Beef Polish Sausage with Baked Kraut

I have loved sauerkraut since I was five years old. It must be the German in me. My fathers side is German and boy were they hearty eaters. I remember ordering kraut dogs when I was so young and when I was older looking back it seemed an unusual liking for a kid when most go for the ketchup. Since reading Ray Peat’s work I had avoided the brassica family which includes cabbage aka sauerkraut, Brussel sprouts and cauliflower. Ray Peat had more reasons to endorse broccoli even though it is from the same family as well as long as it is well cooked, but I think this baked kraut of mine has a reason to eat it now too. Not only do I cook the raw kraut for an hour and a half, but I cook it with healthy and healing things.

I gave up making this because I avoid pork and the original recipe called for bacon and that smokiness is a must, but I have been seeing beef bacon more and more so when I came across beef brisket bacon I was excited to make this kraut again. I searched everywhere for that original recipe and couldn’t find it and I am glad I didn’t because this simpler version of mine turned out better. First I cut up my 8-ounce pack of beef bacon and sautéed it in a pan adding to it a generous cup of chopped sweet onion. You could add more of less of either because I remember the original recipe had only three strips of bacon. Cook this until everything just starts to brown. Add in one cup each bone broth, I used my homemade chicken one, one cup of apple juice and a heaping cup or more of drained sauerkraut. I squeeze as much of the juice out of the kraut. I think I remember the original recipe have carrots and juniper berries and caraway seeds, but like I said I liked my simple and real quick one better. Stir the five ingredients together and bake it in a preheated 350-degree oven with a lid on for 90-minutes. I checked it a couple of times during that time to make sure it wasn’t drying up, and then gave it a stir and put it back in the oven. If it did dry out I would have just added more bone broth or apple juice.

When the ninety minutes is up remove the pot from the oven and snuggle in the brats, sausages or hot dogs whatever you want to use. I have made it with all of them. Put the lid back on and bake everything for 15-minutes more. These really plump up quick. I garnished mine with a little grass-fed milk made cream cheese which was wonderful, but certainly not necessary.

I brought some of this over to my neighbor and she said, “It was delicious! That sauerkraut was the best I’ve ever had. Do you have a recipe?” I am going to put this on my regular rotation especially for when I have guests. It is just so quick, easy and delicious and the leftovers are just as good!

“Besides fasting, or chronic protein deficiency, the common causes of hypothyroidism are excessive stress or “aerobic” (i.e. anaerobic) exercise, and diets containing beans, lentils, nuts, unsaturated fats (including carotene), and undercooked broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and mustard greens. Many health conscious people become hypothyroid with a synergistic program of undercooked vegetables, legumes instead of animal proteins, oils instead of butter, carotene instead of vitamin A, and breathless exercise instead of stimulating life.” —Ray Peat