Slow Cooker Apples & Sauerkraut (with Bacon & Beer!)

Ingredients

• 2 quarts homemade sauerkraut
• 4 apples (sweet, like honeycrisp)
• 1 lb bacon
• ½ cup beer (we used Rogue Hazelnut Brown with great results)
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons caraway seeds
• 2 teaspoons anise seeds
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon, powdered
• ¼ teaspoon cloves, powdered

Caramelized Onions

• 1 sweet white onion
• 4 oz beer
• 2 tablespoon brown sugar

Directions

Apples, beer and bacon are what make this kraut recipe the one that you're going to want to serve for Thanksgiving this year. For a heartier version, add in homemade brats. 

1. Step One | Caramelize Onions Use a Mandoline Slicer to slice the onion thin. Place caramelized onion ingredients into your Slow Cooker and cook 10 hours on low. Alternatively, you can make them on the stove over low heat in 30-40 minutes, but you'll need to stir often and ensure they don't stick to the pan.
2. Step Two | Bake Bacon Preheat your oven to 400°F.  Place a Baking Mat over your baking sheet and lay out the bacon slices. Bake for 15 minutes at 400. Remove from oven, set bacon aside, and pour a tablespoon of the bacon grease from the mat into the slow cooker. Making bacon on a Baking Mat in the oven will ensure some of the most perfectly crispy bacon you've ever enjoyed. After baking, you can toss the baking mat in the dishwasher and be done with cleanup.
3. Step Three | Slice Apples Use an Apple Peeler to core & slice your apples. We like to keep the peels on for this recipe, so we locked back the peeling blade.
4. Step Four | Combine Leaving the caramelized onions in the Slow Cooker, add in sauerkraut, apples, beer, spices, and half of the bacon. Cook on low 4-6 hours, until the apples are soft.

When you're ready to serve, crumble the other half of the bacon over the kraut for a crispy topping.