Betty’s Sauerbraten

Sauerbraten Marinade

• 1 beef or game roast — 3–5 pounds; shoulder, rump roast, chuck roast, venison roast, etc.
• 4 cups water
• 4 cups vinegar — apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
• 4 medium yellow onions — sliced into 1/4-inch rings
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 clove garlic clove — smashed and minced

For Cooking

• 2–3 tablespoons oil or beef fat
• 1–2 cups reserved marinade — plus more as needed

Gravy

• 2 cups full-fat sour cream

Rhineland-Style Additions

• brown sugar (optional)
• gingersnaps (optional)
• raisins (optional)
• juniper berries (optional)

1. Prepare the Marinade: In a large nonreactive container, stir together water, vinegar, salt, peppercorns, onions, bay leaves, and garlic for about 1 minute, until the salt dissolves. Add the roast and press the onions around it, making sure the meat is completely submerged.4 cups water, 4 cups vinegar, 2 tbsp salt, 1 tbsp peppercorns, 4 onions, 2 bay leaves, 1 garlic clove, 1 roast
2. Marinate the Roast: Cover and refrigerate at 40°F or below for 4 days, turning the roast 2–3 times each day so every side remains in contact with the marinade.
3. Brown the Roast: Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lift the roast from the marinade, reserving all of the liquid, onions, and garlic. Pat the roast completely dry with paper towels. Heat oil or beef fat in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes. Brown the roast deeply on all sides, allowing about 3–4 minutes per broad side and 10–15 minutes total.2–3 tbsp oil or beef fat, 1 roast
4. Slow Cook: Arrange all of the marinated onions and garlic around the browned roast. Add 1–2 cups reserved marinade, or enough to reach about one-third of the way up the sides of the meat. Bring the liquid to a steady simmer over medium heat, cover the Dutch oven tightly, and bake for 3½–4½ hours. Turn the roast once halfway through cooking and add more reserved marinade or water if the bottom of the pot begins to dry. The roast is ready when a fork or thin knife slides into the thickest part with little resistance and the meat yields easily when twisted.1–2 cups reserved marinade, marinated onions and garlic
5. Finish the Gravy: Transfer the roast to a platter, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and rest for 15–20 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Lift the onions from the pot with a slotted spoon, strain the braising liquid through a fine-mesh strainer to remove the whole peppercorns, and return the liquid and onions to the Dutch oven. Skim excess fat from the surface. If the gravy appears thin, simmer it over medium heat for 5–10 minutes, until lightly reduced. Whisk the sour cream until smooth in a medium bowl, then gradually whisk in about 1 cup hot braising liquid. Reduce the heat to low and stir the tempered sour cream into the Dutch oven. Heat gently for 3–5 minutes, until the gravy is smooth and hot. Do not boil.2 cups sour cream, cooked onions, braising liquid
6. Serve: Slice the rested roast across the grain. If using a chuck or shoulder roast that has become too tender for neat slices, pull it into large serving pieces instead. Spoon the onion gravy generously over the meat and serve with buttered egg noodles or red cabbage.