Sauerbraten is far from your typical pot roast, though it's might be described as one. This traditional German dish takes a bit more prep, but there's such depth of flavor. Comforting deliciousness!
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When I was a student, I spent a few months in Germany and a few in Russia. While I'm not sure that the South of Russia was the most comfortable place to be in the summer, Germany was at least a good choice for winter.
For one, it wasn't as crazily cold as for friends who were in Siberia. But also, there was a lot to enjoy about Germany in winter, particularly when it came to food.
I loved that we sometimes just had to find an excuse to warm up with a glass of gluhwein (mulled wine) on a cold day. And as it got closer to Christmas, the glass generally came with a slice of stollen.
But we also enjoyed some delicious plates of sausages with braised red cabbage and other classics like jaegerschnitzel and sauerbraten.
What is sauerbraten?
Sauerbraten is a kind of German pot roast. It's that bit different from an American-style roast as the meat is first marinated in a spiced wine and vinegar liquid before roasting. It is most commonly made with beef but can also be made with venison and other meats as well.
You could almost argue that you pickle the meat before cooking it, as many recipes use pickling spices to infuse the marinating liquid, which is also very acidic. In fact the name sauerbraten comes from the German words "sauer" meaning "sour" and "braten" meaning "roast meat".
But maybe even more unusual is the finishing touch to this dish. Ginger snap cookies are crumbled into the gravy! It might sound odd, I know, but the sweetness takes the edge off the acidity and adds a smoothness and depth to the sauce as well.
How to make sauerbraten
- Put the herbs and spices for the bouquet garni in a piece of cheesecloth and tie it shut.
- Pour the wine, vinegar and water in a pan and add the bouquet garni, bay leaf, salt and sliced onion. Bring the mixture to a boil then turn off heat and let it cool.
- Pat dry the beef and put in a non-reactive ceramic or glass dish big enough to also hold the marinade liquid but have meat largely submerged.
- Pour the cooled marinade over the meat, cover and refrigerate. Leave to marinade for 3 to 5 days, turning once or twice a day.
- When ready to cook, remove the meat from the marinade and pat dry. Preheat oven to 350F/175C.
- Melt butter in a Dutch oven and brown the meat on all sides. Add the carrot and onion and soften them slightly.
- Add the flour, stir, then pour in the marinade liquid (just the liquid, not the additional onions). Bring to a simmer, cover, then put in the oven for approximately 1 ½ hours until meat is tender.
- Remove the meat from the pan, tent with foil to keep warm and set aside.
- Put the Dutch oven on the stove on a medium heat, add the crushed ginger snap cookies and remaining butter and stir. Let the sauce reduce slightly then either strain or blend to make it relatively smooth.
- Slice the meat and serve with the sauce poured over the top.
I appreciate this might seem like a lot of steps, and you do obviously need to plan ahead since there is marinading time, but believe me, it's still not difficult to make and is worth the effort!
Can you use pickling spices in this?
You can use ready-blended pickling spices in this, if you prefer. This is pretty common, but both I for one don't tend to have that mix hanging around, plus the contents can vary.
Instead, making the bouqui garni from scratch is both easy and lets you adjust flavors, if there's something you particularly don't like etc.
While I've had this a few times when I lived in Germany, I didn't inherit a hand-me-down recipe, unfortunately. So, instead I've dug around to get more or less what feels authentic to what I've had and know. What I came up with here draws on this Saveur recipe and this The Spice House recipe.
With a wonderfully comforting richness, sauerbraten is a tender and flavorful roast. It's perfect for the cooler months, as part of an Oktoberfest celebration or really any excuse you want to find. So grab your ingredients and give it a try!
Looking for more dishes to get in the Oktoberfest spirit? Try these!
- German pancake soup (Flädlesuppe)
- Obatzda (German beer cheese dip)
- Schweinebraten (German pork roast, cooked with beer)
- Beef Rouladen (braised beef rolls)
- Plus get more ideas in the German recipes archives.
You might want to try serving this with some speckbohnen (German green beans), braised red cabbage with apples and/or spaetzle.
I use my Le Creuset Cast-Iron Oval French Oven to make this dish which works well (affiliate link).
See some of my favorite cooking tools and ingredients in the Caroline's Cooking Amazon store.
