Leave about 2 tablespoons of oil/fat in the pot. If using bacon, cook the bacon until done. Reserve the liquid and the vegetables.Ĭook the Roast: Rinse the pot out and heat a tablespoon or two of oil in it over high heat. Remove the roast, pat it dry with paper towels, and strain the liquid from the vegetables. (Traditionally, the marinating time is as long as 2 weeks!) Unless the meat is completely submerged under the liquid, turn the roast over once every day. Let it marinate in the fridge for at least 4 days, preferably 7. Marinate the Meat: Nestle the roast in the vegetable marinade and place the lid on the pot. Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool down completely. Add the red wine, red wine vinegar and water.īring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Prepare the Marinade: Place all of the veggies and herbs in a heavy stock pot or Dutch oven along with the garlic, juniper berries, whole cloves, bay leaves, salt, sugar and peppercorns. Add gingersnap cookies and simmer until gravy is thickened about 10 minutes.
Strain solids from remaining liquid and continue cooking over medium heat. Simmer until beef is tender, 3 1/2 to 4 hours.
Pour reserved marinade over beef, cover, and reduce heat to medium-low. Heat vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat cook beef until brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Season flour to taste with salt and black pepper in a large bowl. Remove meat from marinade and pat dry with paper towels, reserving marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 2 to 3 days, turning meat daily. It is traditional for Sauerbraten to be served with spaetzle, potatoes, or noodles.Place beef rump roast, onions, vinegar, water, 1 tablespoon salt, 1 tablespoon black pepper, sugar, cloves, and bay leaves in a large pot. Often, the sauce is strained before serving. In some versions of sauerbraten, ginger snaps are crushed and added to the sauce as a thickener while other recipes may call for sour cream to be used. When the meat is done, the liquid is used to create a pan sauce, usually by reducing it and thickening it. In both cases, the meat is seared in a pan on the stovetop prior to braising it in the liquid (in the oven). Most often, the meat is braised in the marinade, but some recipes call for the marinade to be discarded and a fresh mixture of stock, water, and wine be used as the braising liquid. The meat is soaked in the marinade for several days in the refrigerator, and often it may be left for a week or longer.Īfter the meat is marinated, it is ready to be cooked. Seasonings for the marinade may include cloves, juniper berries, carrots, onions, celery, bay leaves, and peppercorns. Vinegar and a sweet syrup, beer and water, or olive oil combined with an entire bottle of red wine, are only a few of the combinations of ingredients that may be used for the liquid portion of the marinade in the many variations of Sauerbraten. The marinade mixture for Sauerbraten varies with the particular recipe. Expensive, naturally tender beef cuts from the loin or rib should be avoided because the meat will not hold up to the extensive tenderizing process of this dish: the meat may fall apart easily and become stringy as a result. Since the meat undergoes an intensive tenderizing process because of the marinating and braising procedure, inexpensive cuts of beef are the best choices for Sauerbraten (which means sour roast meat in English). Beef is most often used especially cuts from the round, plate, flank, chuck, or brisket. A famous dish of German origin in which meat is marinated in a sweet and sour mixture for several days and is then braised for several hours in the marinade, producing meat that is very tender and flavorful.