Grilled Polish Sausage and Sauerkraut

This really looks good but I’m confused as to whether you start with cooked or raw sausages. Both are available at a German market here. Thanks for a clarification. Love your blog, Nan

Kielbasas are usually cooked aren’t they? I would look for cooked. You could make this with raw sausage, but you would probably need to cook them longer, and then make sure they were cooked through before eating. ~Elise

Love your site, Elise! I was wondering – apple goes well with this dish, as somebody said above. Would apple juice, maybe watered down a bit, work instead of beer? I noticed someone asked about beer-free recipes above. Also, they should be aware that even though beer gives the recipe its distinct flavor, all the alcohol is cooked out pretty quickly – beer brats won’t get you drunk!

Apple juice might work. If you try it, please let us know how it turns out for you. ~Elise

I need to try this. I don’t have much experience with sausage, but we love sauerkraut at our house. I always caramelize the onions over very low heat first and add a splash of balsamic vinegar near the end of the caramelization before adding the sauerkraut and caraway to it. Do you suppose I could be cooking the sausage in with the onions for an indoor meal?

Sure! ~Elise

I was seeking another use for my pickle crock collection, and I stumbled upon my grandmother’s sauerkraut recipe. Best ever and so very simple. It is nothing more than shredded cabbage and a little onion layered in the crock with coarse salt and a weight on top. You do have to keep an eye out for anything that you do not want on your kraut, like fuzz or mold, but other than that, it just ferments away and in a few weeks you have great sauerkraut.

Just make sure that your fermentation room is well ventilated. When you do everything right, it becomes a bit aromatic.

I’ve heard about the “aromatic” part. Why my father refuses to let me make sauerkraut in his garage. ~Elise

I don’t drink but would love to try this recipe what would be a good alternative for the beer?

Hmmm, this recipe really requires beer. You could just cook the sausages in a mixture of half water half chicken stock, making sure you use all of the liquid from the sauerkraut as well. It won’t taste the same but it should still be good. ~Elise

I recommend using smoked keilbasa, not fresh keilbasa. The smoked keilbasa lends itself flavor and texture wise to grilling.

All you need is some boiled baby potatoes, some grilled corn and mmm-mmm-mmm!

I always add one or two peeled and sliced Granny Smith apples. Love this.

I make a similar shredded cabbage and kielbasa (smoked Polish sausage) dish when I’m really short on time and attention.

Place shredded cabbage in a buttered or greased casserole (bacon drippings are great!). Include grated carrot and/or kale for visual and flavor interest if desired. Dot with some bits of bacon drippings if you have some; otherwise use dots of butter. Add 1 tablespoon of water.

Slice a smoked kielbasa sausage into 3/4″ thick rounds and place sausage cut side up all over the top of the cabbage, spaced closely together (hot dogs will work, too). Bake in a 350°F oven, covered for 30 minute, then another 10 minutes uncovered (40 minutes total). Serve hot.

How do I love Bubbies sauerkraut, let me count the ways…. Bubbies sauerkraut and pickles are sold in the chill case.

Beware, not all the sauerkraut and pickles located in the chill case are as good as Bubbies, which is made the old-fashioned way, with cabbage or pickles and salt through an artisan style process called lacto-fermentation, which has been used through the ages to as food preservation and to boost nutrition/improve digestion.

Most commercial sauerkraut is now made in with a quicker, cheaper, more standardized industrial process using vinegar and heat instead of beneficial bacteria, brine, and time. I like to serve condiment-sized servings of raw (uncooked) Bubbies sauerkraut often (or salad dressing made with sauerkraut or pickle juice instead of vinegar), as raw fermented foods are naturally probiotic food, which means they contain beneficial bacteria which support good gut flora and immune function (much of the immune system is located in the intestines, as the GI tract is source of exposure to the environment). The soluble fiber in cabbage also is prebiotic, which means even though we lack the enzymes necessary to break down the fiber, it can be fermented and broken down by gut bacteria, yielding beneficial nutrients and prompting healthy cell signaling (facilitating nutrient absorption).

Heating sauerkraut over 115°F will kill the beneficial bacteria (though it’s still a healthy food) so keep that in mind if you are consuming sauerkraut for the probiotics.

What excellent information, thank you! No wonder my dad only gets Bubbies. ~Elise