• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
DadCooksDinner
  • Home
  • Rotisserie
  • Recipes
  • Tools
  • Books
  • Merch
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Books
  • Tools
  • Merch
  • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Books
    • Tools
    • Merch
    • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Pressure cooker

    Pressure Cooker Pork and Sauerkraut

    Published: Dec 27, 2012 · Modified: Feb 26, 2020 by Mike Vrobel · This post may contain affiliate links · 14 Comments

    Jump to Recipe
    Pressure Cooker Pork and Sauerkraut

    Pressure Cooker Pork and Sauerkraut

    It's New Year's - time for Pork and Sauerkraut.

    I'm an American mutt, with German and French in my family tree. Maybe that explains why pork and sauerkraut is a favorite of mine. It pulls my whole family history together. 2Which is odd, because I didn't have pork and sauerkraut until I spent New Year's Day with my wife's family. But that's a different story.

    Choucroute Garnie is the traditional dish of Alsace, the section of France that sticks into Germany. Alsace switched back and forth between Germany and France during the wars between the 13th century and 20th century. When the Germans won the war, the border was the Vosges mountains to the west of Alsace; when the French won the war, the border was the Rhine river to the east. Alsatian cuisine represents that blend - it is a lot heavier on the sauerkraut than the rest of France.

    Now, the full-on version of Choucroute Garnie is delicious, and worth all the work. Sometimes I need a sauerkraut fix, though, so here is my short-cut version, using the pressure cooker. (No pressure cooker? No worries. See the Notes section for stove top directions.)

    Recipe: Pressure Cooker Pork and Sauerkraut

    Adapted From: Lorna Sass Pressure Perfect

    Equipment

    • 6 quart or larger pressure cooker (larger is better - this recipe barely fit into my 6 quart Instant Pot Electric PC)
    Print
    clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon

    Pressure Cooker Pork and Sauerkraut


    ★★★★★

    5 from 2 reviews

    • Author: Mike Vrobel
    • Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
    • Yield: 4-6 1x
    Print Recipe
    Pin Recipe

    Description

    Pressure Cooker Pork and Sauerkraut recipe - spareribs braised in sauerkraut in a pressure cooker.


    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 1 slab spareribs, cut into 3 rib sections
    • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
    • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
    • 2 pounds sauerkraut, rinsed & drained (preferably fresh sauerkraut from the refrigerated section of your grocery store)
    • 2 tablespoons lard or vegetable oil
    • 1 large onion, minced
    • 4 garlic cloves, crushed
    • 10 juniper berries
    • 3 bay leaves
    • 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
    • ½ teaspoon ground coriander
    • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
    • 1 cup dry Riesling (or any dry, non-oaky white wine)
    • 2 apples, peeled, cored, and minced (preferably tart apples like a granny smith)
    • 1 cup homemade chicken stock, or water
    • 1 pound smoked ham hock

    Condiments and side dishes

    • Assorted mustards (Dijon, horseradish, and grainy mustard are my favorite choices)
    • Cornichons (French style gherkin pickles)
    • Rye bread
    • Boiled white potatoes sprinkled with salt and parsley

