Best Bergischer Sauerbraten Recipes

TRADITIONAL SAUERBRATEN

Steps:

• Place beef rump roast, onions, vinegar, water, 1 tablespoon salt, 1 tablespoon black pepper, sugar, cloves, and bay leaves in a large pot. Cover and refrigerate for 2 to 3 days, turning meat daily. Remove meat from marinade and pat dry with paper towels, reserving marinade.
• Season flour to taste with salt and black pepper in a large bowl. Sprinkle flour mixture over beef.
• Heat vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat; cook beef until brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Pour reserved marinade over beef, cover, and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until beef is tender, 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Remove beef to a platter and slice.
• Strain solids from remaining liquid and continue cooking over medium heat. Add gingersnap cookies and simmer until gravy is thickened about 10 minutes. Serve gravy over sliced beef.

EASY SAUERBRATEN

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the water, vinegar, cloves, bay leaves, salt and brown sugar. Remove 2 cups to a small bowl; cover and refrigerate. Pour remaining marinade into a 2-gal. resealable plastic bag. Add roast; seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 1-2 days, turning twice each day., Discard marinade and spices. Pat roast dry; dredge in flour. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown roast in oil on all sides. Transfer to a small roasting pan. Add the onion, carrots, celery and reserved marinade. , Cover and bake at 325° for 3 to 3-1/2 hours or until meat is tender. With a slotted spoon, remove meat and vegetables to a serving platter. Strain cooking juices; thicken if desired.

KATE'S EASY GERMAN SAUERBRATEN

Steps:

• Heat water, red wine, cider vinegar, lemon, 1/2 onion, garlic, cloves, bay leaves, white sugar, salt, juniper berries, and peppercorns in a saucepan over medium heat until sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Allow marinade to cool and pour into a resealable plastic bag. Add beef roast, coat with marinade, squeeze out excess air, and seal bag. Marinate in the refrigerator 2 to 3 days, turning the roast twice a day.
• Place onions, carrots, and celery in a slow cooker. Remove roast from marinade and place atop vegetables. Strain marinade and pour 2 1/2 cups over roast; reserve remaining marinade.
• Cover and cook roast on Low for 8 hours. Turn slow cooker off. Transfer roast to a cutting board and cover with aluminum foil. Strain cooking liquid into a large bowl and return vegetables to slow cooker to rest.
• Heat about 3 cups cooking liquid and gingersnaps in a saucepan over medium-high heat, adding reserved marinade as needed, until gravy is thickened, about 10 minutes.
• Slice roast and serve with vegetables and gravy.

BERGISCHER SAUERBRATEN

Steps:

• Peel and cube veggies in about 1 cm pieces.
• In a big container with a lid, mix wine, vinegars, and spices (everything up to the sea salt), adding a pinch of sea salt and pepper.
• Add meat and veggies and put in refrigerator or other cool place at least 3 days and up to 10 days.
• Take out the meat and pat down with a towel.
• Heat lard or clarified butter on high heat in a lidded pot that is large enough for the meat, veggies and sauce and sear the meat on all sides.
• Pass the marinade through a colander, keeping both.
• When the meat is seared on all sides, remove and add the veggies and spices and shortly roast.
• Add the tomato paste and apple butter, mix and allow to caramelize for 2 minutes.
• Add the marinade and stock.
• Put the meat back on, put on lid and braise it on low heat for 1 1/2 - 2 hours (when the meat has reached 60°C/140°F).
• Remove meat and keep warm.
• Pass the liquid through colander and cook on medium-high, reducing sauce by half (about 20 minutes).
• Add cocoa powder and butter and salt and pepper to taste.
• Carve meat into slices and serve with sauce on top.

SAUERBRATEN

Steps:

• In a large saucepan over high heat combine the water, cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, onion, carrot, salt, pepper, bay leaves, cloves, juniper, and mustard seeds. Cover and bring this to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• Pat the bottom round dry and rub with vegetable oil and salt on all sides. Heat a large saute pan over high heat; add the meat and brown on all sides, approximately 2 to 3 minutes per side.
• When the marinade has cooled to a point where you can stick your finger in it and not be burned, place the meat in a non-reactive vessel and pour over the marinade. Place into the refrigerator for 3 days. If the meat is not completely submerged in the liquid, turn it over once a day.
• After 3 days of marinating, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Add the sugar to the meat and marinade, cover and place on the middle rack of the oven and cook until tender, approximately 4 hours.
• Remove the meat from the vessel and keep warm. Strain the liquid to remove the solids. Return the liquid to the pan and place over medium-high heat. Whisk in the gingersnaps and cook until thickened, stirring occasionally. Strain the sauce through a fine mesh sieve to remove any lumps. Add the raisins if desired. Slice the meat and serve with the sauce.

SAUERBRATEN

Steps:

• Marinate the meat for about 5 to 10 days before you want to serve this dish.
• Rinse the meat and pat dry with a paper towel.
• Add the red wine vinegar and the red wine to a large bowl.
• Add all spices and the garlic paste and mix well.
• Coarsely chop the root vegetables and add them to the bowl as well.
• Slice the onion and add half of the slices to the bowl.
• Place the meat into the bowl and cover it with the other half of the onion slices.
• The meat should be fully submerged in the liquid. If it is not, use a smaller bowl or add up to 2 cups of beef broth.
• Cover the bowl airtight and let the meat marinate in the refrigerator for at least 5, and up to 10 days.
• Remove the meat from the marinade and pat dry.
• Melt lard in a large pot.
• Strain the vegetables from the liquid and set both aside.
• Sear the meat on all sides.
• Add the vegetable and about 2/3 of the liquid to the pot.
• Stir the honey into the liquid and bring to a simmer.
• Simmer for about 2 hours covered on medium high heat, turn the meat every half hour.
• Remove the meat from the pan and strain the vegetables from the liquid. Discard the vegetables and set the liquid aside.
• Melt butter in a pan, add the flour and brown.
• De-glaze with the liquid, salt and pepper to taste.
• Bring to a boil and simmer for about 10 min.
• Add the meat back to the pot to keep warm until you serve it.
• Serve with a vegetable dish and bread dumplings or Spätzle.

