Sauerbraten
Beef marinated in vinegar and wine for three days, then braised and served with a sweet-sour gravy thickened with crushed gingerbread. Germany's national dish, and one that requires planning.
Photograph credit: Sauerbraten with potato dumplings by Jameres · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Making Sauerbraten
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Bring the vinegar, wine, water, onions, carrots, spices, bay and salt to the boil, then cool completely.
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Submerge the beef in the cold marinade in a non-reactive container, cover, and refrigerate for 3 days, turning it once a day.
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Lift the beef out and pat it thoroughly dry. Strain the marinade and reserve both the liquid and the vegetables.
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Heat the oil in a heavy casserole and brown the beef hard on all sides, about 12 minutes in total.
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Lift it out, add the reserved vegetables, and fry 8 minutes. Stir in the tomato purée and cook 2 minutes.
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Return the beef, pour in 750 ml of the strained marinade, and bring to a simmer.
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Cover and braise at 150°C / 300°F for 3 hours, turning once, until the beef is completely tender.
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Lift the beef out and keep it warm. Strain the braising liquid into a pan and skim the fat.
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Whisk in the crumbled gingerbread, raisins and brown sugar and simmer 12 minutes until the gravy thickens and turns glossy. Taste and balance the sweet against the sour.
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Stir in the soured cream if using, slice the beef thickly, and serve with the gravy poured over.
Related guides: Prep, cook and total time · Ingredient substitutions.
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Small Things That Help
- Three days is the minimum for a proper sauerbraten. Two gives you a pleasant pot roast.
- Dry the beef very thoroughly before browning or it will not colour at all.
- Taste the gravy carefully at the end. The sweet-sour balance is the whole character of the dish.
What Goes With Sauerbraten
- Potato dumplings or spätzle
- Braised red cabbage
- A German red or a dark beer
Sides from the same cuisine on this site: Käsespätzle, Bratkartoffeln, German Red Cabbage.
Keeping and Reheating
Refrigerate up to 4 days and freeze 3 months in the gravy. Reheat gently in the sauce.
Sauerbraten FAQ: Common Questions
How long does Sauerbraten take to make?
30 minutes of preparation and 3 hours of cooking, plus 3 days of chilling, so allow 3 days 4 hours from start to finish. The method also needs time for cooling completely, which it does not time, so treat that as a minimum. The recipe serves 6.
Sauerbraten Nutrition
No nutrition figures are given for this recipe: they cannot be worked out reliably from its ingredient list (some ingredient lines cannot be read). Why some recipes have none.
Dairy-free when made without the soured cream.
Your notes on this recipe
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Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked. Found a mistake? Tell us.
First published ; last changed .
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