Mom's Sauerbraten Recipe
Sauerbraten, which means "sour roast," is often called Germany's National Dish. It is made by marinating a beef roast in a sour-sweet marinade for 2 to 3 days before browning it, then simmering the meat in the marinade for several hours, resulting in a very tender roast and a delicious sauce.
Different regions in Germany have different recipes for this dish but Rhineland Sauerbraten is the most famous. It is generally sweeter and contains raisins and gingerbread whereas Swabian Sauerbraten has no sweetening or raisins. Regardless of the ingredients used to make Sauerbraten, the most important ingredient is time. The roast must marinade for three to four days before it is cooked.
Sauerbraten is traditionally served with potato dumplings (Klöße or Knödel), red cabbage (Rotkohl), and apple sauce. If you don't care for potato dumplings, Sauerbraten also goes very well with Spätzle (an egg noodle), potato pancakes (Kartoffelpuffer or Reibekuchen), and boiled potatoes.
Also see Alton Brown's recipe for Sauerbraten.
Marinade:
1 1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup red wine
1 cup water
12 peppercorns
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 large onions, sliced
4 bay leaves
12 whole cloves
1 tsp. mustard seeds
2 tsp. salt
4 pound round or rump roast
1 1/2 tsp. salt
Dash pepper
2 Tbsp. flour
1/4 cup shortening
1 onion, sliced
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
6 whole cloves
1/2 tsp. peppercorns
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup crushed gingersnaps
2 - 4 days before serving:
Combine the marinade ingredients, place the beef in this, cover and let stand in refrigerator for 2 - 4 days, turning each day. Remove meat and dry on paper toweling. Strain the pickle marinade and set aside.
Combine the salt, pepper and 2 Tbsp. flour. Coat the meat with this mixture. Heat the shortening in a Dutch oven and brown the meat well. Add the strained pickle marinade along with the sliced onion, mustard seeds, whole cloves and peppercorns.
Cover and simmer 3 1/2 - 4 hours until meat is tender. Place meat on a platter. Strain liquid.
Mix 1/3 cup flour and crushed gingersnaps in bottom of the Dutch oven. Slowly add the strained liquid. Simmer, stirring contantly, until thickened.
[Taste and add more sugar, salt and pepper as desired. If you want your gravy thicker, make a cornstarch slurry to thicken the gravy. Note: The balance of sour to sweet is a matter of personal taste – adjust the flavor according to your preference. If the flavor is too strong for you, you can also dilute it with a little water or broth.]
Pour some sauce over the meat. Use the rest as a gravy at the table.
Serve with spaetzle and braised cabbage on the side.
6 - 8 servings
