• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Simply Happy Foodie
  • Home
  • Recent Posts
  • Recipes
  • Cookbooks
  • About
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclosures / Disclaimers / Copyright
    • Contact Me
    • Meet Gizmo, Our Foodie Pug
  • Cook's Shop
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • Recent Posts
  • Recipes
  • My Cookbook
  • About
  • Cook’s Shop
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Recent Posts
  • Recipes
  • My Cookbook
  • About
  • Cook’s Shop
×
Home » Blog Recipe Posts » Crock Pot / Slow Cooker

Crock Pot Pork and Sauerkraut

March 6, 2019 by Sandy 23 Comments

Jump to Recipe

Crock Pot Pork and Sauerkraut is a traditional German recipe made by my mom. This pork ribs and sauerkraut recipe has fall apart tender meat, and is so comforting! This slow cooker pork and sauerkraut recipe has great flavor, and is a nice family meal!

Pork and Sauerkraut in a white bowl next to a gold fork

 

Crock Pot Pork and Sauerkraut

Growing up with my mom was a trip around the world! She made recipes from many different cultures. I definitely got my love of cooking anything and everything from her! German inspired recipes were a favorite at our house.

Pork and sauerkraut made in the crock pot is a very common dish, and there are many versions floating around.

This is an inherently simple meal, so no need to buy any fancy ingredients. Caraway seeds are the most exotic ingredient (though they are not exotic) in this pork ribs and sauerkraut.

Pork and Sauerkraut in a white bowl next to a gold fork on a floral napkin

If this recipe veers a bit from the very traditional recipe, you can blame that on mom having lived in other parts of the world besides Germany! She took her influences and made recipes taste better!

One Pro Tip: Please don't skip browning the pork ribs! The browning gives the meat such a wonderful depth of flavor.

I tested this recipe twice without browning the meat. It was just okay, and my hubby and I agreed that it was missing something. It doesn't take that long to brown the Country Style Ribs, so I hope you will not skip this step!

blue banner with the words you might also like
Classic Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Slow Cooker Turkey Chili
Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings
Crock Pot Creamy Chicken Breasts

Pin This Recipe

Slow Cooker Pork and Sauerkraut with the recipe title and Simply Happy Foodie.com logo

5 from 11 votes
Pork and Sauerkraut in a white bowl
Print
Crock Pot Pork and Sauerkraut
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
4 hrs
Total Time
4 hrs 10 mins
 

Crock Pot Pork and Sauerkraut is a traditional German recipe made by my mom. This slow cooker pork and sauerkraut recipe has great flavor, and is a nice family meal!

Course: Dinner
Cuisine: German
Keyword: slow cooker pork and sauerkraut recipe
Servings: 6
Calories: 725 kcal
Author: Sandy Clifton
Ingredients
  • 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
  • 3 lbs Country Style Boneless Ribs
  • 1 tsp Kosher Salt
  • ½ tsp Pepper
  • 1 Yellow Onion, thick sliced
  • 3 cloves Garlic, pressed or finely minced
  • 1 Apple, diced large
  • 1 (24 oz) jar Good German Sauerkraut
  • 1 Tbsp Caraway Seeds
  • ½ cup Apple Juice
Instructions
  1. Heat a 12" skillet over med-high heat. When hot, add the olive oil, then all of the ribs. Let them brown on one side for 4 minutes or long enough to get some color. Salt and pepper the ribs.

  2. Flip the ribs over and do the same on that side.

  3. Add the ribs and juices from the skillet to a 6 qt or larger slow cooker.

  4. Add the sliced onion and the garlic over the top of the ribs.

  5. Sprinkle the caraway seeds over the ribs/onion.

  6. Drain ½ of the sauerkraut juice and set aside. Dump the sauerkraut and remaining juice over the meat/onions.

  7. Add the apple and then the apple juice.

  8. Cook on Low for 8 hours or High for 4 hours, or until the ribs are fall apart tender.

  9. Taste for salt and tartness. Use the remaining sauerkraut liquid only if you want the results to be more tart in flavor.

  10. Serve hot.


pink button with the words follow Simply Happy Foodie on Pinterest

RESOURCES TO MAKE Crock Pot Pork and Sauerkraut recipe and more

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Crock Pot Pork and Sauerkraut

More Crock Pot / Slow Cooker

  • Crockpot Cheesy Potatoes with Kielbasa in a black crock
    Crockpot Cheesy Potatoes with Kielbasa
  • Slow Cooker Garlic Herb Potatoes in a black bowl
    Slow Cooker Garlic Herb Potatoes
  • Slow Cooker Pineapple Chicken on a green plate with rice
    Slow Cooker Pineapple Chicken
  • Slow Cooker Pork Chops with Mushroom Gravy and mashed potatoes on a plate.
    Slow Cooker Pork Chops with Mushroom Gravy

Sharing is caring!

10181 shares
  • Tweet
  • Share

My Instant Pot Cookbook is Here!

Instant Pot Cookbook Cover

Reader Interactions

Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. JT

    January 04, 2022 at 8:40 am

    This is so great! I had searched all over to find a recipe reminiscent of slow-cooked ribs with sauerkraut and caraway seeds that was a hallmark of my youth my mom used to make. This pretty much nails my memory of that dish, despite the addition of the apple and apple juice, which was not in the version we had, but adds a wonderful layer of flavor here. We're Polish and I can't speak to the provenance of the recipe that was used when I was a kid, but this certainly does align with Eastern European roots as well as German/Western European ones. I've cooked this twice now using ~ 5lbs of bone-in ribs cooked on low at 8-10 hours and no other modifications.

    Also, just to respond to Gail's note on using bagged sauerkraut vs. canned - any probiotics either has will be killed off in the cooking process so it doesn't really matter what type you use, from that standpoint.

    Reply
  2. Gail

    October 20, 2021 at 11:00 am

    If you want the health benefits of the sauerkraut use bagged found in the refrigerator section rather than canned as the canning process kills the probiotics. What a great recipe to use fresh sauerkraut with! Thank you for sharing!

    Reply
  3. Melissa B.

    September 05, 2021 at 2:45 pm

    I bought the ingredients just now and will make this tomorrow. It's just me but I intend to share with my neighbors. Can't wait to try this!

    Thank you for sharing.

    Reply
  4. Tyrone Broussard

    March 19, 2021 at 8:42 pm

    My wife served this recipe to me soon after married, 42 yrs! It is my favorite. I love this so much. It is a hardy dish with tons of flavor and easy to make.

    Reply
  5. David Combs

    January 02, 2021 at 8:03 am

    A new spin for me on an age old recipe. We enjoyed it very much. The onion and the apples gave us new flavors to saver. Thanks

    Reply
  6. Rose

    December 31, 2020 at 8:17 pm

    I am making this exact recipe tonight, was my Moms. The only thing different is she added brown sugar. Have you ever added that to your recipe?

    Reply
    • Sandy

      January 01, 2021 at 5:12 pm

      Yes, I add a couple tablespoons in at the end. Happy New Year!

      Reply
  7. Heather Frazier

    December 31, 2020 at 11:55 am

    What if yo do not have castaway seeds or Apple juice?

    Reply
    • Sandy

      December 31, 2020 at 2:19 pm

      The flavor will be different, but still good. You could cut up an apple, or use hard apple cider. The caraway seeds add a unique flavor, but if you don't have them you can use fennel seeds. If you don't have either, don't worry.

      Reply
« Older Comments
Newer Comments »

Primary Sidebar

Hi there! I’m Sandy - foodie with a passion for cooking and sharing my tasty recipes. My hubby Paul, our Pug Gizmo, and I live in Washington.

Sandy wearing a black shirt and a red apron

More about me →

Reader Favorite Recipes

  • Easy Slow Cooker Meatloaf on a white plate garnished with parsley
    Easy Slow Cooker Meatloaf
  • Air Fryer Rib Eye Steak
    Air Fryer Rib Eye Steak
  • Slow Cooker Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
    Slow Cooker Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
  • Short Ribs over mashed potatoes on a black plate next to a bunch of fresh parsley
    Instant Pot Short Ribs

More favorites

Footer

↑ back to top

Copyrighted Content
This website and its contents are the copyright of Simply Happy Foodie LLC – © 2016-2025.  All rights reserved.

Disclaimers

  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

About

  • About
  • Contact
  • Meet Gizmo, Our Foodie Pug

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT