There are many traditions used to celebrate the new year. One we always did was have pork.

Generally, I cook it in the crock pot, but this year I tried it in the roasting pan in the oven. I’m posting my recipe/method here so I can refer back to it. Hopefully you might like it too, and you may want to check out my other recipes.

Ingredients:

• 8 lb. pork loin (The one I got this year said “pork loin rib half”.)
• 2 bags of sauerkraut (Beware, “Bavarian style” is a secret code meaning it has caraway seeds & tastes like royal ass. Unless you like caraway seeds or royal ass. I avoid it for diverticulitis reasons anyway.)
• 1 bottle of beer. I used Straub Amber, but I also like to use Yuengling Traditional Lager. (You could also use Penn Pilsner, Stoney’s, Shiner Bock, or Smithwick’s Red Ale.)
• Apple Juice (Maybe ½ cup?)
• 2 Apples (I like Golden Crisp or Honey Crisp)
• 1 Spanish Onion (Or a sweet or yellow onion or whatever you like.)
• ½ teaspoon-ish Minced Garlic
• Salt (or Season All / Seasoned Salt)
• Pepper
• Onion Powder
• Garlic Powder
• Paprika
• Mustard Powder
• Brown Sugar (Maybe ¼ cup?)

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350°.
2. Drain & rinse the sauerkraut, unless you’re in need of an intestinal cleanse.
3. Sear the pork roast on all sides. I used a large fork to control it along with some tongs. I used a hot pan with a tiny bit of extra virgin olive oil & a pat of butter. You just want to sear the outsides, not cook the meat. I did add a bit of seasonings first.
4. Pop it into your roasting pan. Add some of those spices to taste.
5. slice the apples & onions then place them around the sides, cover it with the rinsed sauerkraut, bathe it with that glorious beer & apple juice.
6. Put some more spices on the roast again because you just washed them off. Don’t measure them. Live dangerously.
7. Put your food thermometer in, put the lid on, & pop it in the oven. You have a food thermometer right?
8. Cook it to 145° F according to the FDA, 160° according to my thermometer with the numbers beside the pig icon, or 203° if you want it to fall apart.
9. From what I read online it could be anywhere from 20 to 30 min per lb. Instead of popping it out & checking with an instant read, get a thermometer that can stay in.
10. Let it rest a bit when you pull it out. That’s just good life advice in general.
11. I mixed the brown sugar into the sauerkraut after I pulled the roast out. I didn’t measure. I read that was to prevent it caramelizing & burning too much… but I think it would have been fine in there the whole time.

Tips:

• I put onion powder on the apple slices and garlic powder on the onion slices… because why not? Does anyone else do stuff this?
• You could probably do this at 300° or 325° if you felt like it. Cook to temperature not time.
• You could throw all this into the crock pot (if it will fit!), or go with a smaller roast to do the same. I’d guess low on 8 or 10 hours would do it. Again, that’s what I usually do. Maybe go half the bottle of beer & drink the other half for breakfast.
• Thinking back, I think I put a half a bit of ham bullion (or better than bullion) in there too. I do that instead of salt sometimes.

What’s the deal with all the other not pork on that plate?

• Steamed green beans with a bit of garlic, butter, & parmesan cheese.
• Boxed mashed potatoes – I used buttermilk instead of milk. While nothing beats the real thing… I like the boxed potatoes because I like potatoes with a consistency that you could use to mortar bricks together, or build a structure like in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Those Bob Evans microwave potatoes might as well be potato soup. Also, buttermilk is the best.
• I tried those hot dogs in the air fryer for the first time. I put slits in the top, then did 6 minutes at 400° and they were awesome. I did the bun for 2 minutes at 375° because I read some stupid blog, and that may have been to hot or too long. That should teach you a lesson about following recipes on a blog.
• I served the hot dog on that bun (brushed with a little melted butter before air frying), with yellow mustard & some of the sauerkraut & pulled pork. I had one the next day & it was even better. That may be better than chili dogs!

I think the family liked it, or they pretended to. The 9yo liked the sauerkraut, the 7yo did not. Funny because the 7yo has been digging mushrooms and onions as of late, and he’s my dude that digs buttermilk. It may be a texture thing? I am weird about some textures.

Tell me about your pork recipes or new year’s traditions in the comments!

I always thought we were a bit German, but my Ancestry DNA test does not agree with that. We must have picked up the traditions from German or “Pennsylvania Dutch” friends & neighbors here in the region.

I’m glad this is not a tradition.

Also, if you like your sauerkraut without the brown sugar, I get that. If you like it with caraway seeds, I’m sorry your taste buds are broken.

If you line this recipe, you may like these:

• BBQ Pork & Slaw Sandwiches
• Ham, Green Bean, n’ ‘Tater Stew :|: The Recipe
• Ham N’ Bean Soup.
• Ham n’ Bean n’ Tater Stew
• Pittsburgh Chipped Ham BBQ