Beer-braised pork with sauerkraut

Ingredients:

• 450 g garlic sausage or knackwurst, cut into 8 cm long pieces
• 450 g bratwurst or veal sausage, cut into 8 cm long pieces
• 4 thin boneless smoked pork chops (or 8 very small smoked pork cutlets boneless)
• 2 pork knuckles (make cuts in the skin)
• 900 g fresh or canned sauerkraut
• 4 tbsp (60 g) butter or duck, chicken or goose fat
• 110 g applewood-smoked bacon, sliced ​​1 cm thick
• 3 medium-sized onions, peeled and cut into rings
• 4 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1.5 tsp black peppercorns
• 8 lightly crushed juniper berries
• 1 head of garlic, cut in half crosswise
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups dark or amber beer
• Creole, whole grain, or Dijon mustard for serving

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 160°C.
   
   Place the sauerkraut in a colander and rinse briefly to remove some of the salt from the brine. Don't rinse it too long, or it will lose much of its flavor. (If the cabbage isn't too salty, use it as is.) Squeeze to remove most of the excess liquid.
   
   In a large nonreactive skillet, melt 3 tablespoons (45 grams) of butter over medium-low heat and add the bacon. Cook until most of the fat has rendered, about 4 minutes. Add the onion and continue to cook until softened, but not browned, 8 to 10 minutes.
2. Transfer the bacon and onion mixture to a non-reactive baking dish or large roasting pan. Add the drained cabbage and toss. Use a small piece of cheesecloth to make a bouquet garni of thyme, bay leaves, black peppercorns, juniper berries, and garlic. Place it in the baking dish. Add the shanks, chicken broth, and beer, and toss to combine. Cover the dish and roast, without stirring, until the shanks are almost tender, about 1.5 hours.
3. Meanwhile, melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over high heat and brown the sausage on both sides. Then brown the pork chops.
   
   When the shanks are almost tender, remove the pan from the oven. Place the sausage on top of the cabbage. If the liquid has evaporated by less than 2/3, add a little more water. Cover the pan and return it to the oven. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the sausage is tender and heated through. Add the pork chops, place them on top of the cabbage, and press them down. Cover and return the pan to the oven. Bake until the pork chops are heated through and tender, about 30 more minutes.
   
   Remove the pan from the oven and discard the bouquet garni. Serve immediately, topping each serving with a sausage of each type, a portion of the knuckle, a portion of the pork chop, and some cabbage. Serve with mustard.