Slow Cooker Garlic Seared Pork and Kraut

As a crunchy-granola type of person, it’s hard to find other crunchy-granola people who are like-minded and don’t look at you like you have three heads when you’re child is not eating McDonalds, you’re raising backyard chickens, and you are always on the lookout to see if your food doesn’t have GMOs.

They can relate to things like drinking homemade kombucha, making bone broth, eating fermented foods, and using lavender essential oil to help with severe bug bites instead of chemical-laced cream.

Really, it’s like heaven-sent when you can sit and just talk without feeling like you are being judged, or the person you’re speaking to feels like you’re judging them.

The woman who started me on this journey is actually Scott’s God Mother. I used to look at her like she had three heads when she would bring her own food to our gatherings for her daughter. In the grand scheme of things, it was simply out of ignorance of not knowing better.

Now, I totally get it.

That being said, when a crunchy-granola woman like Scott’s God Mother invites us over for dinner… well, I jump on that like flies on chicken sh…, ahem. No, but really, it’s always exciting knowing that you’re going to someones house who cooks the same way you do.

No need to worry about GMOs. No need to worry about vegetable oil being used. No need to worry about CAFO meat.

When we arrived for dinner (there were a few other people there too), one of the main dishes was a slow cooked pork and kraut and let me tell you what, it was AMAZING. Seriously, I couldn’t get enough of it topped on some homemade mashed potatoes with green beans.

I immediately asked what it was and how difficult or easy it was to cook. When she told me all you do is sear the pork, put in the slow cooker and let it do it’s thang, I got super excited. I need more slow cooker recipes in my life — especially ones that include probiotic-rich foods like sauerkraut. Everyone needs more probiotic-rich foods in their lives, right?

But truth be told, I’ve been sitting on this recipe for like, um, at least 6 months.

I kept putting it on my editorial calendar to share with you and it just kept being pushed back. Actually, I did take photos of it (6 months ago) but wasn’t really pleased and I never revisited the recipe.

Trust me, the difference in photo quality was well worth the wait.

Everything happens for a reason though, right?

We’re headed into the season where soups, stews, and slow cookers are craved in households. Something about the cold weather and not having to put effort in cooking really mashes well together.

Almost too good.

Except if you live in Florida and you don’t get your cold spurt til like, MAYBE after Christmas.

…..

Anyway, you have got to try this recipe — even if it still is 80 degrees.

All you have to do is sear the pork, rub it down with lots of minced garlic, put it in the slow cooker, let it cook, then add the sauerkraut in the end to let the flavors infuse together.

Man, it is good. The pork and garlic tame down the “sour-ness” of the sauerkraut and once the flavors really meld together, it’s like a party in the mouth.

I recommend serving it with homemade mashed potatoes and pouring the juice AND pork and kraut on top of the mashed potatoes. Steamed green beans are also really good with this dish — or your favorite veggie.

P.s. Notice those sexy man hands in the photos? Those are Scott’s. He was home early so I got to use him as my hand model and I think he did a great job. Or maybe I just have a thing with hands — particularly his.

Is that weird?

And it became a total family affair. Andrew wanted me to take a photo of his red cup with raw goat milk in there. Then he told me to take a picture of him. Think he’s been hanging around a momma who takes too many photographs??

Slow Cooker Garlic Seared Pork and Kraut

 

Print

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• Slow cooker (this is the one I have)

Ingredients

• 3-4 lbs pastured pork butt or roast
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• Unrefined sea salt, to taste (this is my favorite unrefined sea salt)
• Ground pepper, to taste
• 2 Tbl butter, organic and pastured if possible
• ½ cup homemade bone broth, optional (learn to make bone broth here)
• 1 jar Bubbies Sauerkraut or homemade

Instructions

1. Turn a burner onto medium-high heat; put 2 Tbl butter in a cast iron or other large pan
2. Liberally season your pork butt or roast with unrefined sea salt and pepper
3. Sear pork (brown it on all sides) and then place into your slow cooker
4. Massage minced garlic onto pork; add broth if you have a leaner cut of meat
5. Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours
6. Once the meat is done cooking, turn slow cooker on warm; remove pork and shred.
7. Place shredded pork back into the slow cooker and dump the whole jar of sauerkraut into the slow cooker.
8. Let sit for 30-45 minutes to marinate.
9. Top pork and kraut on homemade mashed potatoes and enjoy with steamed green beans.

3.4.3177