Choucroute Garnie

This is the dish to make when you want to feed eight hungry people one of the great regional French specialties without spending Sunday at the stove. Choucroute garnie ('garnished sauerkraut') is the Alsace region’s answer to a one-pot feast: ribbons of tangy sauerkraut layered with four kinds of pork, slow-braised in white wine until everything melts together.

Juniper berries and a splash of gin are the secret. The pine-resin warmth of juniper is what gives traditional choucroute its forest-edge perfume, and gin doubles down on that note (gin is essentially neutral spirit flavored with juniper). Skip these two and you have just sausage and kraut, the Alsatian character is gone.

The rinse-and-squeeze step before the kraut goes in the crockpot is critical. Skip it and the dish runs sour and watery as the brine concentrates during the long cook.

Chef Tips

• Buy refrigerated bagged sauerkraut from the deli section, the canned stuff is too soft and salty for choucroute
• Crush the juniper berries with the side of a knife or under a heavy mug, releasing their oils makes a noticeable difference
• Layer the meats in the middle of the kraut so they steam-braise rather than dry out on top, this is the traditional Alsatian method
• The dish improves overnight, the flavors marry and the meats absorb more wine. Reheat low and slow on the stovetop
• Don’t add salt anywhere, the bacon, sausages, and kraut bring more than enough on their own

Variations

• Add an apple or two cut into wedges to the layers, the apple sweetness rounds out the tang
• Swap the white wine for Riesling (the traditional Alsatian choice) for a more authentic finish
• Stuff in some smoked pork chops or duck confit alongside the other meats for the elite Strasbourg version