German Sauerbraten

Profile#

This is again a recipe that I loved as a child. Since it was prepared the day before, it was the greatest to sneak a toast with the delicious onions from the pot in the evening. Strictly speaking, the preparation starts 6 days before the actual meal. If you want to eat it on Sunday it means to marinate the roast already on Monday before. On Saturday it is roasted and on Sunday the feast starts. So in the recipe here it starts on day 1, the marinate.

Ingredients#

For the marinate#

• 2 onions
• 3 bay leaves
• some juniper berries
• 2 TBSP mustard seeds
• salt, pepper
• 2l white wine vinegar
• 2l water

What else#

• 1,5 kg of beef, pieces from the rump are suitable
• 6 onions
• 1 tablespoon of gravy or 500ml of stock or instant gravy
• Optional 1 cup of sour cream (250ml)
• 1 TBSP flour
• 750ml water

Let’s go#

The marinating time is 5 days and the meat is roasted the day before the meal. So we start on Monday to enjoy the sauerbraten on the following Sunday.

Day 1 (Monday)#

Here are the roast and the ingredients for the marinade:

Peel the onions and cut into fine rings.

First put a layer of onions and about half of the spices in a large bowl.

Place the salted and peppered roast on top and scatter the remaining onions and spices to the side and on top.

Fill up with the vinegar and the cold water. The roast should be completely covered.

Now it goes for 5 days covered with foil off in the refrigerator. Nothing else must be done in that time.

Day 6 (Saturday)#

After 5 days, the roast has turned a little grayish. Do not worry, everything is fine.

Remove the roast and pat dry using kitchen paper.

Pour some of the marinade into a glass jar. We will take some of it for seasoning to taste the right acid flavor.

Furthermore we need the onions, the gravy and the sour cream.

Cut the onions into rings again and sauté over medium heat. Not too hot, we want them lightly browned.

Remove the onions from the pot and increase the heat. Now we need to sear the roast strongly on all sides over high heat. Do not forget about the front sides. It takes about 10 minutes.

Remove the roast from the pot and add 750ml of water to the pot to loosen the dregs. Then add the onions and the gravy.

Now it’s time for the seasoning. If necessary, carefully season the acidity with the marinade. It should taste slightly acidic, but you should not be slain by the acid. Then the roast can go back into the pot, put the lid on and let it simmer for 90 minutes at a mild heat. Turn the roast over from time to time and stir the sauce.

The heat can now be turned off and in the late evening it is recommended to try a toast with some onions from the pot. It tastes delicious.

Day 7 (Sunday)#

The roast looks good and we can take it out of the roaster still cold.

Heat the sauce until it boils. Dissolve 1 tablespoon flour in cold water (lumps should be almost completely dissolved) and then add to the sauce stirring vigorously and extensively. Bring to the boil again briefly.

Optionally, the sour cream can now be added. To do this, reduce the heat again and add the sour cream. Stir well and, if necessary, use the whisk to dissolve it.

Cut the meat into slices and add to the pot. Heat briefly and the whole thing is ready.

Serve with potato dumplings and applesauce.