How to Make Sauerkraut in a Crock Customizable Master Recipe

How to Make Sauerkraut in a Crock: Choosing the Best Crock

How to make sauerkraut in a crock starts with making sure you have a good crock! Here’s a guide to help you select a good fermentation crock, whether you’re buying new or thrifting:

• Lead-Free Ceramic Glaze: Ensure the crock is made with lead-free ceramic glaze. Lead can leach into food and pose health risks, so it’s crucial to use a safe, non-toxic glaze.
• Size Options: Select a crock size that suits your fermentation needs. Common sizes range from 1 to 5 gallons. A smaller crock (1-2 gallons) is ideal for fermenting batches for families with 2-4 people. A larger crock (3-5 gallons) is better for bigger families and sharing your sauerkraut with friends. Sauerkraut stores well in the fridge, so no matter which size you choose, transferring it to jars to store in the refrigerator is a great option.
• Condition and Seals: When thrifting old crocks, check for cracks or chips, as these can affect the fermentation process. Cracks and chips can harbor unwanted microorganisms in the porous ceramic and mess up fermentation.
• Shape and Design: A traditional fermenting crock typically has a wide mouth and fitted heavy weights to help keep vegetables submerged. The shape should allow easy packing and weight distribution to ensure even fermentation.

By paying attention to these factors, you can find a ceramic crock that will provide a reliable and effective fermentation environment for your sauerkraut. Click here to purchase a 2-gallon crock exactly like mine from Haselmayer Goods.

Ceramic fermentation crocks come with two primary types of lids:

The first type is the water-sealing lid, which features a rim that fits into a water-filled channel. This design creates an airtight seal, preventing oxygen from entering and ensuring that carbon dioxide can escape. This setup can help maintain an anaerobic environment at the brine air interface. Generally, this type of lid is not necessary. If everything, including the fermentation weight, stays submerged, you’ll have an anaerobic environment below the brine, and that’s what matters.

The second type is the flat lid, which rests directly on the top of the crock. While it doesn’t create a water seal, it keeps contaminants out, prevents evaporation, and maintains a stable fermentation environment. This is the type of lid I have. With it, I also use a tight weave cloth to prevent fruit flies from getting in. You can secure the fabric under the lid or over it, whichever you prefer. The key is not to overfill the crock, or the fabric will get wet with brine.

Ceramic Fermentation Crock Weights

While you can use various things for weights when fermenting large batches of sauerkraut, it is best to use an unglazed ceramic weight fit to your crock for best results. These weights are designed to be dense and heavy enough to submerge the large volume of cabbage. Here are links to weights for the most common crock sizes:

• 1-gallon crock weight
• 2-gallon crock weight
• 3-gallon crock weight
• 5-gallon crock weight

To clean and prepare the weight, especially if thrifted, soak it in high-salinity salt water (10%) overnight, then rinse with hot water before use. If you buy a crock where I got mine from, Haselmayer Goods, it comes with a weight.

How to Make Sauerkraut in a Crock: Choosing the Best Cabbage

I always suggest starting with one (or a mix) of my three favorite cabbages when learning how to make sauerkraut in a crock.

• Green Cabbage:
  • Texture: Crisp and sturdy leaves hold up well during fermentation.
  • Flavor: Mild and slightly sweet, providing a balanced taste in sauerkraut.
  • Availability: It is widely available, affordable, and easy to grow at home, making it a popular choice for home fermenters.
• Napa Cabbage:
  • Texture: Tender and more delicate leaves that ferment quickly, resulting in a softer sauerkraut.
  • Flavor: Mild and slightly sweeter than green cabbage, adding a unique, subtle flavor.
  • Versatility: Often used in Asian-inspired recipes, bringing a different dimension to traditional sauerkraut.
• Savoy Cabbage:
  • Texture: Slightly crinkled leaves with a tender texture that works well for a more nuanced sauerkraut.
  • Flavor: Mild and slightly earthy, with a complex taste profile that can enhance the depth of the sauerkraut.
  • Appearance: Attractive, textured leaves add visual appeal and variety to your fermented creations.

Each of these cabbages brings distinct qualities to sauerkraut, allowing you to experiment with different flavors and textures while still achieving consistent results. Be sure to harvest or purchase cabbages with lovely outer leaves and save the outer leaves. You’ll use these to secure all the shredded cabbage under the fermentation weight.

How many pounds of cabbage do you need for a 5-gallon crock? (and the other sizes too?)

Here is my master list of how much cabbage you’ll need for different crock sizes. These amounts assume you will be adding 20% other vegetables or fruit (see paragraph below this one). They are also rounded up a bit from the recipes to account for discarding the cabbage cores.

• 1-Gallon Crock:
  • Cabbage Needed: 1,800 grams (about 4 pounds)
• 2-Gallon Crock:
  • Cabbage Needed: 3,600 grams (about 8 pounds)
• 3-Gallon Crock:
  • Cabbage Needed: 5,400 grams (about 12 pounds)
• 5-Gallon Crock:
  • Cabbage Needed: 9,000 grams (about 20 pounds)

How to Make Sauerkraut in a Crock—Recipe Composition and Variations

When making sauerkraut, it’s essential to get the right balance of ingredients to ensure proper fermentation and flavor. Here’s a simple way to understand the composition of making sauerkraut in a crock.

