Best Not Your Grandmothers Sauerbraten Recipes

NOT YOUR GRANDMOTHER'S SAUERBRATEN

Steps:

• Make a bundle with the cheesecloth and the pickling spices, placing pickling spices in a square of cheesecloth and tying it off with cotton string. Mix water, vinegar, ketchup, sugar, and onion powder in a large crock pot (the one I use is a 6-quart model). Add the bundle of pickling spices.
• Put meat in fat side up in crock. Cook until meat is tender (low for 12 hours or high for 7-8 hours).
• Remove spice bundle and throw away. Do not discard the juices nor turn off the crockpot. Take meat out and allow to cool.
• Add 12 crumbled ginger snaps to juices that remain in the crockpot and allow to thicken.
• Slice the meat and return to sauce in the crockpot.

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.

TRADITIONAL GERMAN SAUERBRATEN

Steps:

• Wipe beef with a damp cloth and season with salt and pepper. Place seasoned beef in a large glass bowl.
• Combine vinegar, carrots, onion, peppercorns, cloves, bay leaves, and parsley in a bowl; pour over beef. Cover dish tightly with a lid or plastic wrap.
• Refrigerate beef, turning daily, for 3 to 7 days.
• Drain meat, reserving liquid and vegetables. Rub flour over all sides of beef.
• Heat butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat; brown beef on all sides, 5 to 10 minutes. Add onions, carrots, and 2 cups reserved liquid. Cover Dutch oven, lower heat to medium-low, and simmer until meat is tender, about 2 hours. Transfer beef to a serving platter.
• Stir gingersnap crumbs and sugar into the liquid in Dutch oven; cook and stir until sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes. Pour sauce over meat.

GRANDMA FRITZ'S SAUERBRATEN (FOR THE CROCK POT)

Steps:

• Combine onions, salt, peppercorns, bay leaves, vinegar, and water.
• Arrange meat in a covered earthenware or Tupperware container and pour pickling solution over the top of the meat.
• Cover tightly and store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days (the longer it marinades, the more flavor soaks into the meat).
• Turn the meat once or twice a day.
• Remove the meat from the solution and pat dry.
• Remove and discard the bay leaves and peppercorns.
• Strain and reserve the onions.
• Put a little oil (I like to go light, if I can, and use extra virgin olive oil or Canola, but you can use a couple of tablespoons of butter) in a skillet and heat and cook reserved onions until they are transparent, but not brown.
• Remove onions and brown meat on all sides in the same oil.
• Place onions and meat in a slow cooker/crock pot and fill the crock pot with a cup of the pickling solution.
• Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours, until the meat is cooked through and tender.
• When meat is done, remove to a warm platter and cover to keep warm.
• Add any remaining marinade to a skillet.
• Add brown sugar, raisins, crumbled ginger snaps (I pound these out in a Ziploc bag to crush them).
• Stir and cook until the sauce is smooth and has thickened--about 15-20 minutes.
• Serve the sauce over the slices of meat and put the remainder of the sauce in a gravy boat.

OLD-WORLD SAUERBRATEN

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high. Brown beef on all sides. Add all remaining ingredients except gingersnaps; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until beef is tender, about 3 hour., During the last 30 minutes, stir in gingersnaps. Remove meat; discard bay leaves and cloves. While slicing meat, bring gravy to a boil to reduce and thicken.