Sauerbraten is simply a tender German style pot roast
What sets Sauerbraten aside from the everyday pot roast is that you brine and marinate the meat in vinegar and spices for several days
Then after it is cooked you make a gravy using some gingersnap cookies as the thickener
This makes for one delicious and unique pot roast!
I hope you will like our take on this great recipe and wonderful European dish!
Let’s get started with the marinade
We will need 1 cup of apple cider vinegar, 1 cup of red wine vinegar, 2 cups of water, 1 tablespoon of whole black peppercorns, 1/2 tablespoon of whole cloves, 2 teaspoons each of kosher salt and ground black pepper and 4 bay leaves
Add all these ingredients to a pot and place over medium heat
Bring to a rapid boil then remove the pot from the heat and allow to cool completely
Next up we have a 4.5 pound bottom round roast
Place the roast in a large bowl and pour in the marinade
Cover tightly with cling wrap and place in the refrigerator
Marinate the roast for at least 5 days
Flip the meat once per day
After 5 days remove the meat from the marinade, reserving the liquid
Pat the roast dry and set aside
Strain and reserve the liquid and discard the solids
Now we are going to cook this in our Instant Pot slow cooker which also has a saute function
This will allow us to brown the meat prior to cooking it
If you have a traditional slow cooker just brown the meat in a pan first
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat until just starting to smoke
Add in the roast fat side down and sear for 2-3 minutes
Repeat this until all sides are browned
Remove the meat and set aside
Next we will need 1 onion and 3 carrots
Peel and roughly chop them
These are just being used to flavor the gravy and keep the meat off the bottom of the pot
Add the veggies to the pot
Cook the veggies for 4-6 minutes
Place the roast on top of the veggies fat cap up
Next you will need 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce and 1 tablespoon of Gravy Master
Whisk the Worcestershire sauce and Gravy Master into the marinade
Pour the marinade into the pot around the roast
Seal up the slow cooker and cook on high for 5-6 hours depending on the size of the roast
You want the roast to be tender but you also still want to be able to slice it
Remove the roast and let it rest while we work on the gravy
Once again we are going to strain the liquid and discard the solids
This yielded around 3 cups
I’m placing 2 cups back into the pot and reserving 1 cup in case I have to loosen the gravy
Next we will need 12 gingersnap cookies and 1 tablespoon of sugar
This gravy is a work in progress, meaning I started with 12 cookies but I ended up adding in around 6 more
This will depend on your personal taste of how sweet and spicy you want the gravy
This is also why I reserved 1 cup of the cooking liquid so I could adjust the flavor and thickness as needed
Place the cookies in a food processor and grind
Bring the gravy to a boil
Add in the sugar and ground gingersnaps to the liquid
Whisk to combine
Allow the gravy to tighten up and adjust the flavors with either more ground cookies or reserved liquid
Remove the fat cap from the roast and thinly slice against the grain
We served this with Rotkohl which is a traditional German braised cabbage and egg noodles topped with our delicious gingersnap gravy!!
Click on our link to make Rotkohl
Enjoy!!!
Simply Sundays! ~ Sauerbraten
Ingredients
For the marinade
1 cup of apple cider vinegar
1 cup of red wine vinegar
2 cups of water
1 tablespoon of whole black peppercorns
1/2 tablespoon of whole cloves
2 teaspoons each of kosher salt and ground black pepper
4 bay leaves
For the roast
4.5 pound bottom round roast
1 onion
3 carrots
2 tablespoons of olive oil
For the gravy
reserved marinade
1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon of Gravy Master
12 gingersnap cookies (more if needed)
1 tablespoon of sugar
Directions
In a pot combine 1 cup of apple cider vinegar, 1 cup of red wine vinegar, 2 cups of water, 1 tablespoon of whole black peppercorns, 1/2 tablespoon of whole cloves, 2 teaspoons each of kosher salt and ground black pepper and 4 bay leaves
Bring to a rapid boil then remove the pot from the heat and allow to cool completely. Place a 4.5 pound bottom round roast in a large bowl and pour in the marinade. Cover tightly with cling wrap and place in the refrigerator
Marinate the roast for at least 5 days. Flip the meat once per day. After 5 days remove the meat from the marinade, reserving the liquid. Pat the roast dry and set aside. Strain and reserve the liquid, discard the solids
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat until just starting to smoke. Add in the roast and brown on all sides. Remove the meat and set aside
Peel and roughly chop 1 onion and 3 carrots. Add the veggies to the pot. Cook the veggies for 4-6 minutes. Place the roast on top of the veggies fat cap up. Whisk 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce and 1 tablespoon of Gravy Master into the marinade. Pour the marinade into the pot around the roast
Seal up the slow cooker and cook on high for 5-6 hours depending on the size of the roast. Remove the roast and let it rest while we work on the gravy
Once again strain the liquid and discard the solids. This yielded around 3 cups. Place 2 cups back into the pot and reserve 1 cup in case you to need loosen the gravy
Place 12 gingersnap cookies in a food processor and grind. Bring the gravy to a boil. Add in the sugar and ground ginger snaps to the liquid and whisk to combine. Allow the gravy to tighten up and adjust the flavors with either more ground cookies or reserved liquid
Remove the fat cap from the roast and thinly slice against the grain. Serve topped with the ginger snap gravy
Tools used to make this recipe
Anchor Hocking 8 Cup Measuring Cup Glass Batter Bowl with Spout
Wilton Recipe Right 3 Piece Cookie Pan Set
Architec Gripperwood Cutting Board
Pyrex Prepware 4-Quart Rimmed Mixing Bowl, Clear
ZELITE INFINITY Chef Knife 10 Inch
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