This recipe is over 50 years old. My husband wanted me to make his grandmother’s sauerkraut but she didn’t have the recipe written down. I went over her house and tried to write everything down as she did it. There was no measuring or any specific details!
Over the years, I have experimented with this recipe by using genuine Polish sauerkraut in a jar – the kind you don’t have to rinse. Much better! Take note that you never cook the onion and the bacon in a single pan together. I don’t know what kind of chemical reaction is going on there, but it just doesn’t work.
I have also upped the bacon to a whole pound, and I add a stick or two of sliced smoked kielbasa. I normally make it in a crock pot now (after making the onions and bacon on the stove), but the last time I made it, I used an Instant Pot and it was probably the best sauerkraut I’ve ever made.
A Polish neighbor of mine (Christina) pretty much follows this recipe but she uses one fresh head of cabbage cooked then adds it to the store bought sauerkraut base. She also shreds in some carrots. Very yummy.