Sauerbraten: The blog that has been 2 years in the making

A few years ago my dad decided he was going to work with each member of my family to prepare one of the three holiday meals (Christmas Eve, Christmas, and New Year's) that my family has.  I chose Christmas dinner, and then grabbed the German cookbook to decide what to make.  I chose German because a lot of our Christmas traditions come from Germany-- Christmas trees and "Silent Night," for instance.  I also lived for a year in Germany, and miss it most at Christmastime.  I flipped through the book, and decided on Sauerbraten.  I'd never had it, in spite of it being a German classic.  It's a sweet-and-sour dish, and, what makes it perfect for Christmas, it features a gravy thickened with gingersnaps. I've made it every year since, which has allowed me to work out some of the mistakes I made the first time.  I told my host mom about making it, and she asked without missing a beat how long I marinaded it.  A true Sauerbraten, she informed me, MUST be marinaded for days; good thing my recipe does.  I would've hated to disappoint her.

And a quick note on photos-- I started this two years ago, but didn't have half the photos I wanted; I took some more this past year, and now am able to finish.

Sauerbraten

2.5 lb Beef roast
2 onions
1 carrot
2 celery stalks
2/3 C red wine vinegar
1 bay leaf
6 cloves
6 black peppercorns
1 Tbsp dark brown sugar
2 tsp salt
1 onion
4 oz. bacon
1 Tbsp cornstarch
Gingersnaps

*This text color indicates a non-marinade ingredient, which won't be needed until 3 days after the others.

Cut the 2 onions into wedges or slices.  Slice the carrot and celery into medallions.  Place the prepared veggies and 2 1/2 C water in a saucepan.  Bring it to boil, then reduce it to a simmer and allow it to cook for about 5 minutes.  Add the vinegar, bay leaf, cloves, peppercorns, sugar, and salt.  Simmer 5 minutes more, then cover and COOL COMPLETELY.  I have found it best to make this in the evening  four days before you plan to serve the Sauerbraten and let it cool overnight.

Once your marinade has cooled, place the roast in a casserole dish and pour the marinade over.  It should be a tight fit.  Cover the dish and place it in the fridge.  You will marinade it for 3 days, flipping the roast over each day.  I've found this to be easiest if you start by scooping out marinade ingredients and maybe even pour off some of the marinade first.  Replace it all once you've flipped the meat.

After three days, dice another onion and the bacon, then remove the roast, and dry it thoroughly.  Don't throw out the marinade just yet.  Heat a couple tablespoons oil in a large pan over medium-high heat, and sear the beef on all sides.  Set it aside, then place the onions in the pan and reduce the heat to medium.  After about 5 minutes of sautéing, add the bacon, and continue to cook until the bacon is brown.

Transfer the onion and bacon to a soup pot and place the beef on top.  Strain the liquid from the marinade into the stock pot.  Slowly bring it to a boil, then cover it and simmer over low heat until the beef is tender.  The recipe says about 2 hours, but I ALWAYS need more time… probably closer to 4 hours.

While the simmering is going on, begin crushing gingersnaps.  You will need a total of 1 C gingersnap crumbs.

Once the beef is tender, take it out and set it aside.  Keep it warm, though.  Make a slurry of cornstarch and cold water, and whisk that and the gingersnap crumbs into the liquid.  Bring to a boil and continue stirring until thickened.  Slice the beef and serve with noodles (or Spätzle) and gravy, garnishing, if desired, with fresh parsley.  

I tried to make clear the mistakes I've made along the way, but just to be sure, here they are again.  I assume if I made them, others might, too.  
1) I didn't cool the marinade completely.  It cooked the meat surface a little, and that resulted in a weird texture and less-than-ideal marinading.  
2) I didn't simmer the beef long enough.  After 2 1/2 hours I was impatient and hungry, and served it.  It was tough.  The longer cook time is important, because a tender Sauerbraten is amazing!
3) I didn't whisk or stir as vigorously as I should have when adding the gingersnap crumbs.  I wound up with lumps.  Normally, lumps strike me as a cosmetic issue.  But with gingersnaps, the clumps have a weird gummy texture and a distinct, sweet flavor.  It's jarring.  

I love this.  It's got such a wonderful, Christmas-y flavor.  The gingersnaps are balanced by the vinegar so you don't get overwhelmed by sweet (or vice versa).  Instead, they just contribute some more flavor complexity.  And that gravy is what makes the dish for me.  The roast cooks down a lot, so if you're cooking for a family, there probably won't be too much left over.  If you cook it to tenderness, it's a delight to eat.  It marries well with the gravy and the whole thing just melts in your mouth.  Serving with the noodles or Spätzle is a good idea; I tried it with potatoes once and it just doesn't quite have the right texture to complement the Sauerbraten.  

Take away message: don't let the name throw you.  Sauerbraten is a delicious, festive comfort food.  It just takes a little time to do it right.