees F (70 degrees C), about 1 hour more.

Recipe Yield

8 servings

Recipe Note

A Pennsylvania New Year's Day tradition with a bit more flavor!

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