I’m just here to disrupt your traditional turkey holiday, and today I bring you the refreshing idea of throwing some kraut on that turkey sammo. Sure, it feels natural if you’ve made the turkey pastrami we recommended early this month, but you’re going to have turkey long after the stuffing and taters are gone, and some bright, umami rich kraut is going to make that turkey feel fresh and new. Packed with texture and a little spice, it can turn a a so-so sandwich into a winner. The added probiotics are a nice side benefit after a few days of cream, butter, pie, and more pie.
Have you even had real sauerkraut?
Sauerkraut is fermented cabbage, but if you’ve only ever had the stuff in the jars at the store, you’ve never really had sauerkraut—not the stuff purists approve of, that is. The real thing still has some bite left in it, with a fizzy, deep taste, slightly salty but never overpowering, and a lot of spice. It’s a live ferment, unlike what you can buy from a store.
Core the cabbage
This is a fast sauerkraut, and we’re not making a ton of it, so it’ll come together fast. Take your head of cabbage and slice it in half, bisecting the core (the white stump you’ll see somewhere on the head). Now use your knife to cut a v-shaped notch out of the cabbage halves, just to remove that tough core. All that’s left is the cabbage. Place the flat side of the cabbage half on a cutting board and now make slices the short way (perpendicular to the core), never thicker than ¼ inch. This is a fine chiffonade, so to speak, that’s going to make a light but crunchy sauerkraut.
Now for the brine
Put an empty bowl on a scale and press the tare button so the scale zeros out. Now add your cabbage and take note of how much it weighs. We’re going to add 2% salt to it, so take that number, and multiply it by .02. That’s how much salt you need. Weigh out the salt and then sprinkle it onto the cabbage. Now, here’s the most important part: massage it into the leaves. Get in there with your clean hands and really make sure the salt is mixed through the cabbage and actually rub it into those leaves. Let the bowl sit on the counter for an hour, covered by a tea towel. I also like to add some caraway seed to my sauerkraut, but fennel seed, celery seed, and coriander are also popular.
Pack it in
When you uncover the bowl, you’re going to notice that the cabbage has released a lot of water, which is exactly what we want. Now we need to find a vessel to ferment in. Jars are ideal for this, but a covered glass storage container will do. Make sure that the vessel is very clean; straight out of the dishwasher is always a good way to go. If you don’t have a dishwasher, you can hand-wash the vessel, then swirl some vinegar inside it for good measure. Alternatively, you can use a vacuum bag for this purpose, since it will pull out all the oxygen.
Using your clean hands, start packing the cabbage in. You want to place it in the vessel and actually pack it down, making sure there are no air bubbles. Use your fist to smash it in there, if you have to. Even as you’re doing this, the cabbage will release more liquid, which we want! At the end, take all the liquid from the bowl and pour it over the cabbage in the vessel.
An important note: so long as every piece of cabbage is under the brine (the liquid), you’re good. But cabbage floats, which is why some people use fermentation weights. If you don’t have those, you can place a zippered plastic back into the vessel (make sure this, too, is super clean). Use your hands to make sure the bottom of the bag fills up the empty space in the jar, with the top of the bag extending over the top of the jar. Close the bag’s zipper most of the way, leaving an inch or two open. Pour water into the bag’s top opening, which should fill the leftover space in the jar and push the cabbage beneath the brine. Close the zipper. Et voila, a homemade fermentation weight.
Go to a dark place
Now place the vessel in a dark place between 60 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Check your new creation daily; you’re looking for some bubbling to take place and for the brine to get cloudy. This can happen in as soon as three to four days, but it can take longer in colder climates. If you are using a covered vessel, it is important to “burp” the vessel every day. (To do this, just open it and close it back up again so it can release any carbon dioxide.) If you’re using a vacuum bag, the bag will inflate. When the bag inflates to the point you’re worried about it popping, cut the end, release the air inside, and reseal.
The final kraut-down
You decide when the sauerkraut is ready. That may sound intimidating, but it’s not. Simply taste the sauerkraut with a clean fork (never double dipping) and when you think the sauerkraut is ready, it is. There is no perfect amount of doneness. Sauerkraut continues to ferment unless it is placed in the fridge, which will slow fermentation down. Some people enjoy a more fermented sauerkraut and some people enjoy a less fermented version. This is about what you like.
Layer that sauerkraut on your sandwich, add some cranberry sauce or Russian dressing, and enjoy!
Fast Cabbage Sauerkraut Recipe
Ingredients:
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1 head of cabbage
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2% of the cabbage’s weight in salt
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1 tablespoon of seeds (fennel, caraway, celery, or coriander)
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Core the cabbage and then slice into 1/4″ slices the short way, resulting in lots of long, thin strands of cabbage.
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Weigh the cabbage, and multiply the weight by .02 to get the salt measurement.
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Weigh out that calculated amount of salt and then add it to the cabbage. Spend 10 minutes massaging the salt into the cabbage.
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Cover the cabbage with a tea towel and leave for an hour.
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Add seasonings to the cabbage, including any seeds like fennel, coriander, caraway, or celery seed. Use one tablespoon per head of cabbage of any seed you enjoy, and then mix into the cabbage.
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Pack the cabbage into a clean glass container.
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Burp the sauerkraut, checking it daily for fermentation. Taste every day starting on day five, and when ready, place in refrigerator.
