Sauerbraten

The national pot roast of Germany: beef marinated for days in a spiced vinegar and wine mixture, then slowly braised.

TIME BREAKDOWN
Prep: 1h
Cook: 2h 30m
Total: 3 hours 30 minutes
Vegetarian
❌
Nuts
❌
Serves
6 people
Difficulty
Medium

Ingredients

  • 1.5kg beef topside or silverside joint
  • For the marinade: 500ml red wine vinegar
  • For the marinade: 500ml red wine
  • For the marinade: 500ml water
  • For the marinade: 2 onions, sliced
  • For the marinade: 2 carrots, sliced
  • For the marinade: 2 celery sticks, sliced
  • For the marinade: 10 black peppercorns
  • For the marinade: 8 juniper berries
  • For the marinade: 6 cloves
  • For the marinade: 3 bay leaves
  • 3 tbsp sunflower oil
  • 2 tbsp tomato purée
  • 2 tbsp plain flour
  • 6 gingersnap biscuits, crushed
  • 50g raisins
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • Salt and black pepper to taste
  • Potato dumplings or red cabbage, to serve

Method

  1. Put the beef in a large non-metallic bowl. Bring the marinade ingredients to the boil, cool completely, then pour over the beef. Cover and refrigerate for 3 days, turning daily.

  2. Lift the beef out, dry well and season. Strain the marinade, keeping the liquid and vegetables.

  3. Heat the oil in a large casserole and brown the beef on all sides for 10 minutes. Remove, add the marinade vegetables and cook for 8 minutes. Stir in the tomato purée and flour for 2 minutes.

  4. Add 750ml of the strained marinade, return the beef, cover and cook at 160°C (140°C fan) for 2 hours to 2 hours 30 minutes until very tender.

  5. Lift out the beef and rest it. Strain the sauce into a pan, add the crushed gingersnaps, raisins and sugar and simmer for 10 minutes until thick and glossy. Adjust the seasoning.

  6. Slice the beef and serve with the sauce.