Pork & Sauerkraut for an Awesome Kickoff of 2017

My grandfather used to eat pork on the first day of the new year. As he explained this custom,  pigs forage for food while moving forward while chickens scratch backwards. Since you want to move forward into the new year and grow and advance in a similar way to the pig’s actions rather than focusing on the past like the chicken, you should eat pork not chicken on New Years Day.

This year we prepared a delicious pork roast to celebrate the start of the new year. We cooked the pork roast  in a slow cooker in the same way that we cooked the beef pot roast in this post. In addition, we added sauerkraut and kielbasa to the slow cooker so that we had a whole feast ready when the roast was done. There are three basic steps to making a pork roast in slow cooker. First, brown the roast in a skillet. Second, add the roast and the sauerkraut and kielbasa to the slow cooker. Third, add liquid (in this case beer) and some brown sugar, cover and cook.

 

Pork Roast & Sauerkraut Recipe

Ingredients

3 lb Pork Roast

1 lb Kielbasa

2 lb bag of Sauerkraut

1 bottle porter Beer (your favorite dark brew)

1 cup Light Brown Sugar

Instructions

1. Heat cast iron skillet
2. Brown roast in skillet adding salt and pepper to each side
3. Drain sauerkraut
4. Place sauerkraut in the bottom of slow cooker
5. Lay browned roast on top of sauerkraut
6. Cut kielbasa into pieces 2-3″ inches long and insert beside roast
7. Pour bottle of beer over roast (no sampling!)
8. Put sugar on top of roast
9. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours until tender and internal temperature reads 160°F with a meat thermometer
10. Serve with Mashed Potatoes for a Happy and Lucky New Year!