Oven Roasted Pork and Sauerkraut Recipe (2024)

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Pork and sauerkraut is a traditional New Year's meal meant to bring luck in the New Year. This is my traditional oven-roasted pork and sauerkraut recipe that cooked to perfection without drying out.

Oven Roasted Pork and Sauerkraut Recipe (1)

Every new year’s day we pull out a large dutch oven and cook a pork loin roast nestled amongst tangy sauerkraut to eat as the first dinner on New Years Day.

Parts of my family are Pennsylvania Dutch and eating pork and sauerkraut is the traditional dish thought to bring good fortune in the coming year. In keeping with my family's German tradition, we will pull out a homemade jar of sauerkraut to serve alongside this traditional meal.

Be sure to add Hoppin' John recipe aka Carolina beans and rice for an added bit of good luck in the New Year.

If you are not wanting to take up oven space you can make this recipe for crock pot pork and sauerkraut or even a sous vide pork and sauerkraut.

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  • Want To Save This Recipe?
  • 🐖 Pork and sauerkraut ingredients:
  • 🥰 Why this recipe works
  • 👩‍🍳 Chef Tip
  • 👵 How to make mom’s recipe for pork and sauerkraut:
  • 👩‍🍳 Chef Tip
  • 🥗 What to serve with pork and sauerkraut
  • 📝 Frequently asked questions, answers and tips:
  • Want To Save This Recipe?
  • 📖 Recipe
  • 👩🏻‍🍳 Sarah Mock
  • Comments

🐖 Pork and sauerkraut ingredients:

  • Pork loin
  • Sauerkraut
  • Apple (optional) Granny smith apples is what I recommend
  • Onion (optional)
  • Olive oil
  • Salt & black pepper
  • Apple juice or chicken broth

🥰 Why this recipe works

  • Pre-searing the boneless pork loin will ensure the meat has the best flavor.
  • The long cooking time will give you the most delicious, tender pork.
  • Pass a plate full of rolls or homemade biscuits to soak up the sauerkraut juice that has captured that delicious pork flavor.

👩‍🍳 Chef Tip

If you are not a fan of sauerkraut, add a drizzle of maple syrup, a bit of brown sugar or a heavy drizzle of honey to cut the tanginess of the sauerkraut.

👵 How to make mom’s recipe for pork and sauerkraut:

Oven Roasted Pork and Sauerkraut Recipe (2)
  1. Season the pork with salt and fresh cracked pepper.
  2. Heat a dutch oven or roasting pan on medium-high heat.
  3. Add a drizzle of olive oil to the pan and sear the pork on all sides for at least 4 minutes per side.
  4. Remove the seared pork roast to a clean plate and saute the onion and the apple in the pork drippings in the pan.
  5. Deglaze the pan, with either apple juice or chicken stock being sure you are scraping up the pork browned bits, getting up all those great flavors..
  6. Replace the pork back into the dutch oven or roasting pan, fat side up, adding the rest of the sauerkraut to the pan.
  7. Place in a 350 preheated oven and cover with a lid or aluminum foil if the piece of meat is too tall for the pan. Cook for 2 hours or until a meat thermometer reads at least 145 at the thickest part of the meat.
  8. Remove from the oven and place the pork and kraut on a serving platter. Allow the meat to rest for 15 minutes under a piece of tin foil before cutting to allow the juices to redistribute throughout the meat.

👩‍🍳 Chef Tip

A good rule of thumb is to cook the pork for 25 minutes per pound. Adjust accordingly and be sure to check for doneness with a meat thermometer.

🥗 What to serve with pork and sauerkraut

Mom will have a few hot dogs and apple juice for the kids and some homemade applesauce made with granny smith apples because she knows the kids are not fans of the tangy sauerkraut. Kids know when all things sauerkraut have touched their food.

For sure we will havecorn from the freezerand Aunt Cindy will makeRhodes rolls, because they are so easy! Beyond a simple dish of wide egg noodles smothered in butter, the following are traditional sides you can serve with pork and sauerkraut. Here is the full list of what to serve with pork and sauerkraut.

📝 Frequently asked questions, answers and tips:

Oven Roasted Pork and Sauerkraut Recipe (3)

What cuts of pork could be used?

This is the great debate on New Year's day. What cut of pork should we use this year? Should we use the boneless pork loin or should it be the bone in pork loin? Everyone has their favorite. The bone in loin will give you another layer of flavor but the boneless loin will be easier to carve. Pork tenderloin is not recommended because it will not hold up to the extended cook time in the oven. Save your tenderloin for your pork tenderloin lemon piccata.

To sear or not to sear?

