Daniel Burke
Here is a simple Oktoberfest slow cooker recipe that doesn’t require much effort and is inexpensive to make. Whether you’re hosting an Oktoberfest gathering or just interested in an easy fall weather comfort food, you’re going to like this one.
Ingredients
- 1 jar or 2 cans of sauerkraut (approx 32 oz)
- 2 lbs kielbasa (or another pork sausage if that’s what you have)
- 1 apple
- 1 onion
- 1 Tb caraway seeds
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 1 bottle of Oktoberfest style Märzen beer (can substitute any german style)
- 1 cup of applesauce or apple cider (or apple juice)
- 3 Tb brown sugar (you can add more if desired; some recipes substitute honey)
Instructions
- Rinse your sauerkraut with water in a strainer (or not; see below)
- Dice the apple and onion and mince your garlic.
- Cut kielbasa into small chunks, from 1/2 to 1 inch thick. (If sausage is raw, cook first)
- Add the sauerkraut, kielbasa, apple, onion, and garlic to the slow cooker and mix together.
- Sprinkle caraway seeds and brown sugar, then pour in the beer and applesauce (or cider/juice)
- Mix it all up again.
- Cook on HIGH heat for 4-5 hours.
- Serve!
In a pinch, a simplified recipe can be made by simply adding the sauerkraut, beer, and sausage to a slow cooker for 5 hours on LOW heat.
Also, I prefer a more mild tasting dish due to the amount of people I generally feed at my house on any given weekend. But that’s negotiable. For a stronger tasting sauerkraut flavor, simply dump the entire jar including juices into the slow cooker. For a more balanced taste, drain the sauerkraut in a strainer (but don’t rinse) before adding to the pot. I like serving it mild, so I rinse the sauerkraut in a strainer with water in the kitchen sink first.
This is a great meal for the fall season. If you’ve got a different recipe you like, we’d love for you to share it on one of our social platforms where we posted this!
Video Of Recipe Below!
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