Sausage and Sauerkraut, the original stovetop version

Since I made this last night (in massive amounts for freezing) I thought I'd go ahead and post the recipe.

1 lb bacon, cut in half for shorter strips
6-8 large onions, cut in 1" dice
6-8 Granny Smith apples, cored but not peeled, cut in 1" chunks (any firm tart apple would work)
6 pints sauerkraut
1 bottle white wine (cheap but drinkable, not "cooking wine")
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
coarse black pepper to taste
Sausage¹
Pork²

1. 10 sweet Italian, 6 garlic and cheese, 5 fresh bratwurst, and 1 fresh kielbasa (aka "Polish sausage") cut into 10 pieces
2. one medium center cut pork loin sliced into 10 slabs

As with the slow cooked version, the amounts are flexible and the meats are entirely up to your preference. Since it's difficult to tell sausages apart after cooking (and they will break in half so you can't go by lengths) I don't use hot sausages any longer, but I have in the past. That said, the bratwursts were darker than the other sausages in this batch.

Obtain a heavy pot large enough to hold everything, I used a heavy turkey roaster (which can hold a 25lb turkey) and had plenty of room to stir things this time.

Cook the bacon until the fat has rendered, add onions and apples and cook until lightly browned and soft. Add 'kraut, wine, brown sugar, and pepper and simmer for about 20 minutes.

Add the meats, cover and simmer for as long as you can stand the wait. Add water/broth/wine if needed to keep everything moist.

I started this batch around 2:30 and served when my mother got home from work at 7:30.

We generally have it with mashed potatoes (Dad's choice) or rice (everyone else) and I suspect it would be lovely with buttered noodles.

Dark pumpernickel bread and nutty brown beer are optional but highly recommended.