Southern German Sour Roast (Sauerbraten)
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Traditional Southern German dish from Sofie's grandma's personal cookbook.
Ingredients
- 1 kg of beef round roast or brisket
- ---TIP: Choose a good piece of round roast or brisket, and be sure to cook the roast slowly. If you rush it, it will turn into shoe soles.
For the marinade:
- 250 ml vinegar, preferably red wine vinegar
- 300 ml water
- 1 teaspoon* salt
- 1 small onion
- 3 cloves (whole)
- ½ laurel leaf
- 1 carrot
- 3 peppercorns
For the roast:
- 40 g bacon
- 40 g lard, oil or butter
- 1 small tablespoon* salt
- a pinch of pepper
- 50 g browned flour
- 2 tablespoons* marinade
- 4 tomatoes or 2 tablespoons* tomato paste
- 750 ml beef broth
- 2 tablespoons* red wine
- ---*denotes REAL spoons
Instructions
- Tenderize the meat by beating it, washing it, then rubbing it with salt before submerging it into the marinade.
- The meat becomes even more tender if you substitute buttermilk (“Sauermilch”) for all or part of the water.
- In the summer, leave the meat in the marinade for 3 days, in the winter for 4. Turn it periodically as needed.
- The larger the cut, the longer it has to stay in the liquid.
- Dry the meat, garnish it with bacon (cut slits into it and “pull” the bacon through them) and season it with salt and pepper.
- Brown it briskly at high heat together with the carrot and onion.
- Add the browned flour, then the marinade, tomato paste and beef broth.
- Broil in the oven at around 300 F under a closed lid for 1.5 – 2 hours.
- ---MODERN-DAY TIP: use an oven bag. It is MUCH easier and will keep your meat tender.
- To make a gravy, separate out the grease from the top of the liquid, discard it and add the wine.
- Serve with potato dumplings or spätzle, a nice side salad and a hearty red wine. Guten Appetit!
Recipe by Orgasmic Chef at https://orgasmicchef.com/food-writer-fridays-meet-sofie-dittman/