Good Luck New Year's Eve Pork and Sauerkraut Recipe

Start the New Year off with this delicious, easy-to-make New Year's Eve pork and sauerkraut recipe. The recipe makes a slightly sweet juicy pork roast with a hint of savory tang from the sauerkraut and caraway seasoning. You can make it in the oven, Instant Pot, or slow cooker, so you don't spend a lot of time in the kitchen on New years.

Pork and sauerkraut traditions

According to the German Food Guide, eating sauerkraut on New Year's Eve is a long-standing German tradition. It is believed in Germany that eating sauerkraut will bring blessings and long life. Before the meal, those seated at the table wish each other as much goodness and money as the number of shreds of cabbage in the pot of sauerkraut.

The Pennsylvania Dutch also felt pigs were a symbol of good luck and well-being. The reason for this has to do with how a pig finds it's food. A pig roots going forward, according to Linda Pelaccio, a culinary historian and host of “A Taste of the Past” podcast. “It’s good to always go forward into the next year—you don’t want to go backward,” she tells Reader’s Digest. “For instance, we would not eat lobster for luck in the new year because lobsters walk backward.” Similarly, we’d skip the chicken because they scratch the ground going backward. In addition, Pelaccio says that pork is considered good luck because it is so rich in fat, and the fat signifies prosperity. Because of this, many people believe that eating a meal with pork will bring luck in the coming new year. 

😊 Why make this recipe on New Year's Day

• It's easy to cook in your oven and fill your home with the wonderful smell of pork roast. 
• If you prefer, you could put it in the crockpot to cook overnight on New Year's Eve
• This recipe works great in your instant pot if you need dinner in a hurry.
• Eating pork and sauerkraut is said to bring you good fortune in the new year.

🛒 Grocery list

Boneless pork tenderloin: I prefer a boneless loin, but my grandmother used large pork sausage links when she made this recipe. You could also use pork chops, pork shoulder roast, pork hot dogs, or any other type of pork you enjoy. Just be sure to trim off any excess fat. You do not want greasy sauerkraut.

Apple: I like using a sweet, tangy apple to complement the sauerkraut. Granny Smith apples or other pie baking apples would be a good choice.

Sauerkraut: The best sauerkraut would be fresh, where the fermentation process was not stopped by high heat canning. I purchase my kraut in the grocery refrigerator section. You can get it with caraway seeds already in or not. Be sure you do not rinse. The juice adds flavor and keeps your pork tender.

Caraway seeds: These are optional, but they add a nice nutty, bittersweet sharpness with a hint of citrus, pepper, and mild licorice flavor. 

Black pepper: Use a large course ground setting on your pepper mill.

See the recipe card for a complete list and quantities.

🔪 Step by step instructions

1. Pat the pork roast with paper towels to get rid of excess moisture.

2. Sprinkle the roast with salt, pepper, and paprika, rubbing it all over the roast.

3. Heat a large skillet with olive oil over medium heat. Once the oil is heated, place your pork loin in the pan. Sautee, turn it to brown the outside of your pork loin evenly. This should take about 5 minutes to do it properly.

4. In a 4.5-quart Dutch oven, place the sauerkraut along with the sauerkraut juice on the bottom, spreading it evenly out. Sprinkle in the caraway seeds if your sauerkraut did not have them in it already. Add onions, apple pieces. Sprinkle this all with brown sugar. Place the seared pork roast on top. If your sauerkraut was not very juicy, add enough water to equal a cup of liquid to the roaster.

5. Place the lid on your dutch oven and put it into your 325 degrees preheated oven. Bake for 2 hours or until a meat thermometer reads 150 degrees internal temperature of your roast.

6 Be sure and check your pot every 30 minutes to ensure it is not drying out. If the liquid is gone and enough to have about a cup in the bottom of the dutch oven.

7. After your roast is done cooking, remove the roasting pan from the oven. Carefully place the roast on a large tray and cover it with foil. Allow resting for 15 minutes. This will slice the pieces evenly when you cut them. However, if you want your roast shredded, skip the resting time and pull it apart with two forks.

⭐ Hint: If your sauerkraut is very tangy, you could add an extra bit of brown sugar to the recipe. This will mellow the fermented kraut.

Instructions using a crock pot

Using a crockpot would make it easy to prepare this dish on New Year's Eve and then cook overnight, so your good luck pork and sauerkraut dish is ready New Year's Day.

• Follow steps 1 through 4, using a slow cooker instead of a Douch oven pot.
• Place the lid on your slow cooker and cook on low until the pork is tender. This should take about 8 to 10 hours. Check it every few hours to ensure there are juices in the bottom of the slow cooker. If it seems dry, add enough water to make a cup of juice.

Instructions for using an Instant Pot

Fixing this recipe in a pressure cooker is an excellent idea if you want very tender pork in a short amount of time.

1. Pat your boneless pork loin with paper towels to dry it. Sprinkle the roast with salt, pepper, and paprika, rubbing it all over the roast.
2. Place the olive oil in the cooking pot and turn to sautee using your instant pot. When the oil is hot, sear your pork roast on all sides, so it forms a brown crust.
3. Next, place the sauerkraut and the sauerkraut juice on the bottom of your Instant pot pan, spreading it evenly. Sprinkle in the caraway seeds if your sauerkraut did not have them in it already. Add onions and apple pieces. Sprinkle this all with brown sugar. Place the seared pork roast on top. If your sauerkraut is not very juicy, add enough water to equal a cup of liquid to the pressure cooker pot.
4. Cook on high pressure for 30 minutes.
5. Once cook time has elapsed, allow pressure to release naturally for about 20 minutes, then quick release before opening the lid.

🔀 Variations ideas

• Substitute the water for a cup of beer or white wine. Doing this will give your dish a more earthy, savory flavor.
• Substitute 1 cup of unsweetened apple sauce for a large apple.
• Substitute apple juice for the water for a sweeter dish.

What to serve with pork and sauerkraut

My grandmother always served our pork sausage and sauerkraut over mashed potatoes as a side dish. However, you could also pour it over hot, buttered noodles with a side of applesauce.