This dish can get pretty intense.  There are a lot of steps and it is a very long cooking process to make the perfect cabbage.  But the end result is worth the time and effort.  First step is to take the core out of the red cabbage.  Then rub oil, salt and pepper all over the cabbage.  Open up a can of your favorite beer, drink half of it, then place the can into the crevasse of the cabbage and place on the smoker.  Cook for about two hours on 250 degrees.  Then take it off the smoker, let it cool, then slice the cabbage into julienne size strips. 

Now onto the next step of the cooking process.  But before we start cooking, lets get our mise en place together.  For this dish, we will need one large julienned spanish onion, three gloves of sliced garlic, one peeled and julienned apple, a half cup of golden raisins or craisins, half a pound of bacon chopped up, one cup apple cider vinegar, one cup brown sugar and salt and pepper to taste.  Now lets get started.  Get a large sauté  pan or large pot that has a top and big enough to hold all the ingredients.  Put the cooking vessel on the stove top and let it get hot.  Put the chopped bacon in the pan first and cook until most fat is rendered out. Take out half of the oil, but leave the rest.  Add the onions and garlic and cook till translucent.  Add the apples next, then the dried fruit.  Next step is to add the brown sugar and let the sugar caramelize for a little bit, then deglaze with the apple cider vinegar.  Let the vinegar reduce then cover the entire pot with water and place the top on.  Let cook on low for about an hour or until the water cooks out, do this same process one more time until the cabbage is completely soft and tender. Make sure all of the moisture is cooked out. Season the cabbage with salt and pepper to taste and then serve it along side any of your favorite proteins.  This dish is a huge crowd pleaser.  If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me and remember...  Have fun cooking!

Ingredients 

• Red Cabbage
• Onions
• Garlic
• Apples
• Bacon
• Chicken Stock or Water
• Craisins or Golden Raisins 
• Brown Sugar
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Cooking Oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• Beer

Cooking Instructions

1. I would recommend doing all your knife cuts first
2. Julienne your red cabbage after smoking, julienne the onions, chop your garlic and bacon and slice your apples
3. Add your cooking oil to a hot pan
4. Sauté your bacon, onions and garlic first
5. Then add your apples and raisins 
6. Season with salt and pepper
7. Add your brown sugar and vinegar, let reduce to make a gastric
8. Now add your cabbage in medium amounts so that it does not over crowd the pan
9. Let the cabbage cook down, after you have added all of the cabbage, add liquid, cover and set heat to low
10. You will have to add liquid a couple of times throughout the cooking process until the cabbage is soft and tender.  This can take 1-2 hours to make perfect
11. After Cabbage is soft and majority of liquid is cooked out, it will be ready to serve

Tips and Tricks

This dish goes really well with most proteins.  You can serve it with chicken, pork or lamb.  It goes really well with kielbasa and perogies too.  Great side for thanksgiving or any cold winter night.