The Ideal Composition of Ingredients:

• Cabbage: 65% of the total weight
• Water: 15% of the total weight
• Veg/Fruit Addition 1: 10% of the total weight
• Veg/Fruit Addition 2: 10% of the total weight
• Add 2.5% salt to the total mixture

Veg/fruit additions 1 and 2 are your opportunity to customize the recipe! Choose any veg or fruit you want to add in. I have a list of all my favorite sauerkraut add-ins in the blog section below, so check that out if you need ideas.

If you want to make plain sauerkraut, add more cabbage as your veg/fruit 1 and 2.

You can add a moderate amount of dry spices without changing the recipe.

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Using this ideal composition of ingredients, I’ve created a list of master recipes for each crock size, so no matter which size you have, you can quickly learn how to make sauerkraut in a crock:

1-Gallon Crock

• Total Weight (without salt): 2,750 grams
• Cabbage (65%): 1,787.5 grams
• Water (15%): 412.5 grams
• Veg/Fruit Addition 1 (10%): 275 grams
• Veg/Fruit Addition 2 (10%): 275 grams
• Salt (2.5% of total weight): 2,750 grams x 0.025 = 68.75 grams

2-Gallon Crock

• Total Weight (without salt): 5,500 grams
• Cabbage (65%): 3,575 grams
• Water (15%): 825 grams
• Veg/Fruit Addition 1 (10%): 550 grams
• Veg/Fruit Addition 2 (10%): 550 grams
• Salt (2.5% of total weight): 5,500 grams x 0.025 = 137.5 grams

3-Gallon Crock

• Total Weight (without salt): 8,250 grams
• Cabbage (65%): 5,362.5 grams
• Water (15%): 1,237.5 grams
• Veg/Fruit Addition 1 (10%): 825 grams
• Veg/Fruit Addition 2 (10%): 825 grams
• Salt (2.5% of total weight): 8,250 grams x 0.025 = 206.25 grams

5-Gallon Crock

• Total Weight (without salt): 13,750 grams
• Cabbage (65%): 8,937.5 grams
• Water (15%): 2,062.5 grams
• Veg/Fruit Addition 1 (10%): 1,375 grams
• Veg/Fruit Addition 2 (10%): 1,375 grams
• Salt (2.5% of total weight): 13,750 grams x 0.025 = 343.75 grams

For any other crock size variations, use one of the recipes above and double it. For example, if you have a 4-gallon crock, double the 2-gallon recipe. If you have a 6-gallon crock, double the 3-gallon recipe.

My favorite add-ins when making sauerkraut in a crock

The best part of learning how to make sauerkraut in a crock with my master recipe is the customization! You get to choose two vegetables or fruits to make up 20% of the sauerkraut. Don’t forget, if you want to make plain sauerkraut, add more cabbage as your veg/fruit 1 and 2. Also, you can add a moderate amount of dry spices without changing the recipe.

Here are some of my favorite combinations:

• Leek and Celery
• Apple and Celery
• Garlic and Jalapeno
• Carrot and Golden Beet
• Radish and Leek
• Carrot and Green Onions
• Bok Choy and Bell Pepper

How to Make Sauerkraut in a Crock FAQ

What is the Ratio of Salt to Cabbage for Sauerkraut?

When learning how to make sauerkraut in a crock, salt concentration is the most essential part. The ideal ratio of salt for sauerkraut is 2.5% added to the total of all water-containing ingredients (or 2.44% total salt concentration). For reference, this is about 1% less salty than seawater.

Example Breakdown for a 2-Gallon Crock:

• Total Weight (without salt): 5,500 grams
  • The Ingredient Breakdown:
    • Cabbage: 65% of 5,500 grams = 3,575 grams of cabbage
    • Water: 15% of 5,500 grams = 825 grams of water
    • Veg/Fruit Addition 1: 10% of 5,500 grams = 550 grams of celery
    • Veg/Fruit Addition 2: 10% of 5,500 grams = 550 grams of leeks
  • Salt: 2.5% of 5,500 grams = 137.5 grams

How do you know when sauerkraut is ready?

You will know your sauerkraut is ready when:

• There are no more bubbles
• The brine is cloudy (but there’s no mold growth or anything on the surface of the brine)
• The cabbage has turned to a muted green color
• It smells pleasantly sour; there are no gaseous or soapy smells
• It tastes salty, savory, sour, and delicious

How long can you leave sauerkraut in a crock?

You can transfer your sauerkraut to jars for refrigeration and begin eating it after 21-28 days of fermentation at room temperature in the crock.

Why is my Sauerkraut Mushy?

Sauerkraut turns mushy from pounding and massaging the chopped cabbage too much. This is why my sauerkraut recipes call for the addition of water. I do not like mushy sauerkraut, so adding water means I do not need to excessively pound and massage it to release the juices.

What do I do while it ferments for 21 days?

• Open up the crock once a day to:
  • Make sure everything stays submerged
  • Ensure the sides and lid are clean; give the lid a rinse if necessary
  • Press down on the fermentation weight with your clean hands to release the gasses from the cabbage shreds
• If using a crock with a flat lid:
  • Secure a tight-weave cloth under or over the flat lid with a rubber band or twine to prevent fruit flies
  • You should probably secure a tight-weave fabric cloth over a water-sealing crock lid too.

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