New Years Good Luck Pork and Sauerkraut

Want to Learn How to Cook New Years Good Luck Pork & Sauerkraut?

New Years Dinner is your first meal for the new year and this Good Luck Pork has always been my on my menu for years. Being from Pennsylvania this pork is a tradition for many families over the years. I am not superstitious but I have to say, the good luck part has been good to me so I cannot break from tradition.

Sauerkraut is one of those tastes that is acquired and typically is a topping for hot dogs, sausage, brats, kielbasa and definitely pairs well with pork. Since the pork gets sweet as you cook it, the flavors play well with the tangy sauerkraut.

Cooking this Pork Roast couldn’t be any easier and using one pot makes for easy clean up.

Prepping Your Boneless Pork Shoulder for Cooking

Boneless Pork Shoulder is the way to go beings it has a higher fat content than pork tenderloin. Typically you can find a pork shoulder at the grocery store wrapped in netting to keep it together as it cooks. This is exactly how I keep it throughout the cooking in my cast iron pot.

Take out a cast iron dutch oven, like my Le Creuset 8qt Dutch Oven and heat it over medium high heat. Once the pot is heated, add some olive oil to coat the bottom of the pot and sear your netted pork shoulder on all sides with a pinch of salt and pepper. This is crucial for building flavors into the pot for the long and low cooking in the oven. Once browned on all side remove and set aside on a plate.

New Years Good Luck Pork Dinner

Time for the Sauerkraut

Since I learned to love Sauerkraut, I use 4lbs of it in my pot to totally surround that pork to trap in the flavors. If you are not a fan of it or just trying this out for the first time, you can pour out the sauerkraut juices before adding it to the pot and add chicken stock or water to replace it. We do need liquid in the pot.

Now on to building the flavor in the pot. I dice up 1 large Apple and use half of the apples to deglaze the pot. Put half of the apples into the pot and add 1/2 cup of white wine and scrap all the bits and bobs from the bottom and sides that the pork left.

Next, add one bag of sauerkraut to the pot (or half if only using one) to make a nest for the pork. Then lay the pork shoulder on the sauerkraut and scrap all juices from the plate into it. Then layer the rest of the kraut on top of the pork and remaining apples.

Let’s Get Cooking this New Years Pork

Preheat your oven to 325F and once the oven is at temp, put the lid on your pot and place it in the oven for 4-5 hours. Cooking this low and slow is the key to tenderness. Check the pork at around 3-4 hours with a fork and see if you can flake the pork – this is what you want. Fork tender. Once it reaches this point, you have about an hour left, remove the lid and cook for an hour to get a golden brown “crust” on the top of the pork and kraut.

Thats it! Serve with mashed potatoes and your favorite side dishes and have Good Luck all year long! Happy New Year!

New Years Day Pork

How To Cook New Years Pork and Sauerkraut Recipe Below

New Years Good Luck Pork and Sauerkraut
Yield: 5

How To Make New Years Pork & Sauerkraut For Good Luck

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 5 hours
Additional Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 6 hours 30 minutes

New Years Pork & Sauerkraut has been my go-to New Years Dinner tradition for years. Something so simple goes together in one pot and brings Good Luck all year long. If you have not tried this before, its worth the little trouble to prepare and be rewarded with Good Luck.

Ingredients

  • 3-4lb Boneless Pork Shoulder
  • 2-4lbs of Sauerkraut ( I like it so I used 4lbs)
  • 1 Large Apple Diced
  • 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • Salt & Pepper
  • 1/2 Cup Dry White Wine

Instructions

Prepping the Boneless Pork Shoulder Roast

When shopping for a Boneless Pork Roast, opt for one that is netted which helps keep the the roast together. 3-4lbs is the perfect size for this recipe. I love pork simmered in a cast iron pot for hours, it just gets super tender. Take out your roast and allow it lose its chill from the refrigerator while you heat up the cast iron pot.

Take out a cast iron pot or dutch oven, this will ensure that the heat is kept just right through cooking low and slow. I used my Le Crueset Dutch oven my lovely wife bought for me for an anniversary gift a few years ago. (yes I know so romantic lol). Heat the pot over medium heat for about 5-10 minutes and prep to sear this roast beautifully.

Once the pot is heated, add some olive oil to coat the bottom of the pot and slowly place the netted pork into the pot. Salt & Pepper the roast and allow it to sear on all sides to get a nice crust. I particularly pay more attention to the fattier side to allow it to render down and add that lovely flavor.

Time for the Sauerkraut!

Now that the pork has been seared and adding a bunch of lovely flavors to the pot its time to take it out so we can deglaze the pan. What I like to do is drop half of the apple cubes into the pot, use a little white wine to deglaze the bottom scraping up all the bits and bobs from the pot before adding in the Sauerkraut.

Quick tip: If you like the flavors of Sauerkraut you can just dump the bag of kraut into the pot at this point. If you want to knock the bite down a bit, just drain the bag of sauerkraut juices first, and add a cup or two of water or chicken broth to the pot.

Layer the sauerkraut in the pot to make a little nest for the pork and turn the heat down to medium. At this point you should have a perfect bed to lay that pork on top of. Since I am using two bags of kraut, I use one bag for the bottom, place my pork on top, then layer the second bag on top with the remaining apple cubes. Smells Amazing BTW!

You want just enough liquid to cover the pork but it should still be above the water liquid line.

Time to Cook the New Years Pork

Now that you have the pot assembled, it's time to get this into the oven.

Preheat your oven to 325F, once it reaches temperature place the lid on the pot and place it into the oven. Cooking times will vary based on your oven and pot, but plan on 4-5 hours. When you can use a fork and poke into the pork, it should start to flake some and you know it's about done. I check around 4 hours, if its ready, I remove the lid from the pot and cook it for another hour to allow it to reduce a bit and form a golden color.

That's it ! Once the New Years Pork is done, remove from the pot, remove the netting and serve. I like to make mashed potatoes or cheesy potatoes for my sides.

Enjoy this recipe as I have been making this every year for years and it always comes out great! Good Luck & Happy New Year!

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram

Skip to Recipe

Pin It on Pinterest