Sauerbraten
Ingredients
For bouquet garni
- 1 cinnamon stick optional
- 8 cloves
- 6 juniper berries
- ½ tablespoon peppercorns
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- ½ teaspoon yellow mustard seeds optional
For marinade
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup red wine
- ¾ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 ¾ cups water
- ½ onion sliced
Rest of ingredients
- 2 lb bottom round roast (rump/silverside)
- ½ onion dice
- 1 carrot dice
- 1 ½ tablespoon butter divided
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 3 ginger snap cookies
Instructions
3-5 days before cooking
- Put the herbs and spices for the bouquet garni in a piece of cheesecloth and tie it shut.
- Pour the wine, vinegar and water in a pan and add the bouquet garni, bay leaf, salt and sliced onion. Bring the mixture to a boil then turn off heat and let it cool.
- Pat dry the beef and put in a non-reactive ceramic or glass dish big enough to also hold the marinade liquid but have meat largely submerged.
- Pour the cooled marinade over the meat, cover and refrigerate. Leave to marinade for 3 to 5 days, turning once or twice a day.
When ready to roast
- When ready to cook, remove the meat from the marinade and pat dry. Preheat oven to 350F/175C.
- Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a Dutch oven and brown the meat on all sides. Add the carrot and onion and soften them slightly.
- Add the flour, stir, then pour in the marinade liquid (just the liquid, not the additional onions). Bring to a simmer, cover then put in the oven for approximately 1 ½ hours until meat is tender.
- Remove the meat from the pan, tent with foil to keep warm and set aside.
- Put the Dutch oven on the stove on a medium heat, add the crushed ginger snap cookies and remaining butter and stir. Let the sauce reduce slightly then either strain or blend to make it relatively smooth (but keeping as much of the vegetables etc in there).
- Slice the meat and serve with the sauce poured over the top.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Remember to pin for later!
Alison says
How much longer would you do for a 3lb roast?
Caroline says
It will likely take between 2 and 3 hours - some of the time to cook depends how long you marinate it for. Typically, it cooks a little quicker if it has marinated longer. With that size, I'd test after 2 hours and see from there if it seems tender or needs a longer, then check every 10 - 15 minutes or so.
Patrick says
I’m assuming it’s tender?
Caroline's Cooking says
Yes, the meat becomes tender between the marinade and cooking.
Karel Kansas says
Wow fantastic
Caroline's Cooking says
Thank you, glad you enjoyed.
Ana F. says
This Sauerbraten pot roast has so much flavor! It was the perfect dinner for the family this weekend and can't wait to make it again! Super easy to make too. Thanks for the recipe!
Caroline's Cooking says
So glad to hear! I agree it has lots of flavor.
Seema Sriram says
There is a lot of beautiful flavours from the spices and the marinade here. It's a very tender piece of meat at the end.
Caroline's Cooking says
Thanks, and yes indeed, the flavors are so good and the meat is incredibly tender and flavorful.
SYLVIA RANJEL says
Does the sauce end up sweet? My husband doesn't like sweet on savory type meals.
Caroline's Cooking says
I wouldn't say it is sweet, only ever so slightly if at all - the ginger snaps more balance out the slight sourness from the wine and vinegar. You could always just add some of the ginger snaps and see how it tastes before adding more.
Jen says
Wow, this was so flavorful and tender! My husband wouldn't stop raving about it. I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to make this at least once every few weeks to keep him happy. Thank you for such a wonderful recipe.
Caroline's Cooking says
So glad to hear, it has such a great flavor.
Natalie says
Does the bottom round roast come out tender and moist like chuck would? I’ve never had good luck with round cuts. They always come out dry. Would brisket work instead?
Caroline's Cooking says
So it's certainly tender. It isn't quite as moist as some other cuts, but you have all that delicious sauce so that balances it out and so it certainly doesn't feel a dry dish. Brisket, to me, has too high a fat content for this and I'm not sure the marinade would work it's way in quite as well - I'd suggest chuck would be a better alternative.
Marie says
What kind of red wine? I never know which one to use.
Caroline's Cooking says
For this, it is probably less important since it is being mixed with vinegar and spices, but I'd suggest a relatively full-bodied red, so something like a French syrah, most Spanish reds would be good, a drier Italian red like chianti or cabernet sauvignons.
Carlee says
I would really like to start cooking more German food. This looks like a delicious place to start.
Caroline's Cooking says
Thanks, it's definitely a classic and with such wonderful flavors!