Sauerbraten

The beef sits in vinegar for three days at least, and never in a metal bowl.

Beef. Not vegetarian — contains beef.

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg beef bottom round or rump, in one piece
• 400 ml red wine vinegar
• 400 ml red wine
• 2 onions, sliced
• 2 carrots, in chunks
• 2 celery sticks, sliced
• 2 teaspoons black peppercorns
• 10 juniper berries
• 6 cloves
• 3 bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 50 g dark rye breadcrumbs, to thicken

Method

1. THE BEEF SITS IN VINEGAR FOR THREE DAYS AT LEAST, AND NEVER IN A METAL BOWL. Its Marination section gives the range and the warning. A solid cut IS MARINATED FOR THREE OR FOUR DAYS, OR AS MANY AS TEN, BEFORE COOKING; and it IS FREQUENTLY ADVISED TO MARINATE THE MEAT IN AN EARTHENWARE, GLASS, PLASTIC, OR ENAMEL CONTAINER. Vinegar and bare metal do not belong in the same bowl for a week.
2. THE CUT IS CHOSEN FOR BEING TOUGH, which is the other half of the dish. Its Meat selection section says TOUGHER, LESS EXPENSIVE CUTS OF MEAT ARE USED -- TYPICALLY A RUMP ROAST OR BOTTOM ROUND OF BEEF. Days of acid is what makes that eat like a roast.
3. THE MARINADE IS VINEGAR AND WINE TOGETHER, not vinegar alone. The article has RED WINE VINEGAR AND WINE TYPICALLY FORM THE BASIS, with EARTHY AROMATIC SPICES SUCH AS PEPPERCORNS, JUNIPER BERRIES, CLOVES, NUTMEG, AND BAY LEAVES.
4. BOIL THE MARINADE AND LET IT COOL BEFORE IT MEETS THE MEAT. Raw vinegar greys the surface; boiled and cooled, it penetrates without bleaching.
5. TURN IT ONCE A DAY, COLD, FOR THREE TO FOUR DAYS. Ten is the article's upper figure and it is not a mistake, but beyond four the spices start to dominate.
6. DRY IT COMPLETELY BEFORE BROWNING IT. Straight from the marinade it will steam rather than brown, and the colour is where the sauce comes from.
7. BROWN IT HARD ON EVERY FACE IN THE OIL, then the drained vegetables in the same pan.
8. THE MARINADE GOES BACK IN, STRAINED, AND IT BRAISES COVERED FOR THREE HOURS. Barely simmering, turned once an hour. It is ready when a fork meets no resistance.
9. THE RYE BREADCRUMB IS THE THICKENER, not flour. Stirred into the strained liquid off the heat and simmered ten minutes, it thickens the sauce and darkens it at the same time.
10. REST THE MEAT TWENTY MINUTES AND CARVE IT ACROSS THE GRAIN. It has been held together by collagen for three hours and it will fall apart if carved hot.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under Germany · All recipes