A real, big-time party dish, Choucroute is more of an idea than a recipe. I do love it with a smoked turkey leg quarter, though. What else is added is completely up to you.

Hailing from the French region of Alsace between France and Germany, Choucroute Garnie is a celebration of smoked, cured and salted meats, served atop and within a bed of sauerkraut cooked in wine. 

While hunting turkeys in the Texas Hill Country or Blackland Prairie, you’re never too far from Alsatian, German or Czech settlements and their subsequent Euro-Texan food traditions. Smoking a wild turkey leg and braising it with the sauerkraut seems a fitting end for Truthahn (German for turkey, meaning “threatening chicken”) or D’inde (French for “Indian cock”; coq d’inde). Choucroute Garnie (“garnished sauerkraut”) is traditionally served with fatty pork cuts, so the shanks, ribs and bellies from the fat, acorn-fed wild hogs that abound in this part of Texas also do well in the choucroute. Here, I used smoked Wild Hog Smoked Sausages (The Hog Book, page 327) and some amazing frankfurters made by my friend Elias Cairo at Olympia Provisions, but any mix of smoked (also try the Knackwurst from The Hog Book, page 324) and contrastingly delicate sausages works beautifully here. In particular, three sausages from The Turkey Book would be perfect in this preparation: Turkey and Potato Sausages (TTB, page 208), Turkey Boudin Blanc (a white Alsatian sausage with cream and breadcrumbs, not the Cajun rice-based Boudin, see TTB, page 212) or finely-textured Turkey and Garlic Sausages (TTB, page 214)

You can brine and smoke the turkey leg at least a couple of days prior, and have it ready for a quicker final assembly.

Try to get good, fresh sauerkraut that’s naturally fermented and not canned or cooked. Making your own is surprisingly easy, but just requires a little time (like 2-3 weeks head start).

I usually don’t serve much before and after choucroute, as it’s a very, very large meal. Pour a beer, apple cider or–more traditionally–a sweet wine like Riesling or Gewürztraminer. I like a semi-sweet wine from the Texas Hill Country like a less-dry chenin blanc from a nearby county. 

Serves 6-8

Smoked turkey leg

½ cup salt

¼ cup sugar

4 cloves

12 juniper berries

2 bay leaves

¼ tsp Instacure #1

1 turkey leg quarter or 2 turkey drumsticks

2 white onions, thinly sliced, skins reserved

4 tbsp butter

8 ounces wild boar bacon (see The Hog Book, page 348) or smoked bacon, cut into 1” squares

1 tsp caraway seeds

8 juniper berries

6 cups fresh, high-quality sauerkraut, drained

3 cups (1 bottle) sweet white wine such as riesling or gewurztraminer

24 small potatoes

4 Smoked Sausages or Knackwurst 

4 frankfurters, Turkey and Potato Sausages, Turkey Boudin Blanc or Turkey and Garlic Sausages 

Make the brine by heating the salt, sugar, juniper, bay, cloves, allspice and Instacure with 2 quarts water until the salt is dissolved. Cool the brine completely, then submerge the turkey in the brine. Refrigerate for 24 hours.

Remove the leg quarter from the brine and refrigerate, uncovered, for a few hours, discarding the brine.

To smoke the leg quarter, preheat a smoker to 225°F. Smoke the leg for 2 ½ hours over oak, pecan, hickory or a fruitwood like cherry or apple.

Poach the turkey. Cover the leg quarter and the reserved onion skins with 1 gallon of water in a large pot and bring to a simmer. Cook until tender but not falling apart, about 3-4 hours, then remove the turkey, leaving the broth in the pot. You’ll need at least 2 cups of smoky turkey broth, so add water if there is less than this.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Start the Choucroute. In a large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or enameled cast iron braising dish, heat the butter over medium-high heat. Add the bacon, onions, caraway and juniper and cook, stirring often, until the onions are tender and just starting to brown. Add the wine, sauerkraut, turkey leg quarter, the potatoes and 2 cups of the reserved broth. Bring to a simmer, cover the pot and place in the oven. Bake for 1 hour. Remove the choucroute from the oven. Check the potatoes - they should be tender. If not, return to the oven for a few more minutes. 

In a medium pan over medium heat (or on a hot grill), brown the sausages in a little butter until cooked and hot throughout. Garnish the choucroute with the browned sausages and serve immediately.