Best Westphalian Sauerbraten Recipes

RHINELAND SAUERBRATEN

Steps:

• Peel and dice onion, carrot and parsnip.
• In a large pot, caramelize 1 tablespoon sugar until light brown, deglaze with vinegar and let simmer for 1 minute.
• Add vegetables, parsley and spices, simmer for 2 more minutes. Add red wine, bring to a boil and simmer about 3 minutes.
• Let cool completely.
• Put chuck roast into marinade (in an airtight container or ziplock bag) and let marinate for 5-6 days in the fridge.
• Remove meat from marinade, pat dry.
• Strain marinade and reserve both liquid and vegetables and spices.
• In a pot, heat clarified butter.
• Salt and pepper chuck roast and dust with flour.
• Sear in hot fat until nicely browned from all sides.
• Remove met from pot, set aside.
• Roast vegetables and spices in the fat for 1 minute, add 1 teaspoon brown sugar, slightly caramelize and deglaze with some marinade.
• Bring to a boil, then add remaining marinade and broth.
• Add meat and crumbled gingerbread, bring to a slow boil, let boil for about 2 hours until meat is tender.
• remove meat from pot and strain sauce through a sieve, press vegetables through the sieve and let the sauce boil for about 10 minutes.
• Add raisins, simmer for 10 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper and maybe more sugar to taste.
• Put meat back into pot, heat and serve with spaetzle or potato dumplings.
• Enjoy!

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.

SAUERBRATEN

Steps:

• The marinade - 48 to 72 hours in advance: Place the peppercorns, juniper and allspice into a mortar or small plastic bag, or fold up a piece of waxed paper. Crush with the pestle if using the mortar or a rolling pin or hammer if using the bag or paper. Transfer the crushed spices to a small saucepan. Add the bay leaves, cloves, salt, vinegar, wine, and onion slices and bring to a boil. Transfer the marinade to a large bowl and let cool to room temperature. (I prefer a glass or stainless steel bowl. Whatever you use, don't use plastic: the acidic marinade will absorb flavors from plastic.)
• Tying and marinating the meat: Using kitchen string, tie the beef into a neat, compact shape. As soon as the marinade is cool, add the beef to the bowl and roll in the marinade to coat all sides. Cover, refrigerate and marinate for 2 to 3 days, turning the meat once or twice a day. (There is no special timing here for turning the beef in the marinade. You just want to make sure that over the course of the 48 or 72 hours, the meat is turned 3 or 4 times so it marinates evenly.) Heat the oven to 300 degrees F.
• Browning the meat: With tongs, lift the meat out of the marinade, scraping any onion slices or spices that stick to the meat back into the marinade, and transfer it to a plate. Reserve the marinade. Pat the meat thoroughly dry all over with paper towels. Heat the butter and oil in a large Dutch oven or other braising pot over medium heat. Add the meat to the pot and brown well on all sides, 20 to 25 minutes total. (You may need 2 implements to turn the meat: try tongs and a large metal spatula. Lift the meat from the pan with the spatula, grab with the tongs, and turn.) Transfer the meat back to the plate. Pour off all the fat from the pan, and deglaze the pan with the reserved marinade, scraping any browned bits to loosen. Bring the marinade to a simmer and add the meat. Cover with parchment paper, pressing down so it nearly touches the meat and the edges of the paper hang over the sides of the pot by about 1-inch. Set the lid firmly in place, and transfer to the lower third of the oven.
• The braise: Braise the meat at a gentle simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Check after about the first 10 minutes to see that the liquid is not simmering too energetically; if it is, lower the oven by 10 to 15 degrees. After 1 1/2 hours, turn the meat over, using the tongs, and metal spatula, and continue braising gently for another 1 1/2 hours, or until fork-tender.
• The finish: With the tongs and metal spatula, transfer the meat to a cutting board with a moat and cover loosely with foil to keep warm. Strain the cooking juices into a saucepan and let sit for a minute. Gently tilt the pan and skim off the fat with a large spoon. Whisk in the gingersnap crumbs and sugar, place the pan over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil. Gently boil the sauce for 5 minutes, whisking often, to reduce and thicken it slightly. Lower the heat to low and whisk in the sour cream until smooth. Heat through, but do not let the sauce boil, or the sour cream will curdle. Taste the sauce for salt.
• Serving: Remove the strings from the meat, and pour any accumulated juices into the sauce. Carve the beef into thick slices. If the slices crumble, which they sometimes will, just cut into irregular pieces and arrange on a platter. Spoon the sauce over the beef and serve.

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.

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.

WESTPHALIAN SAUERBRATEN

Steps:

• For marinating the roast:.
• Cube onion and carrot, bring to a boil with broth, cloves, laurel leaves, peppercorns and juniper berries. Immediately remove from heat, let cool.
• Mix cold liquid (with vegetables and spices in it) with cider or red wine vinegar, pour over chuck roast and let marinate 4-5 days in the fridge (in a ziplock bag or airtight container).
• After marinating, heat 1-2 tablespoons clarified butter or lard in a large pot, get meat out of the marinade and sear from all sides until browned.
• Add the vegetables from the marinade and sear briefly, too.
• Deglaze with half of the marinade.
• Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Add minced garlic.
• Let cook for 1 hour.
• Crumble in the gingerbread and add 4 tablespoons apple butter.
• Let cook for 1 more hour.
• Add some water every now and then, if necessary.
• Add more salt and pepper, if necessary, and thicken the sauce with some cornstarch to taste.
• Serve with potato dumplings and red cabbage.
• Enjoy!