Pork Neck Bone Soup with Sauerkraut

This Slow Cooker Pork Neck Bone Soup with Sauerkraut recipe is sure to please those who love the combination of tangy sauerkraut and savory pork together.

And you know what’s even better? This delicious pork recipe helps to cut down on your food budget. 
By the way, if you love using your crock pot as much as I do, and want more recipes, I have more delicious and most importantly, easy, recipes to check out in my slow cooker collection.

Easy Crock Pot Pork and Sauerkraut

I love this recipe because it’s just a few easy steps and then you toss everything into the slow cooker and let it do its magic. Using the slow cooker gives you more time to accomplish other things while all those flavors develop into a delicious, no-fuss, hands-off, versatile meal that can be served a few different ways.

Another reason I love this dish is that it’s budget-friendly! Don’t dismiss pork bones because typically, they still have a good amount of meat on them, they’re relatively inexpensive at most grocery stores and pack a lot of flavor.

Lastly, I love this recipe because my Ukrainian grandma would make it from time to time when I was younger. She knew how to pinch a penny and make minimal, inexpensive ingredients taste incredibly divine!

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Pork Neck Bones: I can buy these at my local butcher as well as my local Asian market. They’re typically quite cheap and because they are bones, they add incredible amounts of flavor to the dish. If you have trouble finding neck bones, you can easily substitute them for the cheapest cuts of pork you can find. Pork steaks, a small pork butt roast, or, if you’re lucky, a pork collar. Ask your butcher what they might have in the back, on the bone, that they could wrap up for you for this soup.
• Sauerkraut: I used jarred sauerkraut that had no wine in the recipe. I find it harder and harder to find sauerkraut without wine, but it’s just my flavor preference. I’ll use it with the wine in it if that’s all I can find, and it’s still tasty. If you have homemade sauerkaut that you like, that’s the best to use!
• Broth: If you can find pork broth, this would be the best but unless I make it myself, I usually can’t find it in the stores and will use chicken stock instead.
• Carrots and Onions: You only a small amount for this recipe. One carrot and one small onion.
• Seasonings: Dill, Montreal Steak Seasoning (optional). In place of the steak seasoning, use pepper, garlic, and onion powder.

Here’s How To Make This Recipe

Believe it or not, it’s quite simple to make this neck bone stew. It’s basically only a few simple steps and then letting the slow cooker do all the hard lifting to develop all those deep flavors.

STEP 1: Prep the meat. – On a baking pan, I seasoned the neck bones with the Montreal steak seasoning. If you don’t have it, simply use the seasonings listed in the recipe card below. Preheat the grill to 400.
NOTE: Grilling the neck bones gives the meat on the bones color and lends this delicious grilled flavor that will help enhance the overall dish. You can skip the grilling step if you want or easily pan-sear the meat or put it under the broiler for a few minutes to develop some char and color.
STEP 2: Assemble the ingredients. – Put your meat into your slow cooker with the sauerkraut, dill, broth, and carrots, and turn your slow cooker on and let it do its thing!

NOTE: All the exact ingredient amounts and more detailed instructions along with recipe notes will be included in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Expert Tips and Variations

Remember that pork neck bones aren’t essential for great flavor in this recipe if you can’t find them. Try using any cut of pork that you find on sale is perfect. It’s best to use tougher cuts of pork and cuts that are a bit fattier because fat is flavor. I like to use pork hock with the skin removed, or pork button bones when they go on special. Slow cooking these cuts renders the meat super tender and flavorful.

If you don’t have a slow cooker, you can still make this dish! Instead of gathering everything into the crock pot, you can combine it all into a Dutch oven to put into the oven and cook low and slow is also a fantastic option. I just love using my slow cooker because it develops such deep flavor in recipes like my slow cooker beef shank stew, my crock pot smoked pork hock soup, and my slow cooker sausage curry dish.

If you’re not a fan of dill, that’s ok. Leave it out. Add Italian seasoning instead or add more of the Montreal steak spice we used earlier. To kick it up a notch, add some diced peppers or some red pepper flakes. 

If you are looking for a way to bulk this meal up a bit you can add in a drained can of butter beans, corn, or any other hearty vegetable that will not easily turn to mush during the long cooking time.

Serving, Storing, and Freezing

 This slow cooker pork and sauerkraut can be eaten as is, in a big bowl with crusty Dutch oven bread that you can easily whip up at home or make use of day-old bread clearance at the store for dipping into the broth. (Buttered, of course!) on the side. I like to make some rustic garlic mashed potatoes or rice to make it go further and save even more money. To help make it thicker for serving over mashed potatoes or rice you can reduce how much broth you use in the recipe. 

Store your leftovers to enjoy later! You can keep them in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or store in the freezer for up to a month making this a great meal prep option using meal prep containers for ready-to-go lunches.

To enjoy thaw in the refrigerator overnight or microwave for 2-3 minutes to thaw before warming and serving.

Common Questions