I recommend searing your pork loin before roasting it. By searing the meat you are caramelizing the outside of the roast giving it color along with flavoring. Be sure your dutch oven is screaming hot before you place my meat face down in the pan. Do not move it or poke it for at least 4 minutes. You will know the meat is properly seared when you can easily flip it over with tongs without tugging too much on the meat to get it to release.

What kind of sauerkraut should I use?

I suggestsilver floss sauerkraut. It comes in a bag and is usually found in the meat department next to the pork or even in the refrigerator produce section. You are welcome to use canned sauerkraut but I wouldn't recommend it. You do you, but if you are asking, I recommend the bagged sauerkraut.

Why are the apples and onions optional?

Apples and onions arecompletely optionalin this recipe and my aunt is probablygiving me the side eyefor it right now for suggesting it but hear me out. By caramelizing onions and adding an apple to this recipe will addan element of sweetnessto the sauerkraut, cutting the tartness. But if you are asauerkraut purist, and love the tang of the kraut leave the apple and onion out. But if you are a newbie to pork and sauerkraut I suggest adding them.

📖 Recipe

Oven Roasted Pork and Sauerkraut Recipe (4)

Pork and Sauerkraut

Sarah Mock

Pork and sauerkraut is a traditional New Year's meal meant to bring luck in the New Year. This is my traditional oven roasted pork and sauerkraut recipe that cooked to perfection without drying out.

4.47 from 69 votes

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Note From Sarah

There is more to a recipe than just the recipe card. Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!

Prep time for the recipePrep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook time for the recipeCook Time 2 hours hrs

Cool TimeAdditional Time 15 minutes mins

total time to prep and cook the recipe.Total Time 2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Course Pork Recipes

Cuisine American

Makes 6

Per Serving 71 kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 3-4 lb Pork loin
  • Salt & pepper (to taste)
  • drizzle Olive oil
  • 1 Apple (optional)
  • 1 Onion (optional)
  • 2 pounds Sauerkraut
  • ½ Cup apple juice (or chicken stock)

Instructions

  • Set oven to 350.

  • Pat the meat dry and season with salt and fresh cracked pepper.

    1 3-4 lb Pork loin, Salt & pepper

  • Heat a dutch oven pan to high on the stove top. Add a drizzle of olive oil.

    drizzle Olive oil

  • Place the meat, fat side up, into the pan and sear for at least 4 minutes to get good caramelization on the surface.

  • Flip the meat to sear on all sides.

  • Remove the pork to a clean plate and saute the onion and the apple in the pan until they start to take on color.

    1 Apple, 1 Onion

  • Use some of the liquid from the sauerkraut to deglaze the pan, scraping up the pork bits.

    ½ Cup apple juice

  • Replace the pork back into the pan, adding the rest of the sauerkraut to the pan.

    2 pounds Sauerkraut

  • Cover and place in the oven for 2 hours or until the internal temperature is at least 145.

  • Remove from the oven and place the pork and krout on a serving platter. Allow the meat to rest for 15 minutes before cutting to allow the juices to redistribute throughout the meat.

Notes

A good rule of thumb is to cook the pork for 25 minutes per pound. Adjust accordingly and be sure to check for doneness with a meat thermometer.

Use silver floss sauerkraut, found in the meat section of the grocery store.

Bone in pork loin is another option for the boneless pork loin.

If not using apples and onions in this recipe, still sear the pork and deglaze the pan with sauerkraut juice.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 71kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 1049mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 7g

Nutrition Disclosure

Nutritional facts are estimates and are provided as a courtesy to the reader. Please utilize your own brand nutritional values to double check against our estimates. Nutritional values are calculated via a third party. Changing ingredients, amounts or cooking technique will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.

Oven Roasted Pork and Sauerkraut Recipe (5)

👩🏻‍🍳 Sarah Mock

CEO/Owner/Founder/Culinary Blogger

Sarah Mock is a classically trained Chef and graduate of Johnson & Wales University. A culinary blogger for 14 years Sarah helps the home cook prepare her recipes with professional results.

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    About Sarah Mock

    Sarah Mock is a classically trained Chef and graduate of Johnson & Wales University. A culinary blogger for 14 years Sarah helps the home cook prepare her recipes with professional results.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply

    1. Vickie

      Thank you. I’ve made pork and sauerkraut for years but never seared it first. I followed your recipe with delicious results. Definitely a keeper. Thanks and happy new year!

      Reply

    2. Vickie

      Looks great. What is the oven temperature? Thanks

      Reply

      • Sarah

        I guess a temperature would be helpful! Thanks for pointing it out Vickie. I have updated the post and the recipe card. 375

        Reply

    Oven Roasted Pork and Sauerkraut Recipe (2024)

    FAQs

    Should you bake a pork roast covered or uncovered? ›

    Roasting is a dry method of cooking, so you'll get the crispiest, most flavourful exterior by using a rack set on a shallow pan, and roasting uncovered. Searing creates the same effect: pan-sear the roast in a bit of olive oil in an ovenproof pan on the stovetop, and then pop the pan into the oven to finish cooking.

