It is a tradition in our family, as far back as I can remember, to serve pork roast with sauerkraut for dinner on January 1. We had our seafood feast on New Year’s Eve while we watched the ball drop in Times Square, and our pork roast with sauerkraut on New Year’s Day. I remember asking my father why we had to eat the same thing every year on New Year’s Day and he replied:
A hog cannot look backwards, they root forward, so they are always facing forward and never walk backwards or root backwards. Our German ancestors believed that they also ward off evil, and cabbage is a symbol of luck – so that is why we have pork roast with sauerkraut every year.
I always thought it was a bit “strange” as traditions go. My husband, being from the South, absolutely cannot let New Year’s Day go by without having a serving of black-eyed peas. To each their own traditions, right?
Mom's Recipes - Pork Roast with Sauerkraut
Ingredients
- 3 to 4 pound pork roast
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 2 pints fresh sauerkraut
- 2 quarts water
- 1/4 cup of brown sugar
Instructions
- Place pork roast in roasting pan
- Rub roast with brown sugar, salt and pepper
- Place sauerkraut and onions around the roast evenly
- Add 2 quarts of water
- Bake at 325 degrees for about 3 hours
So mom always cooked pork roast with sauerkraut and some homemade mashed potatoes and applesauce on the side. An absolutely wonderful dish and one I would love to share with you and yours for a new holiday tradition.
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Haven't tried Pork roast with sauerkraut before. Will definitely be saving this recipe so I can, though! Thanks Kim!
OMG Barbara it is awesome! I forgot to mention though to rinse the sauerkraut really well in a colander in the sink (if you don't like that vinegar-y taste) before adding it to the roast. Talk about um, um, good! You're gonna love it! Serve with the mashed potatoes and applesauce and you've got you a winner!