    Instructions

    1. Prep the Pork and Sauerkraut: Sprinkle the pork ribs with 2 teaspoons kosher salt and 1 teaspoon brown sugar, then set aside to rest. Rinse the sauerkraut in a large colander, then press down on the sauerkraut to squeeze out the excess water.
    2. Saute the Aromatics: Heat the 2 tablespoons of lard in the pressure cooker pot over medium high heat until it melts. Add the onions, garlic, juniper berries, and bay leaves. Sprinkle with the pepper, coriander, and salt, then stir to coat with the fat. Saute until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes.
    3. Fill the pot: Add the Riesling to the pot, and bring to a boil. Stir in the sauerkraut, apples, and chicken stock. Submerge the ham hock and the ribs as much as you can in the sauerkraut.
    4. Pressure cook the pork and sauerkraut: Lock the lid on the pressure cooker, bring it to high pressure, and pressure cook for 25 minutes. (30 minutes in an electric pressure cooker). Quick release the pressure. Carefully remove the lid from the pressure cooker, tilting away from you to avoid the hot steam.
    5. Mix and serve: Remove the ham hock and the ribs to a carving board. Discard the bay leaves. Shred the ham hock, discarding the bones and any large hunks of gristle, then stir the shredded meat into the sauerkraut. Cut the ribs into 1 bone serving pieces. Scoop the sauerkraut out of the pot with a slotted spoon, leaving behind most of the liquid. Serve, passing the condiments on the side.
    • Prep Time: 20 minutes
    • Cook Time: 1 hour
    • Category: Pressure Cooker
    • Cuisine: American

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @DadCooksDinner on Instagram and hashtag it #DadCooksDinner

    Prepping the ribs
    Prepping the ribs
    Saute the aromatics
    Saute the aromatics
    Stir in the sauerkraut and apples
    Stir in the sauerkraut and apples
    Add the ribs and ham hock
    Add the ribs and ham hock
    Pressure cook the pork
    Pressure cook the pork
    Ribs (and ham hock, ready to shred)
    Ribs (and ham hock, ready to shred)
    Stirring the shredded ham hock back into the pot
    Stirring the shredded ham hock back into the pot

    Notes

    • No pressure cooker? No problem. Use a large dutch oven, and follow the instructions through step 3. Then, instead of pressure cooking in step 4, cover the pot and put it in a 350°F oven for 1 ½ to 2 hours, until the pork ribs are tender. Continue with Mix and Serve in step 5.
    • Boiled white potatoes: Peel 2 pounds of red-skin potatoes and cut into 2 inch pieces. Put in a medium pot, cover with water, and add 2 tablespoons kosher salt. Bring the water to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to a simmer, and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked through. Drain the potatoes, toss with melted butter, sprinkle with some parsley, and serve.

    What do you think? Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

    Related Posts:

    Choucroute Garnie
    Slow Cooker Pork and Sauerkraut

    Click here for my other pressure cooker recipes.

    *Enjoyed this post? Want to help out DadCooksDinner? Subscribe to DadCooksDinner using the RSS or Email options on the right, link to this post from your blog, recommend DadCooksDinner to your friends, or buy something from Amazon.com through the links on this site. Thank you.

    More Pressure cooker

    • Instant Pot Shrimp Risotto
    • Instant Pot Mexican Black Beans (no soaking needed!)
    • Instant Pot Thai Panang Curry (With Beef)
    • Instant Pot Pork Adobo Recipe (Filipino Style)

    Sharing is caring!

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Rodney Schmidt says

      January 20, 2022 at 10:35 pm

      Great Recipe! I bought the ingredients for your Hawaiian BBQ Ribs recipe, but it got below freezing here today and my daughter proclaimed that BBQ Ribs were a summer dish. So I pulled a jar of sauerkraut out of the pantry and made this instead. I was missing the apples, ham hock, juniper berries and lard (and I love lard for pork recipes). It turned out great anyway, served it with mashed potatoes. I'm looking forward to making it properly sometime - it's now my go to recipe for kraut!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Mike Vrobel says

        January 21, 2022 at 10:27 am

        Great! I'm glad you enjoyed it.

        Reply
    2. Patricia says

      December 27, 2018 at 10:41 am

      this was , in a word... Delicious!!!
      Keep the great IP recipes coming, as each one I've tried so far has been spot on! Thank you!! and Happy New Year to you and family!

