
Sauerbraten
A Sunday meal I remember growing up. That sweet and sour, tangy taste and smell you won’t forget. Some have to develop taste buds for it. Sauerbraten can be a big hit a the dinner table, you can’t go wrong cooking for a big crowd
Serve with Red cabbage, Potato puree, Bread dumplings, or Potato dumplings and gravy
The Sunday Sauerbraten is a classic and perhaps one of the most famous traditional German dishes

It is top round beef roast that is particularly tender after long hours of laying in a marinade, so plan lan a couple days ahead!
The secret lies in the marinade, consisting of red wine, herbs, spices and of course vinegar. Vinegar breaks down meat fibers, connective tissue and tendons and makes the meat tender. The longer you put the roast in, the more intense it will taste. If you store it in the refrigerator, you can leave it to marinate for several weeks, it penetrates the roast with all its aromas.
Another option if you too busy. No marinating required, just buy the mix here
Tangy Sauerbraten
Ingredients
- 2 LB beef round
- Marinade:
- 2 stalks celery
- 1 large carrot
- 1 medium onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- 10 peppercorns
- 5 juniper berries
- Salt
- 1 tbsp sugar or honey
- 1.5 cups red wine
- ¾ cup red wine vinegar
- Cook the roast:
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion, minced
- 1 cup beef broth
- Optional: 4 tbsp. Raisins
- Optional: 4 Gingersnaps
Serve with Red cabbage, Potato puree, Bread dumplings, or Potato dumplings
Instructions
- The beef needs to be marinated a week before the cooking.
- For that you need to cut the celery, carrot, onion and garlic in cubes.
- Cook the juniper berries, pepper corns, cloves and bay leaves, salt and sugar with the red wine and the red wine vinegar in a pot on medium low heat for 15 minutes.
- Let cool.
- Cover the beef with the marinate and put everything in a large container for four days to a week in the refrigerator.
- It also can be kept in vacuum sealed bag in the refrigerator.
- After a week, remove the meat out of the refrigerator and dry it off.
- Fry it until lightly brown in a deep pan or Dutch Oven.
- Add the cubed onions and fry for 2 minutes or until golden.
- Combine the honey with the rest of the marinade and beef broth and add to pot.
- Cook the Sauerbraten for 2 hours on medium temperature, turn every half an hour.
- Remove the beef. Mix the sauce with a blender or push it through a sieve.
- Season to your liking with red wine and salt and pepper
Notes
Serve with potato dumplings or Spätzle, and sweet and sour red cabbage

This is what I miss most about Germany :/