Tender German style pot roast topped with a ginger snap gravy served with a side of German braised red cabbage and egg noodles

Sauerbraten

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

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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

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Next up we have a 4.5 pound bottom round roast

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Place the roast in a large bowl and pour in the marinade

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Cover tightly with cling wrap and place in the refrigerator

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Marinate the roast for at least 5 days

Flip the meat once per day

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After 5 days remove the meat from the marinade, reserving the liquid

Pat the roast dry and set aside

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Strain and reserve the liquid and discard the solids

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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

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Repeat this until all sides are browned

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Remove the meat and set aside

Next we will need 1 onion and 3 carrots

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Peel and roughly chop them

These are just being used to flavor the gravy and keep the meat off the bottom of the pot

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Add the veggies to the pot

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Cook the veggies for 4-6 minutes

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Place the roast on top of the veggies fat cap up

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Next you will need 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce and 1 tablespoon of Gravy Master

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Whisk the Worcestershire sauce and Gravy Master into the marinade

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Pour the marinade into the pot around the roast

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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

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Once again we are going to strain the liquid and discard the solids

This yielded around 3 cups

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I’m placing 2 cups back into the pot and reserving 1 cup in case I have to loosen the gravy

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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

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Place the cookies in a food processor and grind

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Bring the gravy to a boil

Add in the sugar and ground gingersnaps to the liquid

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Whisk to combine

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Allow the gravy to tighten up and adjust the flavors with either more ground cookies or reserved liquid

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Remove the fat cap from the roast and thinly slice against the grain

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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

Tender German style pot roast topped with a ginger snap gravy served with a side of German braised red cabbage and egg noodles

Enjoy!!!

Simply Sundays! ~ Sauerbraten

  • Servings: 6-8
  • Difficulty: Medium
  • Print

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

Instant Pot 7 in 1 cooker

ZELITE INFINITY Chef Knife 10 Inch

ZYLISS Quik Blend Whisk

© Simply Sundays 2017
All rights reserved

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