Sauerkraut with Sausages, Bacon, and Pork Shoulder

• How to make your own sausage
• How to braise a shoulder of pork
• How to make your own sauerkraut
• How to make quenelles
• How to cook red cabbage

My first exposure to Sauerkraut was by way of a jar that my father kept in the back of the refrigerator along with his Limburger and Liederkranz—smelly things that the rest of the family wouldn’t touch. As my tastes matured and I realized that some foods taste a lot better than they smell, sauerkraut became an essential accompaniment to beach-picnic hot dogs, its tart crunchiness being the perfect foil for rich porky things. The French, of course, have taken the ballpark frank to their own heights and serve sauerkraut on groaning platters heaped (garnie) with various pork sausages and pork chops and, in elegant places, with such delicacies as duck or goose confit or even foie gras.