Sauerbraten questions?

Question

I will be making sauerbraten this weekend. I have not done this before and have no idea "how" it should taste. What type of taste am I looking for here? Does the meat have to be cooked in a closed lid pot as compared to a roasting pan.

Should the gravy/sauce be thick or thin? I will not be doing any veggies as I cannot eat them, BUT, do I need to put some in just for the flavor.

If this meat is sitting in wine and vinegar for two/three days, won't the meat turn out to be very mushy. I over-marinated meat once and it was all mushy.

Can I use red wine vinegar? Again, please tell me what type of flavor I will be looking. Should it be sour?? I don't know.

Thank you

Answer 1

sauerbraten
[SOW-uhr-brah-tihn, ZOW-uhr-brah-tihn]
German for "sour roast," sauerbraten is a German specialty made by marinating a beef roast in a sour-sweet MARINADE for 2 to 3 days (or longer)before browning it, then simmering the meat in the marinade for several hours. The result is an extremely tender roast and a delicious sauce. Sauerbraten is traditionally served with dumplings, boiled potatoes or noodles.


3 pounds beef shoulder
2 teaspoons garlic
2 teaspoons pepper
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups vinegar
2 cups water
½ cup onion, sliced
2 bay leaf
1 teaspoon peppercorns
¼ cup sugar
oil
flour
1 cup sour cream
Rub meat with a cut surface of garlic, salt and pepper and place in bowl.


Heat vinegar, water, onion, bay leaves, peppercorns and sugar together, but do not boil.

Pour hot mixture over meat, cover bowl, and let stand in cool place 2 to 6 days, turning meat each day.

Drain, saving vinegar mixture.


Brown meat in fat, add half of the strained vinegar, cover pan and simmer until tender, 2 to 3 hours, adding more vinegar as required to keep liquid about ½ inch deep in pan.

Strain liquid and thicken with 2 tablespoons flour for each cup of liquid.

Cook until thickened and add cream.

Real nice served with braised cabbage with apple.

Beer: Any Vienna style is nice but try to get a German Whaet beer such as Berliner Weisse it has a nice tatrness (not bitter) with a hint of clove from the yeast. You can get the beers from a specialty beer shop or many warehoude beer stores. The imported beers from Germany or Mexico will be nice. Dos Equis and ***** Modelo were created by german brewmasters in Mexico are are great examples of vienna lagers.
PROST!

* The sauce is thickened but still thin and not pasty.

**The addition of ginger snaps is an American contribution to the dish but it is still nice. Could work well with the Berliner Weisse.

Answer 2

Bavarian Sauerbraten

2 1/2 cups dry red wine
1 1/2 cups red-wine vinegar
4 onions
Leaves from 1 bunch of celery
2 tablespoons coarse salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
10 cloves
2 teaspoons black peppercorns, crushed lightly
4 parsley sprigs
2 bay leaves
1 (4-pound) rump roast, tied
2 tablespoons clarified butter
1/2 cup crushed gingersnaps

In a large bowl stir together well the wine, vinegar, 1 cup water, 3 of the onions, quartered, celery leaves, salt, sugar, mustard seeds, nutmeg, cloves, peppercorns, parsley, and bay leaves. Add the meat and let it marinate, covered and chilled, turning occasionally, for 3 to 4 days.
Remove the meat from the marinade and reserve the marinade. Season the meat with salt and pepper. In a kettle heat the clarified butter over moderately high heat until it is hot but not smoking. Add the meat and brown on all sides. Add the reserved marinade and gently simmer the mixture, covered, for 3 1/2 to 4 hours, or until the meat is tender.
Transfer the meat to a cutting board. Strain the cooking liquid and skim off the fat. Transfer 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid to a saucepan, bring to a boil, and stir in the gingersnaps and the remaining liquid, a little at a time, stirring. Boil the sauce, stirring, until it is thickened and add salt and pepper to taste. Slice the meat and serve it with the sauce and potato dumplings.

Potato Dumplings

6 medium-size potatoes, boiled in their skins
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2/3 cup sifted flour
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)

When cool enough to handle, peel and mash or rice the potatoes. Beat in all the remaining ingredients. Shape into 1 or 2-inch balls. Drop into just boiling, salted water and cook for 7 to 10 minutes. Drain. Serve with sauerbraten.

Answer 3

It should be rather sour. About like sauerkraut. The sauce is usually a little thinner than classic marinara sauce but that is a matter of personal preference. Red wine vinegar should be fine and do marinate it for the full time for best results. Just be sure to use the recommended cut of beef to make it. And, yes, do include the vegetables. Remove them when done cooking if you want to but they add a lot of flavor to the sauce and the meat. It should be cooked in a covered pot. In fact, it is often cooked in the marinade after browning it.

If you need to look at some recipes for ideas there are several here;

http://allrecipes.com/Search/Recipes.aspx?WithTerm=sauerbraten

Bert

Answer 4

Sauerbraten cured my daughter of vegetarianism. Recipes vary, it's one of those "everybody has a recipe " things. Yes red wine vinegar is fine, in fact what I use. As for vegetables I put sliced onion in my marinade, as well as sometime a few allspice berries. The meat will not be mushy. I also marinade mine for up to 5 days. I too thicken my gravy with gingersnaps while some add sour cream. Do not allow to boil if you use sour cream!
Don't forget the classic potato dumplins to put that gravy on. My kids would never forgive me if I did. This is one of my family's favorite meals. My wife was so sure she would hate it that the first time I fixed it for her I had a steak ready just in case.

Answer 5

i learned a classic sauerbraten when I was a mess Sgt in Germany...one best trick is to use crushed ginger snaps to thicken the gravy after it comes to a boil..it takes away some of the "vinegary" taste and slightly sweetens the gravy..good luck and bon appetit!