andrejthechef
GermanyStewDinnerDairy-free

Grünkohl mit Pinkel

Slow-cooked kale with smoked Pinkel sausage and rolled oats stirred through, served with potatoes. Bremen and Lower Saxony's cold-weather dish.

prep
20 min
cook
2 h
total
2 h 20 min
serves
6
level
medium
Grünkohl mit Pinkel, a dish from Bremen and Lower Saxony

Grünkohl mit Pinkel is Bremen and Lower Saxony's answer to cold weather: kale cooked down for hours with smoked Pinkel sausage, a specific regional sausage made with pork fat and grain, traditionally eaten after the first hard frost of the season.

That frost detail is not folklore for its own sake. It genuinely changes the kale's texture and softens its bitterness, which is why many cooks will freeze fresh kale on purpose if a real frost has not happened yet.

Part of our 20 best German recipes list.

method

  1. If you have access to fresh kale before a hard frost, blanch it briefly and freeze it for a day first; a frost or freeze genuinely sweetens the leaves, which is why this dish is traditionally a cold-weather one.

  2. Render the diced bacon in a large, heavy pot over medium heat until it releases its fat, about 5 minutes. Add the onion and cook until soft.

  3. Add the kale in batches, letting each addition wilt down before adding more. Stir in the fat and the stock.

  4. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook on low heat for 1.5 hours, stirring occasionally, until the kale is very soft and dark.

  5. Stir in the rolled oats to thicken the pot slightly, and add the Kassler if using. Simmer for another 20 minutes.

  6. In the last 20 minutes, add the Pinkel sausages on top of the kale to warm through and lightly poach in the liquid, without letting them split.

  7. Season with salt and pepper, and serve hot with boiled potatoes and mustard on the side.

chef's tips

  • A frost, or a deliberate freeze-and-thaw at home, breaks down the kale's cell structure and genuinely softens its bitterness. Skipping this step is fine, but the kale will taste sharper.
  • Pinkel is a specific smoked sausage made with pork fat, grain and spices, distinct from a regular bratwurst. A mild smoked pork sausage is the closest substitute if you cannot find it.
  • Rolled oats as a thickener is a real regional habit in this dish, not a modern shortcut, and it gives the kale a slightly creamy body.
  • This keeps and reheats very well, and like most long-simmered greens dishes, many people think it tastes better the next day.