Sauerbraten
Sauerbraten, a cheap cut of beef, marinated in red wine gone off, braised for hours becomes one of the tenderest beef roasts you can imagine. In Germany I've found two different finishes for the sauce: ginger snaps and sour cream. I prefer the ginger snaps.
Servings: 10
Ingredients
Meat
- 5 lbs beef roast chuck, rump, bottom, eye round, deboned, one piece
Marinade Base
- 2 medium yellow onions peeled, sliced thin
- 1 whole celery stalk coarsely chopped, including the top
- 1 large carrot peeled, sliced thin
- 3 whole cloves
- ½ tsp allspice
- 3 whole black peppercorns
- 1 tbsp yellow mustard seeds
- ½ tsp nutmeg freshly grated
- 2 whole bay leaves
- 2 liter red wine big red
- 2 cups apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp salt
Frying
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 lb beef marrowbones cut in short pieces
Sauce
- ½ cup lard
- ½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour (to make it gluten-free you can use corn flour /cornstarch instead)
- 12 whole gingersnaps crushed
- 1 cup sour cream (optional)
- 2 tbsp brown sugar (optional)
Instructions
- Pour over beef, vegetables, spices, and bay leaves.Cover and refrigerate at least 3 days, turning beef in marinade twice a day (I've gone over two weeks).
- Add marinade, cover, and simmer for 1½ hours, turn the meat over, re-cover, and simmer 1 to 1½ hours longer until tender.Transfer the meat to a large platter and keep warm.
- Strain cooking liquid and discard vegetables; scoop marrow from bones, sieve, and add to cooking liquid.Heat ½ cup lard or margarine in a heavy saucepan over moderate heat, blend in flour, and brown for 1 to 2 minutes.Stir in the cooking liquid, reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring, until thickened.Mix in gingersnaps (or sour cream) and sugar to taste.
- Carve meat at the table – not too thin or slices will crumble – and serve with plenty of gravy.Or carve in the kitchen, arrange slices slightly overlapping on a platter, and pour some of the gravy down the center; pass the rest.Note that the meat may be so tender you can barely cut it.