Choucroute Garnie de Alsace

I have lots of great recipes for pork, which is a very versatile meat. Pigs that are raised these days are naturally lean and have less fat than it did even 5 years ago, also, any cut of pork can be flavoured with anything, similar to chicken. This makes pork a great alternative to having chicken every night of the week.
One of my favorite winter meals is Choucroute Garnie de Alsace, a dish that incorporates many cuts of pork, smoked pork chops, or ham hocks, bacon, bratwurst and knockwurst sausage and kielbasa, along with pickled cabbage and white wine. This dish is terrific if you are having lots of people over for a Brazilian night, which features many kinds of meat, served in portions until you are full a great celebration of the marriage of French and German cuisines!
Many of you know that we have been going to South Carolina for at least 35 years, I mention that because there were many seafood all you can eat buffet style, but only one seafood restaurant that served you any seafood menu item a potion at a time until you were full. This certainly saved the immense waste of food, but also allowed you to try different seafood items you may never have had the nerve to try like frogs legs and alligator. As well, the seafood was freshly made to order, instead of waiting under heat lamps drying it out! That was the Seafood version of Brazilian night! This then is my take on this fabulous dish,

Choucroute Garnie de Alsace

2 medium sized smoked ham hocks or small bone-in ham
1 pound fully cooked bratwurst
1/2 pound bacon, cut into lardons
2 large onions, chopped, 1/4 inch dice
2 stalks celery, chopped 1/4 inch dice
2 carrots julienned
1 cup shredded savoy cabbage
1 teaspoon juniper berries (optional)
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
10 whole cloves
8-10 whole allspice berries
3 bay leaves
1 red delicious apples, cored and sliced
2 Granny Smith apples, cored and sliced
2-22 ounce jars wine sourkraut, drained and rinsed twice, then squeezed dry
1 pound knockwurst, cut into 2 inch pieces
2 pounds kielbasa, cut into 2 inch pieces
2 cups Riesling wine
2 pounds small red skinned potatoes
1/2 cup fresh parsley
Assorted mustards
Prepared Horseradish or horseradish sauce
The following can be prepared ahead:
Place ham hocks in a saucepan, cover with water by 2 inches, bring to a boil, boil for 5 minutes, skim the foam that rises, turn down heat and simmer for 1-1/2 hours, or til tender. Remove ham hocks from water, let cool, boil the cooking liquid until it is reduced to 2 cups, about 15 minutes. Remove meat from the bones, Discard bones, put ham in a covered container, put the reduced stock into another covered container, at this point you can refridgerate both until the next day.
In a heavy Dutch oven 5 quarts, on medium high heat, cook the bacon lardons until crispy, remove, add the bratwurst, brown all sides, remove, place bot bacon and bratwurst in the container with the ham hock meat. Sauté the onions and spices next, cook and stir for 3-4 minutes, until the onions are softening and you can start to smell the spices, add the apples, celery, carrots and cabbage next, cook and stir for 2-3 minutes to coat with all of the bacon drippings and mix all ingredients together. Add the sourkraut, mix everything together, now add all of the meat: ham hock, bacon, bratwurst, knockwurst, kielbasa, press down to submerge the meat into the veg, add the reserved broth and the wine, bring to a boil, boil for 10 minutes. Cover and bake at 325 degrees F for 1-1/2 hours. Meanwhile put small potatoes into a pot cover with cold water, cook until tender, drain, return to pot, add 1/4 cup butter and a few fresh parsley leaves, arrange meat and vegetables on a large platter, place cooked potatoes around the meat and veggie arrangement, serve with a variety of mustards, horseradish and/or horseradish sauce.