German Sauerbraten (Pot Roast)
This authentic German Sauerbraten recipe comes straight from my grandfather's kitchen ~ You can do this braised chuck roast on the stove or in the oven.
Servings: 6 servings
Equipment
- large roasting or stock pot with lid
Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion, peeled and chopped
- 2 carrots, sliced
- 1 leek, trimmed, sliced, and rinsed well to remove grit
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 4 bay leaves
- 2 cups red wine, (any type you would drink)
- 2 cups beef broth, or stock
- 1 1/2 cups red wine vinegar
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp whole cloves
- 1 tsp juniper berries
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 2 tsp coarse salt
- 1/4 cup golden raisins
Pot roast
- 3-4 lb chuck roast
- olive oil, or other vegetable oil
Gravy
- 1/4 cup finely crushed gingersnaps
Instructions
- Put all the marinade ingredients into a large non-reactive pot such as enameled cast iron (make sure it's big enough to hold the marinade and meat.) Bring to a boil, then let cool to room temperature.
- Submerge the chuck roast into the marinade, and cover tightly. Refrigerate for up to 3 days. If your meat is not fully covered in liquid, plan to give it a turn every day so it marinates evenly. You can also do this in a very large heavy duty zip lock bag.
- Remove the meat from the marinade (it will be beautifully pink from the wine) and pat it dry, removing any stray bits of veggie as well. Remove the marinade to a bowl and wipe out the pot. Lightly coat the bottom of the pot with oil and heat until quite hot but not smoking. Brown the meat on all sides.
- Add the marinade back into the pot with the meat and bring to a boil. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom as you heat. Now you have a choice: either turn the heat down, cover, and let gently simmer on the stove for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, or you can cover and put the pot into a 325F oven for the same amount of time. Note: whichever method you choose, you want the pot to be a gentle simmer, not a rolling boil, so adjust heat accordingly. I check it a few times during cooking to make sure.
- When the meat is fork tender, carefully remove it to a cutting board and let rest for 15 minutes before slicing.
- Strain the contents of the pot and discard the solids. I like to put the liquid into a large saucepan at this point.
- Bring it back to a bubble and sprinkle in the crushed gingersnaps, whisking as you add them, so they don't clump. Simmer until the gravy thickens slightly. Note: if you do get any lumps, just strain the gravy through a mesh sieve before serving.
- Slice the meat and serve on a platter topped with gravy. Serve extra gravy on the side.
Notes
How to adjust for the slow cooker:
- Make the recipe as written above through step 3.
- In step 4 place the meat and marinade in your crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
- Proceed with step 5 in the recipe.
How to adjust for the Instant Pot
- Make the recipe as written up through step 3.
- In step 4 place the meat and marinade in your Instant Pot and cook on high pressure for 55 minutes. After the machine beeps let it sit for 10 minutes without doing anything, then release the pressure valve.
- Proceed with step 5 in the recipe.
Frequently asked questions
Can I leave out the wine? Yes, just use apple cider with apple cider vinegar. You can also use more beef stock, or even water. I don't have gingersnaps, but want that flavor, what can I add? You might thicken the gravy with a flour and water slurry and then add some dark brown sugar or a little molasses. Doesn't the meat spoil when you leave it that long in the marinade? No, the wine and vinegar in the marinade keep the meat from spoiling. Do I have to marinate the meat that long? No, I mention in the post that there is evidence that marinating is not very useful after all, so feel free to marinate for a shorter time, or even skip that step. I don't have juniper berries, what can I substitute? Just leave them out, there are plenty of other flavors in this dish. The gravy is too sour for me, what can I do? The gingersnaps help to balance the sour element, so don't leave them out, and you can add some extra sugar or brown sugar to help as well. My gravy never got really thick. Sauerbraten gravy is not meant to be very thick, it should be silky and have some body to it. My gravy isn't dark and rich as it is in the pictures. Depending on your wine and other ingredients your gravy could be a slightly different color. I love to use a few drops of gravy browning like Kitchen Bouquet to darken pale gravies.Nutrition
Serving: 1 serving · Calories: 572 kcal · Carbohydrates: 20 g · Protein: 46 g · Fat: 27 g · Saturated Fat: 12 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 2 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 14 g · Trans Fat: 2 g · Cholesterol: 156 mg · Sodium: 1310 mg · Potassium: 1125 mg · Fiber: 2 g · Sugar: 9 g · Vitamin A: 3717 IU · Vitamin C: 7 mg · Calcium: 92 mg · Iron: 7 mg
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although The View from Great Island attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
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