Homemade Sauerkraut
How to make Homemade Sauerkraut in a Crockpot
All you need to prepare Homemade Sauerkraut is white cabbage, salt, and a crockpot. It is essential to use clean gadgets and a fermenting pot cleaned with hot water.
Ingredients for 1 kg (2.2 lb) of shredded cabbage:
3 teaspoons (15-20 g) of sea salt OR Canning&Pickling salt
Preparation of the Sauerkraut
Cut out the bad spots of the cabbage, wash it and let it dry. Separate 5-6 of large leaves from the outside and place them aside to use them later as a cover. Cut the cabbage into quarters and remove the core before shredding with a mandolin slicer or cutting it with a sharp knife into small strips. Grind the sea salt in a coffee grinder.
Filling the cabbage in the crockpot
Mix the cabbage and salt thoroughly and let it sit for 20 – 30 minutes to release some moisture to build up the brine. Press the cabbage mixture with the liquids in layers firm into the pot, using a sauerkraut pounder or your hands. The brine should be above each layer of cabbage before adding the next layer. The Sauerkraut should fill about ¾ of the crockpot.
Cover the Sauerkraut with the leaves and place the weighting stones on top. Press the stones down so that the liquid is above them and cover the pot with the lid. Fill the gully with water and leave the crockpot for 3 days at a room temperature in the kitchen . Move the Sauerkraut to a colder place with a constant temperature and leave it there for 4-6 weeks.
Check once a week on the Sauerkraut to make sure it is submerged in the brine. If necessary, add some salt water. Mix 250 ml of filtered or bottled water with 1 teaspoon of salt, bring it to a boil, let it completely cool down and add to the kraut.