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Sauerbraten

  • 500 g Beef Chuck
  • Marinade
    • 1/4 t Medium-Grain Salt
    • 2 Black Peppercorns
    • 2 Allspice Corns
    • 2 Cloves
    • 1 Bay Leaf
    • 4 Juniper Berries
    • 1 Sprig Rosemary Leaves
    • 330 g Water, cold
    • 90 g White Vinegar
    • 80 g White Onion, minced
    • 80 g Carrot, chopped
  • 40 g Vegetable Oil
  • 1/2 t Medium-Grain Salt
  • 1/4 t Black Peppercorn, ground
  • 80 g White Onion, sliced
  • 80 g Celery, roughly chopped
  • 80 g Carrot, roughly chopped
  • 120 g Water, cold
  • 4 Garlic Cloves, crushed
  • 1 T Red Wine
  • Garnish
    • 1 T Scallion greens, chopped (optional)
Substitutions
  • Substitute 1 T gin for juniper berries.
  1. Marinate beef. Add marinade, beef to glass bowl. Rest 3 days in refrigerator.
  2. Drain beef marinade. Remove steak from marinade. Pat steak dry. Reserve marinade.
  3. Sear steak. Heat oil in stockpot over high heat. Add beef. Season with salt, pepper. Fry 14 minutes, flipping midway, until both sides are seared. Remove meat from pan and set aside.
  4. Cook vegetables. Reduce heat to medium. Add vegetables. Cook 10 minutes, stirring every 4 minutes, until softened.
  5. Braise beef. Return seared beef to stockpot. Add reserved marinade, garlic, red wine, and enough water so that meat is not quite covered. Braise at least 2.5 hours until fork tender.
  6. Thicken sauce. Drain liquid into a saucepan. Filter out vegetables and seasonings. Skim fat if possible. Carefully correct seasoning.
  7. Garnish meat with sauce and scallion greens.

Marinate beef in 24 hours by scouring the beef before marinating.

Do not marinate in food storage bags.

The acidic marinade will break down the plastic material. It will leak in your fridge and impart unwanted flavors to the beef.

Gordon Ramsay in "Winter Beef Recipes To Keep You Warm"1

The secret of braising is having little of the meat exposed and 90% of it submerged... They're like little crocodile heads popping up out of the water... Leave the lid [uncovered]... If we had to cover it completely, steam hits the top of the lid and all the water comes running back [on top of the exposed meat].

  1. Ramsay, Gordon. "Winter Beef Recipes To Keep You Warm." 19 November 2020. ↩

  2. Arlena. "German Sauerbraten Recipe." Bavarian Kitchen. 26 December 2009. ↩