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1
Rinse the beans, and soak in 5 cups cold water for 8 hours or overnight.
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2
Drain, and put them in the stockpot with 5 quarts fresh cold water, the chunk of pork butt, bay leaves, chopped garlic, and potato chunks.
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3
Cover the pot and bring to a boil, set the cover slightly ajar, and adjust the heat to maintain a steady, gentle perk; cook for about 1 1/2 hours.
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4
Meanwhile, drain the liquid from the packaged sauerkraut, rinse it in a big bowl filled with fresh water, and drain through a colander.
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5
Repeat the rinsing and draining.
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6
After 1 1/2 hours, when the beans, pork, and potatoes are soft, add 1 tablespoon salt to the broth.
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7
Push the pork butt aside, and roughly mash the potato chunks in the bottom of the pot.
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8
Dump in the rinsed sauerkraut, stir well, cover the pot, and return to a moderate boil.
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9
Uncover, and cook for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, gradually reducing the soup.
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10
Rinse the sausages, drop them into the pot, and cook for another 30 minutes.
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11
If the soup seems thin, boil it uncovered and mash the potatoes more, if theyre still chunky, to provide thickening.
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12
If the soup is already reduced and dense, cook the sausages at a simmer, covered.
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13
When the sausages are cooked and the soup has the consistency you like, turn off the heat.
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14
Remove the bay leaves, and season generously with black pepper and salt to taste.
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15
Serve the soup right away, or for best flavor, let it cool, refrigerate overnight, and serve the next day.
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16
Reheat slowly, stirring frequently.
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17
When very hot, remove the sausages and the remainder of the pork butt (most of it will have broken up) to serve later as a separate course.
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18
Drizzle extra-virgin olive oil over the jota and stir in; serve broth with beans and sauerkraut in warm soup bowls.
