Smoked Sausage and Sauerkraut

The German and Central European immigrants who settled the Pennsylvania and Virginia mountains brought fermented cabbage with them, and it became part of Appalachian food culture. Smoked sausage slow-cooked with homemade or store-bought sauerkraut — a combination that improved sitting in a jar for lunch. The acidity of the kraut preserved everything.

Ingredients

• 1 lb smoked sausage or kielbasa, sliced into rounds
• 1 lb sauerkraut (canned, jarred, or homemade — drained but liquid reserved)
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 tbsp bacon grease or lard
• 1 tsp caraway seeds
• ½ cup water or beer
• Black pepper to taste
• Mustard and bread for serving

Directions

1. Heat bacon grease in a heavy skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat.
2. Cook onion until softened and lightly golden, about 7 minutes.
3. Add sausage slices. Brown lightly, 2–3 minutes per side.
4. Add drained sauerkraut, caraway seeds, and water (or beer).
5. Stir everything together. Cover and cook over low heat for 30–40 minutes. The sausage absorbs the kraut’s tang, and the kraut absorbs the sausage’s smokiness.
6. For lunch pail: pack hot in a wide-mouth mason jar. It tastes even better cold.
7. Serve with mustard and thick bread for soaking up juices.

Notes

The sauerkraut acts as a natural preservative, keeping this lunch safe at room temperature for hours. German-Appalachian communities in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Virginia made sauerkraut every fall from garden cabbages in large stone crocks. The caraway seeds are authentically German-Appalachian.