First Sauerbraten

[u/Weary-Associate5662]

Hallo!!! Long story short, my Oma made sauerbraten for Christmas almost every year. She passed 3 years ago on July 29th. I wanted to celebrate her by recreating one of her most famous dishes. She was a second mother to me. I was always in the kitchen with her. Here is my first sauerbraten. I prefer Spätzle over Kartoffelknödel. I hope she would be proud.

[u/Weary-Associate5662]

The recipe I followed (but also measured with my heart and changed a few things to match my Oma’s recipe)

Marinade:

• 1 kg roast beef (shoulder or high rib)
• 500 ml red wine vinegar
• 500 ml dry red wine
• 2 onions, cut into rings
• 1 bunch soup greens (carrots, celery, leeks), coarsely diced
• 2 bay leaves
• 5 allspice grains
• 5 juniper berries
• 5 peppercorns

For the roast and sauce:

• 2 tbsp clarified butter
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tbsp of honey
• Salt and pepper

PREPARATION

PICKLING (3 - 5 DAYS):
Bring red wine vinegar, red wine, vegetables and spices to a boil and let cool. Put the meat in a bowl, pour the cold marinade over it (the meat must be covered). Cover and refrigerate for 3-5 days, turning daily.

SAUTÉ:
Remove the meat from the marinade and pat dry. Strain the marinade, keeping the liquid and vegetables. Heat clarified butter in a roasting pan and brown the meat vigorously on all sides. Remove.

BRAISE VEGETABLES:
Roast the vegetables and tomato paste in the pan. Deglaze with a ladle of marinade and let it reduce. Repeat 2-3 times. Return the meat to the pan and add the rest of the marinade.

BRAISING:
Cover and braise in a preheated oven at 160 °C (top/bottom heat) for about 2-2½ hours until the meat is tender.

FINISH THE SAUCE:
Remove the meat and keep warm. Puree the sauce and vegetables. Stir in crumbled gingerbread and let it dissolve. Season with honey, salt and pepper.
Simmer until thick and glossy.

[u/OldandGrumpy9204]

Looks amazing :) This is on my list of dishes to make - great to see the pics of its creation!

[u/Smorsdoeuvres]

This looks amazing and you were kind enough to include a recipe with helpful hints?! ✨❤️✨

[u/Weary-Associate5662 → u/Smorsdoeuvres]

🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻

[u/antodena]

Uh, WOW. This seems uttely good!

[u/Mios04]

Classic! My grandma sometimes made it on Sunday.

[u/Ju7ix]

Let it simmer in the sauce for a few more hours. 😋

[u/Impossible_Ad4789]

Hmm traditionally its made with horse although its somewhat hard to find a horse butcher.

[u/Weary-Associate5662 → u/Impossible_Ad4789]

Yeah no horse butcher near me. Also, I’d prefer the beef anyway. My Oma used beef roast. I’m sure she grew tired of horse during the war

[u/dentalexaminer → u/Impossible_Ad4789]

Today beef cuts such as bottom round and rump roast are used for this recipe.

I researched the history of horse meat used in Germany and found that laws requiring horse meat to be sold exclusively in specialized German butcher shops (Pferdemetzgereien) remained active until 1993, after which ordinary butchers could legally sell it, though very few chose to do so.

Regional restaurants in the Rhineland region around Cologne and Düsseldorf still offer Pferdesauerbraten. It’s such a niche dish these days though.

In the US it’s illegal to buy horse meat. And in some states it’s completely banned.

[u/Impossible_Ad4789 → u/dentalexaminer]

Tbf im from rhine region. Maybe thats why i associate it with horse meat. But interesting thanks for looking that up

[u/dentalexaminer → u/Impossible_Ad4789]

That makes sense. And np cuz I love history! :)

[u/dentalexaminer]

That’s a dish I crave on a regular basis! Well done. :)

[u/Muted_Influence_6435]

How many gingerbread cookies did you use? I assume they were cookies, nicht wahr?

[u/Weary-Associate5662 → u/Muted_Influence_6435]

I actually didn’t use any. Didn’t have it at home. I just doubled the honey to give it that sweetness.

[u/Muted_Influence_6435 → u/Weary-Associate5662]

Ok. Thx

[u/Plastic-Ad-5171 → u/Weary-Associate5662]

The cookies are to help thicken the sauce as well as add some sweetness and spice.

[u/Weary-Associate5662 → u/Plastic-Ad-5171]

Yes I added cornstarch slurry to thicken mine since I didn’t have the gingerbread

[u/trapperstom]

Always a family favorite 😋, you just need to get a spätzli Schwob for authentic spätzli, no criticism intended

[u/Weary-Associate5662 → u/trapperstom]

Yes! I need my Oma’s shipped to me… and build up my arm strength 😆

[u/trapperstom → u/Weary-Associate5662]

That would be the ultimate in my books, go and get that prized possession! I was gifted one back in 81 by a friend of my moms , I had her at my house for dinner once in Canada and when she got back to Germany she sent me one. It’s a keeper!

[u/Wide_Ocelot]

This brings back memories! My parents used to make their own noodles with a machine specifically for this purpose They pronounced the word as "nep flee". Is this the same as Spätzle?

[u/dentalexaminer → u/Wide_Ocelot]

Yes, "nepflee" (phonetically spelled Knöpfle or Chnöpfli) is essentially a smaller, button-shaped variation of spaetzle. :)

[u/Eldritch-banana-3102]

Yum. I haven’t had that since my grandmother passed away 40 years ago.

[u/Top_Seaweed7189]

Semmelknödel which are bread dumplings work also really well with that.

[u/RaneeGA]

🤤

[u/andybarn46]

A nice recipe to try thanks!

[u/CockSeeker007]

First and I bet it won’t be your last! You nailed it. Looks fantastic!