Sauerbraten
Sauerbraten is not a dish that you throw together on the spur of the moment. The first time I had sauerbraten was at my sister Cindy’s home. I was instantly in love with it. The flavors were so complex. I could not get enough of that wonderful gravy. We had it for Easter this year.
The secret to sauerbraten is the long marinading process. A beef roast marinades in a mix of vinegar, wine, veggies and spices for 3-5 days. In that time, the meat becomes very tender and it picks up all those flavors. It’s almost like pickling the meat. While traditionally made with beef, you could use a pork roast.
When ready to cook, the meat is dredged in flour, browned, then simmered in water with the veggies from the marinade, until tender. All those ingredients in the marinade flavor the cooking water, creating a broth. The broth is tart. To offset the sourness of the vinegar, a gravy is made with the broth that contains cookies. Yes, cookies. Gingersnaps, to be exact.
It sounds odd, but it really is wonderful. The ginger, cinnamon and cloves in the cookies add such a wonderful flavor to the gravy. You can make your own gingersnaps or use store bought.
Sauerbraten
Marinade:
1 c. red wine vinegar
½ c. cider vinegar
½ c. red wine
1 large onion, sliced
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
top from 1 bunch celery
few sprigs of fresh parsley or 1 T. dried
1 bay leaf
4 whole cloves
3 whole allspice
½ t. whole peppercorns
1 t. salt
4- 6 lb. lean boneless chuck roast – I actually used a bottom round roast
additional flour for dredging
⅓ c. oil
2 c. warm water
¼ c. flour
I T. sugar
1 c. crushed gingersnaps – or a few more
water
salt and pepper to taste
Combine marinade ingredients in a large glass or ceramic bowl. Add meat and cover. Refrigerate 3-5 days. Tum meat at least once a day. Remove meat from marinade and pat dry. Strain out the vegetables and set aside. Discard marinade. Dredge meat in flour. Heat oil in Dutch oven and brown meat in pan. Add saved veggies, warm water and simmer, covered, for 1- 2 hours or until fork tender. Start testing meat for doneness after the first hour. Remove meat to platter and keep warm while sauce is being prepared.
For sauce, strain the pan juices and discard solids. Skim off any fat. Return the juices to the Dutch oven and keep hot. In small bowl combine the ¼ c. flour, sugar, and gingersnaps. Stir in cold water until smooth paste is formed. Whisk this paste into the hot liquid in the pan and simmer, stirring until thickened. If it’s not thick enough, make a little more paste with flour and water. Serve meat sliced thin, with sauce on the side, and hot cooked noodles, potatoes, potato dumplings, or spaetzle.
Serves 8 – 12.
