Serbian · side

Podvarak (Sauerkraut Baked with Smoked Pork)

Podvarak (Sauerkraut Baked with Smoked Pork) reads umami 8.3, richness 7.9 and sourness 5.7 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Serbian side, about 2 hr 44 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

• Umami & Savory — 9.3 / 10
• Sweet & Fruity — 3.1 / 10
• Sour & Bright — 5.7 / 10
• Bitter & Earthy — 4.3 / 10
• Rich & Fat — 8.1 / 10
• Aromatic & Spice — 2.6 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 8.3 · Richness 7.9 · Sourness 5.7 · Salinity 5.4 · Funk & Ferment 5.1 · Smoke 4.0 · Sweetness 3.0 · Allium 2.4 · Warm Spice 1.3 · Earthy 1.2 · Bitterness 1.1 · Nutty 0.6 · Heat 0.6

What's in it (11)

• sauerkraut — 1500 g
• bacon — 150 g
• onions — 500 g
• pork lard — 80 g
• sweet paprika — 30 g
• pork ribs — 300 g
• bay leaf — 1 g
• caraway seed — 5 g
• freshly ground black pepper — 5 g
• water — 250 g
• duck legs — 300 g

Time & effort: about 2 hr 44 min (2 hr 28 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 105.1 kcal, 4.8 g protein, 7.9 g fat, 4.4 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (10 steps)

1. Taste the sauerkraut. If it is bracingly sour, rinse it once in cold water and squeeze it out; if it is mild, do not, because the sourness is what carries the fat.
2. Melt the lard in a wide heavy pot over medium heat and render the diced bacon in it for 8 minutes, until the fat runs and the pieces are just golden.
3. Add the sliced onions and cook 20 minutes, stirring now and then, until they are deep gold and sweet. This is the base of the whole dish and it cannot be rushed.
4. Pull the pot off the heat and stir in the paprika for 30 seconds.
5. Add the squeezed sauerkraut and the water or brine, return to medium heat and cook it down for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the kraut has lost its raw squeak and taken on the fat.
6. Bury the smoked ribs in the kraut and add the bay leaves, caraway and black pepper.
7. Transfer everything to a wide baking dish and lay the duck leg or the pork belly on top, skin up.
8. Bake at 170C for 90 minutes, uncovering it for the last 30 minutes so the surface browns and the skin on top crisps.
9. Rest 15 minutes before serving. Podvarak is the dish that goes under a roast at slava and at Christmas, and like most kraut dishes it improves overnight.
10. Substitutions: a smoked hock can stand in for the smoked pork ribs; the reserved sauerkraut brine can stand in for the water; 400 g pork belly can stand in for the whole duck leg.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

• Sarma (Sour Cabbage Rolls with Smoked Ribs) — Serbian
• Jota (Sauerkraut, Bean and Potato Pot) — Slovenian
• Töltött Káposzta (Stuffed Cabbage in Sauerkraut) — Hungarian
• Kwaśnica Góralska (Highlander Sauerkraut-Brine Soup) — Polish
• Mangú con Los Tres Golpes — Dominican

Keep reading: what umami, richness, sourness mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.