Want to make sauerkraut in a wooden barrel rather than a jar? Here is the whole process, from preparing the barrel to shredding, pounding and storing.
What you need
To ferment cabbage in a barrel you need four things: a barrel, a shredder, a tamper and salt.
- white cabbage, heads without the outer leaves,
- non-iodised rock salt,
- a fermenting barrel with a pressing lid,
- a cabbage shredder,
- a cabbage tamper that suits the height of the barrel,
- caraway seeds, if you like them.
Which barrel and which tamper?
Our fermenting barrels are made of fir, with metal hoops. They come in 10, 15 and 25 l.
| Barrel | Height | Tamper |
|---|---|---|
| 10 l | 27 cm | 40 cm |
| 15 l | 31 cm | 60 cm |
| 25 l | 34 cm | 95 cm or 98 cm |
The lid of the 15 l barrel is 27 cm in diameter, smaller than the inside of the barrel. You put it inside, on top of the cabbage, and you can weigh it down from above.
Want everything in one parcel? There is a fermenting set: 65.5 cm shredder, 15 l barrel and 60 cm tamper.
Before fermenting for the first time
Soak the barrel in water so the wood swells and seals, then scald it. A dry barrel may leak until the wood swells.
How to make sauerkraut in a barrel, step by step
- Remove the outer leaves and shred the cabbage on the shredder. On models with a drawer, the drawer keeps your fingers away from the blades.
- Put the shredded cabbage in a bowl, add the salt and mix well.
- Put the cabbage into the barrel in layers and pound each layer with the tamper until it releases its juice.
- At the end the cabbage must be covered with juice. Put the pressing lid on top of the cabbage and weigh it down.
- Keep the barrel at room temperature, away from radiators and direct sun. Skim off the foam that appears in the first few days.
- Every few days, check that the juice still covers the cabbage. If it has gone down, top it up with salted water that you have boiled and let cool.
- Fermenting takes a few weeks: faster in a warm room, slower in a cool one. Taste it now and then, and move the barrel somewhere cool once the sauerkraut is as sour as you like.
How to store sauerkraut
Keep the finished sauerkraut somewhere cool, ideally at 0–4°C, and always covered with juice.
After fermenting, empty the barrel, rinse it and dry it thoroughly. Do not leave water in the barrel for long.
You can also ferment cucumbers in the barrel.
Which shredder?
On the shredder in the set, the blades are screwed on. You can unscrew them and sharpen them. The 90 cm model has 4 blades, the 44.5, 56 and 65.5 cm models have 3. The 56, 65.5 and 90 cm models have a drawer.
Questions
Which salt should I use?
Non-iodised rock salt.
Will the barrel leak the first time?
A dry barrel may leak until the wood swells. Soak the barrel in water so the wood swells and seals, then scald it.
How do I look after the shredder?
Do not soak the shredder or put it in a dishwasher. Dry the whole shredder immediately after washing, including the underside and edges.
See our wooden barrels, shredders and the fermenting set.