Improved Sauerkraut Recipe, Method, and Tools

I've been perfecting my recipe, method, and kitchen tools for making homemade sauerkraut. Even though it seemed easy at first, the details really matter in making the preparation easier and the ultimate flavor and texture better. Follow these steps for the ultimate, repeatable homemade sauerkraut.

Tools

• Large knife
• Large mixing bowl
• Kitchen scale ideally in grams
• Cuisinart with slicing disk
• Quart size wide mouth mason jar
• Silicone wide mouth mason jar seal (like these on Amazon)
• Wide mouth mason jar lid (I prefer plastic ones like these which are cheaper at Target than Amazon)
• Potato masher
• Push stick (I use a blender stirrer)

Ingredients

• Minimum 2 1/4lb head of cabbage with goal of having 900g (2lbs) clean, sliced cabbage
• 20g kosher salt (1 tbsp + 1 tsp)

Directions

• Remove any dirty outer leaves from the cabbage and slice the cabbage in half and then each half in half to create quarters. 
• Wash the cabbage segments with the root end still intact to help keep the cabbage together and shake to drain out the water. Remove the root end from each quarter segment with a diagonal cut.
• Cut each segment into thirds or quarters so it fits in the Cuisinart shoot. Cutting just in half will likely leave too big of a piece.
• With the slicing disk on the Cuisinart, run each piece of cabbage through to create fine slices. It may require emptying the sliced cabbage into the mixing bowl once or twice to create space.
• Using the scale, keep 900g of cabbage in the mixing bowl. I measure the weight of the empty bowl first in grams since it is easier to measure 900g plus the weight of the bowl. Any leftover cabbage can be stored in a container to use in salads or other recipes during the week.
• Add the 20g of kosher salt to the 900g of sliced cabbage. You need to a minimum of 2% weight of salt to safely preserve. You could go as high as 3% (27g) but I prefer less salt. 
• Now it's time to massage and beat up the cabbage. This helps create a softer finished texture to the sauerkraut, allows more cabbage to fit in the jar, and creates enough liquid to cover the cabbage when in the jar.
• I like using my hands at first to massage and squeeze the cabbage and salt until the salt is dissolved and the cabbage begins to lose its sturdiness. Then I switch to the potato masher to smash the cabbage into the bottom of the bowl and extrude the moisture. 
• If you have more patience, you can mix in the salt to the cabbage and just wait 20-30 minutes for the salt to naturally soften and breakdown the cabbage. Then you can use your hands or the masher to finish the job.
• Now add the softened cabbage to the mason jar using a spoon or your hands. After adding 3-4 scoops, take a pause and use the push stick to push the cabbage down in the jar. Keep following these steps until all the cabbage is in the jar. 
• At the end, in may be easier to use the back of your hand to push the cabbage down instead of the push stick. The goal is to have the cabbage as tightly packed as possible in the jar and the moisture to sit on top. Be sure to pour any leftover moisture in the bowl to the top of the cabbage.
• Grab the silicon seal and bend it into the jar while keeping it above the cabbage. Push it down into the cabbage so the cabbage sits below and the moisture sits above. The bend of the mason jar should keep the silicon lid in place. 
• It is important that the moisture stays above the seal and the cabbage stays below. If you need more moisture, mix a water solution with 2% salt using filtered, spring water (not tap water because of chlorine) to add to the top of the cabbage. If the silicone lid isn't pressing down into the cabbage, add a weight like a clean rock or small Ziploc bag filled with water to push the lid down.
• Make sure there is an inch of space at the very top of the jar because the fermentation process will create bubbles which will increase the water level and may spill over. I like putting my jar on a small plate or bowl while fermenting to catch any spillover.
• Top the jar with the lid but keep it loosely screwed because the fermentation gas will need to escape. 
• Wait 48 hours (2 days) for the fermentation process to complete. Give it a taste and if it's sour enough, you can stop. If you want it more sour, you can let it ferment for up to 96 hours (4 days).
• Once done fermenting, remove the silicon seal. You still want the cabbage to sit in the moisture but it no longer needs to be below the moisture. Put the lid back on and keep refrigerated when not using. Be sure to use it up in a month although it may last even longer.