      Reply
    3. Stephanie Larrison says

      December 09, 2018 at 12:08 pm

      Wow! This is my favorite thing I've made in my instant pot. And the juniper berries are the secret ingredient. I'm going to make it again tonight but I'm going to add some pierogies to it.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    4. Greg says

      August 16, 2015 at 1:22 am

      This recipe was mentioned in discussion over at Hip Pressure Cooking. So I came for a closer look.
      I am puzzled by "fresh sauerkraut". To my understanding, sauerkraut is fermented cabbage and so by definition cannot be fresh. Can you clarify what you mean please.

      Reply
      • Mike V says

        August 16, 2015 at 6:18 am

        Fresh sauerkraut means "from the refrigerated section of your grocery store", as opposed to "in a jar in the aisle from your grocery store."

        Reply
        • Greg says

          August 16, 2015 at 7:47 am

          Thanks for that Mike.
          The trouble is the second kind is all that is available to me down under. I'll have to look into making it myself.

          Reply
          • Mike V says

            August 16, 2015 at 9:05 am

            If all you have is store-bought jarred, go ahead and use it. Fresh sauerkraut is better, but jarred will still work with this recipe. (If you're willing to make your own, it is far better than any store bought option.)

            Reply
            • Rob says

              October 24, 2020 at 11:00 pm

              I agree with you 100%!

              The first time I made kraut, I was talked into it by friends. They always do things in a big way. They made 100 pounds and I made 50! When it was fermented' we had canning day, and it was a long day.

              The next time I made 20 pounds and it was much more manageable. It was so delicious I decided not to can it, but just put it into quart canning jars and store it in the second refrigerator in the garage.

              I now do this about once a year, and when the supply is running low I keep my eyes open for sales on cabbage, so I can start up another batch....makes sense, a quart of refrigerated fresh sauerkraut in the market costs about $5.00, and that’s approximately what 20 pounds of cabbage costs when on sale! I think that makes about 10 quarts. Time-wise, the work only takes 2 mornings, one for prep at the start and one at the end to jar it up.

    5. Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says

      February 09, 2014 at 11:10 am

      Gaah! Fixed. Thank you!

      Reply
    6. Patrick M Mitchell says

      February 09, 2014 at 8:43 am

      This is (a version of) my favorite Lorna Sass recipe. We're in the process of moving so all my cookbooks are packed and this recipe was requested for Valentine's Day dinner! So that's why I'm here.

      As a point of geographical clarification, when the French won the war, the border was to to the Rhine river in the EAST, and when the Germans won, the border was to the Vosges mountains to the WEST. You have them reversed.

      Reply
    7. FatLittleDog says

      December 28, 2012 at 1:28 am

      Sounds great! Pork and sauerkraut are a frequent pairing at our house year-round. Just last night I did 2 thick chops, seared them, and finished them the oven. Then I did a quick braise of red onions, mushrooms and drained sauerkraut in an apple cider and sherry reduction. Finished it off with a little cider vinegar and butter. Keep the great ideas coming!

      Reply
    8. Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says

      December 27, 2012 at 3:07 pm

      At the top of the page?

      Reply
    9. Jenn says

      December 27, 2012 at 3:00 pm

      Where's the photo of the finished dish?

      Reply

    Questions? Made the Recipe? Leave a Comment Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Welcome to Dad Cooks Dinner! I'm Mike Vrobel, a dad who cooks dinner every night. I'm an enthusiastic home cook, and I write about pressure cooking, rotisserie grilling, and other food topics that grab my attention.

    More about me →

    Popular

    • Pressure Cooker Beef Shank (Osso Bucco)
    • Instant Pot Pinto Beans (No Soaking)
    • Pressure Cooker 7 Hour Leg of Lamb (in 90 minutes)
    • Pressure Cooker Brown Jasmine Rice

    Recent

    • Instant Pot Chicken Legs and Rice (Arroz con Pollo)
    • Horseradish Sauce Recipe
    • Instant Pot 15 Bean Soup With Sausage
    • Instant Pot Fettuccine Alfredo (with Chicken)

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact

    Copyright © 2022 Dad Cooks Dinner

    191 shares
    • 26