So you remember that Fermenting Crockpot from a previous post?
Well, we've finally put it to good use. The water seal on these works really well….except for the periodic "bloop" of gases escaping from what you're storing in the crock. After a couple of days it stops.
I gotta say, I had to block the Missus form actually opening this too soon to "to just have a peek" or to "make sure it isn't rotting". You just have to chill and let nature do its thing.
I could get all scientific on you, but lets just say this turned out real well.
As a whole 6 grams per kilo of kosher salt massaged into finely sliced cabbage. We packed it tightly into the crock. We used food service gloves for the task. We placed the stone weights on the well packed cabbage and pressed down firmly. The Missus didn't feel real comfortable with the amount of liquid. Luckily we had that covered. We had boiled up a liter of purified water with 6 grams of kosher salt which we then cooled in a sterilized container. We used this to top off the liquid, making sure to fully cover the cabbage. The temps seemed right the last couple of weeks.
10 days later I was sterilizing Ball Jars and packing tightly with cabbage……viola, sauerkraut. For some reason, the Missus loves this stuff…to the tune of a large jar a week! Me, well, I like it on something like the beer braised-seared bratwurst on a pretzel bun with whole grain mustard…..
The Missus? Well, She's keeping a tight reign on our inventory and is itching for our next fermentation project. This was a fun first project. What's next? Suan Cai perhaps?
Thanks for reading!