German Sauerbraten Recipe

Sauerbraten This over 3 day in a sour sauce marinated beef is a typical cold season dish, perfect on a chilly November day, serve with Spätzle (German home-made noodles) or Knödel (German home-made dumplings) and Rotkohl (red cabbage) and steamed brussel sprouts or green beans.

Ingredients:

3/4 kg /26 oz lean beef (bottom round roast) or pork shoulder

Salt

30 g / 1 oz bacon (for beef)

40 g / 1.4 oz canola oil

rosemary

1/2 L / 2 cups sour marinade

1 section of dark bread rind

1/2 apple

1 carrot, 1 onion, 1 celery, 2 cloves garlic

Ingredients for sugar roux:

30 g / 1 oz butter

10 g / 0.3 oz sugar

40 g / 1.4 oz flour

1/2 onion (optional)

1/2 L / 2 cups water

salt, bay leave, juniper berries

dash of vinegar, red wine, sour cream.

Preparation

Make the sour marinade according to the basic recipe. Place beef or pork in a large pot and pour the cooled marinade to cover the meat completely. Let rest for 3 days covered in the fridge. Remove meat from marinade, let dry with paper towels. Braise in hot oil on all sides, season lightly with salt, pour some melted butter on top of the meat, cover beef with bacon slices but not the pork. Slice the onion, celery, carrot and garlic and add to the pot. Add little bit of the red wine and some of the thinned sour marinade and roast uncovered for 1.5-2 hours for beef or 1.5 hours for pork. Occasionaly baste the meat with the drippings during roasting and rotate the meat.

Add the sauce to the sugar roux (see below) and some of the with water thinned sour marinade.

Prepare the sugar roux:
Brown the sugar in the butter, add the flour und cook while stirring until gold in color. Add the finely chopped onion (optional) and cook until tender. Pour some red wine and some of the water to the flour and stir. Season with salt, add the bay leave, juniper berries, dash of vinegar (optional), a tablespoon of sour cream at the end. Don't let the sugar brown to dark because it will taste bitter.

Serve with Spätzle, Knödel, Rotkohl (red cabbage) mashed potatoes, asparagus, green beans or steamed brussel sprouts.

Foto Credit: Fotolia