    Do I need to sear pork roast before roasting? ›

    The goal of any pork loin roast should be two-fold: a crisp crust and a rosy, juicy interior. Skipping a pan sear before roasting all but guarantees you'll miss out on the former.

    Does pork roast get softer the longer it cooks? ›

    And since overcooking shrinks meat fibers and squeezes our juices, overcooked pork is tough and dry.

    Is it better to sear a pork roast before slow cooking? ›

    Yes! You don't have to, but I'm happier with the results of this recipe when I take the time to sear it in advance. Here's what happens when you sear the meat first: The seared exterior of the meat helps lock moisture into the pork roast, keeping it juicy and tender as it cooks slowly for several hours.

    How do you keep a pork roast from drying out in the oven? ›

    Instructions
    1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
    2. Rub entire pork roast with olive oil. ...
    3. Place pork in roasting pan fat side up.
    4. Cook for 10 minutes.
    5. Lower heat to 350 degrees F and cook for 20 per pound until the internal temperature reads 145 degrees F.
    Feb 19, 2020

    What liquid should I cook pork in? ›

    Pour 1 1/2 cups liquid, such as low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth, tomato juice, light or amber beer, white or red wine, orange juice, or a mix of several liquids (and optional liquid smoke) over the pork. The pork should be only partially submerged, with some of the pork remaining above the surface of the liquid.

    Should you oil pork before roasting? ›

    Drizzle the olive oil over the pork rind and the meat, rubbing it in with your fingers for best results (if you need more oil, add more). Season the rind with a generous amount of sea salt (about 1 tablespoon). Transfer pork to a roasting dish and roast for 50 minutes, or until the rind crackles.

    Do you put water in a roasting pan for pork? ›

    Slow-Roast It All Day

    Then put a roasting rack into the roasting pan, unwrap your pork, and nestle it onto the rack. Before you put the pork in the oven, pour a cup or two of water into the bottom of whatever pan you're using—just enough to completely cover the surface—then cover the roast completely with foil.

    What temperature to cook pork in the oven? ›

    Pre-heat oven to 325F (165C). Bake pork chops in the oven for approximately 30 MINUTES, flipping at the 15-minute mark. Or until internal temperature reaches 155F (68C), rested to a final 160F (71C).

    How do you keep pork moist when baking? ›

    How to Keep Pork Chops from Drying Out? Brine Them! After you bring your pork chops home, time to brine! Brining pork chops is one of the best ways way to guarantee a juicy cooked pork chop.

    Why is my pork roast always tough? ›

    1. One of the main factors contributing to a dry pork roast is overcooking, which causes the muscle fibers to contract and release their natural juices — even if it's cooked just a couple of minutes too long. This mistake is often a result of the fear of undercooking pork for safety reasons.

    Do you season pork roast before or after searing? ›

    Yes, it's a good idea to season the pork roast with salt, pepper, and any other desired spices before searing. This will help to create a flavorful crust on the outside of the roast.

    Do you have to brown a pork roast before putting it in the oven? ›

    Searing (quickly browning at high heat) the outside of a pork roast before continuing with cooking is a great way to seal in flavor. Roasts should have a hint of pink in the centre after cooking.

    Should I brown my pork roast before slow cooking? ›

    Preparing the pork

    I also recommend browning the meat slightly prior to slow cooking which will help maximise the flavour. However, this is a step that can be left out if you don't have enough time.

    Is it better to cook a roast covered or uncovered? ›

    When cooking a roast in the oven, keep it uncovered until roasted to the desired doneness. After removing from the oven, tent with foil and let stand 15 minutes before carving. This allows the juices to redistribute, preventing them from draining out during carving—and preventing dry, disappointing meat.

    At what temperature should a pork roast be cooked? ›

    Cook pork, roasts, and chops to 145 ºF as measured with a food thermometer before removing meat from the heat source, with a three-minute rest time before carving or consuming.

    What is the rule for cooking pork roast? ›

    Turn the oven to 180°C and cook for 30-35 minutes per kg, depending on how well you like your roast cooked. Once cooked, let the roast rest for 10 minutes before slicing. One of the most important things when cooking a pork roast, is to dry off the rind as much as possible before you start cooking.

    How long should pork roast sit out before cooking? ›

    Meat should sit at room temperature before cooking for best results. Smaller cuts may only need to temper at room temperature for 10 - 15 minutes, while large cuts such as roasts may need to temper for at least 1 hour and up to 3 hours before cooking.

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