RHINELAND SAUERBRATEN

Steps:

• Rump or round of beef should be well larded with thin matchstick strips of bacon or salt pork. Tie meat firmly with string in several places so it will be easy to turn without piercing and will hold shape. Rub well with salt on all sides and place in deep, closefitting glass or earthenware bowl.
• Combine vinegar and water and add onion, bay leaves, cloves, peppercorns, pickling spices and carrot. Bring to boil and simmer 5 minutes. Cool marinade thoroughly and pour over beef. Meat should be completely covered by marinade; if it is not, add equal amounts of water and vinegar until it is. Cover and place in refrigerator for 3 to 5 days; the longer it stands the more piquant the roast will be, so adjust time to suit taste. Turn meat in marinade 2 or 3 times a day, using string as handle.
• Remove meat from marinade. Strain marinade and reserve. Dry meat thoroughly with paper towels. Meat will not brown properly if it is wet, so dry as much as possible.
• Dice bacon and fry slowly in butter in 5-quart Dutch oven or casserole. When fat is hot, add meat and brown slowly. Using string as handle, turn so meat is well seared and golden brown (but not black) on all sides. This should take about 15 minutes.
• Remove browned meat and add sliced onions to hot fat. Fry, stirring from time to time, until onions are deep golden brown but not black.
• Return meat to pot, placing on top of onions. Add marinade until it reaches about halfway up sides of meat. Add fresh bay leaf and cloves (not those used in marinade). Bring marinade to boil, cover pot tightly with heavy, close-fitting lid, reduce heat and simmer very slowly but steadily 3 1/2 to 4 hours, turning meat 2 or 3 times during cooking. Add more marinade to pot if needed. If you cannot lower heat enough to keep sauce at slow simmer, place an asbestos mat or flame trivet under pot. Meat is done when it can be pierced easily with long-pronged fork or skewer.
• Remove meat to heated platter and strain gravy. Skim off excess fat and return gravy to pot. Melt butter in saucepan and when hot, stir in flour and sugar. Cook over very low heat, stirring constantly until sugar mixture turns a deep caramel color. Be very careful doing this, as sugar burns all at once (if it become black, this part of the operation would have to be started again). Add sugar-flour to hot gravy and stir through briskly with wire whisk.
• Season with lemon juice to taste; gravy should have a mild sweet-sour flavor. Add raisins, which have been soaked and drained. Return meat to pot, cover and simmer 10 minutes. If sauce becomes too thick, add a little more marinade. Tablespoonful of tomato puree can be stirred in and heated 4 or 5 minutes before serving time, to enrich the color of the gravy. Check gravy for seasoning. Slice meat and arrange on heated platter and mask with a little gravy, serving rest in heated sauceboat. Serve with dumplings, noodles, boiled potatoes or potato pancakes.

BAVARIAN SAUERBRATEN

Steps:

• In a large non-reactive bowl, stir together the wine, vinegar, water, 3 of the onions (quartered), celery leaves, salt, sugar, mustard seeds, nutmeg, cloves, peppercorns, parsley, and bay leaves.
• Add the meat and let it marinate, covered and chilled, turning occasionally for 3 to 4 days.
• Remove meat from the marinade and reserve the marinade.
• Season the meat with salt and pepper.
• In a kettle, heat the clarified butter- until hot but not smoking.
• Add the meat and brown on all sides.
• Add the reserved marinade and gently simer the mixture, covered for 3 1/2 to 4 hours- until meat is tender.
• Transfer the meat to a cutting board.
• Strain the cooking liquid the skim off the fat.
• Transfer 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid to a saucepan, bring to a boil and stir in the gingersnaps and the remaining liquid- a little at a time-stirring.
• Boil the sauce- until thickend, salt and pepper to taste.
• Slice meat and serve.

AUTHENTIC SCHWEINEBRATEN GERMAN PORK ROAST BAVARIAN STYLE

Steps:

• wash and pat dry roast.
• mix all dry ingredients together and rub onto roast.
• spread a liberal amount of mustard onto roast.
• heat oil in a heavy roasting pan (enameled cast iron works well) on top of stove and brown carrots and leeks.
• push vegetables aside and brown roast from all sides in the very very hot roasting pan.
• ad onions INCLUDING the brown skins (this is VERY IMPORTANT since it will give your gravy an good color).
• ad broth and transfer everything to the oven.
• roast covered for 1 1/2 hours at 350°F.
• uncover, stir onions and veggies.
• turn roast over and roast uncovered for 1 hour (if liquid evaporates a lot, add some more occasionally.
• once roasting time has finished transfer meat to a plate to rest.
• take a basting brush, dip into the hot liquid and scrub all the sides of the roasting pan (and the lid if necessary). All the brown stains on the walls of your pan will ad flavor and color to your sauce!
• strain all the liquid through a fine meshed strainer (stainless steel will work better then the plastic ones). Press solids vigorously with a spoon to press as much liquid (as well all solids that can get pressed through) through the strainer into a sauce pan and reduce slightly on high heat.
• Slice roast into 1/2 thick slices and pour gravy liberally over everthing.
• Best served with potato dumplings and sauerkraut.