Slow Cooking With Fall Flavors: Crock'toberfest

About author / Pamela Chester

Mom of two; graduate French Culinary Institute; kids cooking program instructor; Master's degree in food studies. Creates kid friendly foods and loves her slow cooker.

On a recent trip to Chicago I was reminded that one of the largest fall festivals in the world--Oktoberfest--happens at this time of year. In the Midwestern town that my dad calls home, Oktoberfest is a smaller re-creation of the world renowned Bavarian festival. This event usually takes place over the last few weeks of September and runs into the very beginning of October, ending on German Unity Day (hence the name).

In Munich, fourteen tents are erected that can seat thousands of people. Strong armed servers dish up southern German specialties and offer beer from various local breweries to up to a million people over the course of the two weeks. Germans (and non-Germans alike) celebrate this occasion throughout the world.

Along with copious quantities of food, beer plays a special and central role in Oktoberfest. The official kick-off to the festivities starts when Munich's Oberbürgermeister (lord mayor) taps the first beer keg and yells the traditional O'zapft! (meaning “It’s tapped”). In fact, 30% of the year’s production of the six major breweries in Munich is consumed during the two week period. A German proverb declares, “More drown in the cup than in the sea” (Im Becher ertrinken mehr als im Meer). Munich provides medical tents to treat the bierleichen—beer corpses, or those who overdo it. But if you would like to enjoy some fine German brew without the dreaded hangover the next morning, try cooking with it in the crockpot.

Oktoberfest calls for beer brewed specifically for the occasion: strong, amber-gold lager. This beer style is bottom-fermented and lagered for at least a month, with a hoppy flavor enhanced by malt. Many American craft breweries also make special Oktoberfest beers that have become autumn staples. This style of beer is ideal for cooking, since once it reduces it leaves a rich, malty flavor. Many German recipes, such as braised bratwurst, call for a dash or so of beer but you can add up to a full bottle. During the slow cooking, it will blend with the other ingredients so even if you don’t like the taste of darker beer, you might be surprised!

Along with brats and sauerkraut, you can serve whole grain mustard, and rolls or spaetzle, a button-shaped type of German noodle. Because I am not the world’s biggest sauerkraut fan (although I would eat it in honor of Oktoberfest), I would also caramelize some onions to go with the brats.

For a heartier dinner, another classic German dish that does well in the slow cooker is Sauerbraten. The meat is marinated in a mixture of vinegar and spices for up to three days and then is slowly cooked and sliced thin. Sauerbraten can be served with spaetzle or buttered noodles for a complete Oktoberfest meal. Don’t forget the lager.

So next time you find yourself out buying some hearty fall microbrew, pick up an extra six-pack to cook with, get out the leiderhosen and beer steins, and recreate your own autumn Oktoberfest celebration at home in the crockpot!

Serves/Makes: 6

• 1 1/4 cup water or German beer
• 1 cup cider vinegar
• 1 onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 lemon, cut in 8 wedges
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon whole peppercorns
• 1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon juniper berries (optional)
• 4 pounds lean top round roast
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 12 gingersnaps, crushed
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon flour

Serves/Makes: 6

• 5 bratwurst links, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 5 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 can (27 ounce size) sauerkraut, rinsed and drained
• 1 medium tart apple, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt