Cooking With Beer – Founders Scotch Ale Sausage & Kraut

(Courtesy Founders Brewing)

Festive foods take on new meaning when made with serious craft beer, especially slow-cooked Polish sausage and sauerkraut!

This tasty recipe comes from Founders Brewing whose brewery and taproom is nestled in an area of downtown Grand Rapids, just a few steps from a large Polish neighborhood where the kielbasa is magical and sauerkraut is king.

And in a nod to that neighborhood, the brewery’s culinary food guru, Justin Golinski, has prepared a kielbasa and sauerkraut masterpiece, that begins and ends with Founders Dirty Bastard, an 8.5% ABV malt-forward Scotch Ale with hints of smoke and peat that make their way into the dish.

“So, this one requires a little bit of legwork. The first step is finding a reputable source for kielbasa, said Justin, here in Grand Rapids, we have many authentic meat counters to choose from. If you aren’t local, head to your nearest trusty butcher or at least splurge on something decent at your grocery store.”

Founders Dirty Bastard Kielbasa & Sauerkraut

Ingredients

• 1lb smoked kielbasa-1 pound (sliced to bite-size)
• 2lbs rinsed sauerkraut
• 1 large julienned sweet yellow onion
• 1 stick of butter
• 2 or 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary
• 1 Founders Dirty Bastard Scotch Ale – 12oz bottle
• Fresh ground black pepper (to taste)

Directions

• In a cast iron skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and begin to sweat the onion.
• When the butter and onion begin to brown, add the smoked kielbasa. Keep an eye on everything and keep everything moving so you don’t burn the butter.
• When the kielbasa starts to sweat, cool it down by adding the sauerkraut.
• Add the full bottle of Dirty Bastard into the mix.
• Cover for a couple of minutes.
• Uncover and add rosemary and black pepper (to taste).
• Begin to freak out about how amazing it smells.
• Stir and serve. Yes!

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(All image credits: Founders Brewing)