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1
Rinse the sauerkraut thoroughly under cold running water. Taste as you rinse: the crauti should remain pleasantly sour but not aggressively acidic. Squeeze out excess brine firmly in the hands and set aside. The correct level of residual tang is established here and cannot be corrected later.
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2
Place a wide, heavy-based pan over a medium-low flame. Add the speck lardons and render slowly until the fat runs freely and the pieces are lightly coloured at the edges. The rendered speck fat is the primary flavour base of the dish; it must be fully liquid before the onion is added.
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3
Add the sliced onion to the rendered speck fat. Sweat gently until soft and translucent, without colour. Add the caraway seeds and crushed juniper berries at this point — they must go in early to bloom and infuse throughout the long braise.
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4
Add the squeezed sauerkraut and grated apple to the pan. Stir to coat everything in the speck fat. Pour in the white wine. This is where the dish lives or dies: the heat must be low and the lid firmly on — high heat caramelises unevenly and drives off the moisture that carries the flavour exchange between speck, apple and crauti.
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5
Braise, covered, over a low flame for 45–60 minutes. Add further white wine by the splash if the pan appears dry at any point — the crauti should be moist throughout but never soupy. At the midpoint of the braise, stir in the grappa.
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6
Remove the lid for the final 5 minutes to allow any excess liquid to reduce. Stir in the spoonful of rendered pork fat off the heat. The finished crauti should be silky, unified in colour, and yield without resistance when pressed with a spoon.