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How to Make Sauerkraut at Home – It’s Easier Than You Think

✇Barbecuebible.com
By: John William White
7 November 2025 at 06:00

The running joke in my family – which I unabashedly perpetuate – is that I’m of German descent – though, admittedly, my blood runs Irish green. Despite that, I do love German cuisine, especially, this time of year when there’s a cool nip in the air and an increasing amount of Octoberfest beer on the shelves of my local package goods store.

Knowing my penchant for all-things-Teutonic (and relating to the aforementioned running joke), my sister recently bought me a Sauerkraut-making-kit thinking that; a) it’ll be fun; b) the end result will be better than store-bought and; c) it’s so easy that even I could do it!

Having no alternative, I accepted the challenge – and in sharing my experience here, perhaps you will too.

Tools You’ll Need

To begin, here’s what you’ll need:

Homemade Sauerkraut Recipe Equipment

Homemade Sauerkraut Recipe

For the Sauerkraut, you’ll need:

  • 1 head of Cabbage (more if you’d like to make a bigger batch)
  • Kosher salt (2% of the shredded cabbage’s weight)

And the basic procedure is as follows:

  1. Shred or slice the cabbage (thickness is your preference)
  2. Mix the sliced cabbage in a bowl with salt (2% of weight of cabbage) until slightly watery

    Example: My cabbage weighed 640 grams, so I used approx. 13 grams of salt

    Note: Crush, squeeze and mix the cabbage with the salt until slightly watery (2- to 5-minutes)

    Cabbage in a bowl

  3. Place in Ball Jar (a little bit at a time) and use Muddler to compress until juice is above cabbage
    Compress into a jar
  4. Cover cabbage/salt mixture with the fermentation weight(s), or weigh down with pinch bowl
  5. Cover the jar with the fermentation lid and let set un-refrigerated
  6. Fermentation takes about 2-weeks – but feel free to taste every few days until the sauerkraut is to your liking.

Fermentation

Like I said, so easy a caveman can do it!

Have fun – and look for my next post in a few weeks to see how my Sauerkraut turned out.

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Sauerkraut: Frequently Asked Questions

What ingredients do I need for homemade sauerkraut?
Just cabbage and kosher salt. Use about 2% salt by the cabbage’s weight (e.g., 640 g cabbage → ~13 g salt). :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}
What basic tools do I need?
A mixing bowl, scale, jar (e.g., Ball jar), fermentation lid, weights (or a small pinch bowl), and a muddler. A mandoline or sharp knife works for slicing. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}
How do I prep the cabbage?
Shred or slice to your preferred thickness, then massage with the 2% salt until it turns slightly watery (about 2–5 minutes). :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}
How do I pack the jar and keep the cabbage submerged?
Pack cabbage into the jar a little at a time and tamp with a muddler until the brine rises above the cabbage. Add weights (or a pinch bowl) to keep it submerged, then fit the fermentation lid. :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}
How long should I ferment it—and when is it ready?
About two weeks at room temp is typical, but start tasting every few days and stop when the flavor is where you like it. :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}
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