Authentic Sauerbraten (German Beef Roast)
An authentic recipe for one of Germany’s national dishes, sauerbraten is a beef pot roast that is marinated for several days before being cooked to tender, saucy perfection. The unique, sweet-savory gravy is incredibly delicious.
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Sauerbraten might take a few days to make, but that will essentially be hands-off time spent marinating and slowly roasting to tender perfection. This is a perfect special occasion meal that I love to make for a Sunday night family dinner. It’s an impressive and simple one-pot meal that uses common ingredients.
I also make this for holidays as a turkey alternative for Thanksgiving and Christmas. A surprising ingredient in sauerbraten is gingersnap cookies, which thicken and flavor the gravy. Just give it a try!
In German cuisine, sauerbraten is traditionally served with spaetzle noodle dumplings and rotkohl, braised red cabbage. A side of semmelknödel German bread dumplings or potato dumplings kartoffelklöße, would also pair nicely with the rich gravy as would most potato dishes.
If you love traditional and old-fashioned recipes like this, try my traditional German rouladen beef rolls, königsberger klopse, German meatballs in a creamy lemon-caper sauce, and my oven-baked ham with veggies.
Sauerbraten Ingredients (Any Notes, Variations, & Substitutions)
- Instead of lard, use your favorite fat or oil. I also like tallow, avocado oil, and olive oil.
- Instead of gingersnap cookies, use 1/2 cup of raisins.
- Make it gluten-free: use gluten-free gingersnap cookies and gluten-free flour, or omit the flour entirely. You can use cornstarch too.
Step-by-Step Instructions (Key Recipe Process Photos Included)
Step 1: (Marinate The Beef) Sprinkle salt over the beef roast and place it in a deep pan, crock, pot, or heavy-duty leak-proof bag.
Pour in the red wine, red wine vinegar, water, sliced onions, bay leaves, crushed peppercorns, and juniper berries, ensuring the marinade covers at least half of the roast; add more red wine if needed.
Marinate the meat for 3-5 days, turning it over 1-2 times daily. After marinating, remove the meat, pat it completely dry, and strain the marinade, reserving the liquid and discarding the solids.
Step 2: (Prep The Ingredients) The day you will be cooking the marinated beef roast, prepare all of your vegetables and other ingredients.
Dice the celery, onion, and carrots, as you see in the photo above.
You should have everything ready to go and on hand, including the reserved liquid from the marinade, as discussed in the previous step.
Step 3: (Sear The Beef) | melt the lard (or oil) over medium-high heat in a heavy pot.
Brown the meat on all sides for about 15 minutes until it reaches a deep, brown sear.
Transfer the meat to a plate.
Step 4: ( Cook The Beef & Veg) | Add the diced onions, carrots, and celery to the hot fat in the pot and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally for 5-8 minutes, until they soften and turn light brown.
Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and continue to cook, stirring for another 2-3 minutes until the flour is lightly colored and no longer raw.
Pour in the reserved marinade and 1/2 cup of water or stock, then bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Return the meat to the pot, cover it tightly, and simmer over low heat for two hours, or until the meat is tender and easily pierced with a knife.
Step 5: (Make The Final Sauce/Gravy) | Transfer the meat to a plate and keep it covered and warm while you prepare the final sauce.
Increase the heat to high and bring the sauce to a boil. Add the crushed cookies, then reduce the heat and stir frequently for about 10 minutes until the sauce thickens and coats the spoon.
Puree the sauce using an immersion blender or pass it through a fine mesh sieve until it reaches a thick gravy consistency without any large vegetable chunks.
Carve the beef into 1/4-inch thick slices and serve covered in the sauce with your choice of sides.
Ingredients
- 4 lbs beef roast Top or bottom round roast.
Marinade Ingredients:
- 1 cup red wine
- ½ cup red wine vinegar
- ½ cup water Can also use bone broth or stock.
- 1 large yellow onion Peeled and thinly sliced.
- 8 whole peppercorns Lightly crushed.
- 4 whole juniper berries Lightly crushed.
- 3 bay leaves
Cooking Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons lard Or oil/fat of your choosing.
- 1 large yellow onion Finely diced.
- 2 large carrots Finely diced.
- 1 rib celery Finely diced.
- 2 tablespoons flour
- ½ cup gingersnap cookies Very finely crushed. Can also use honeycake or raisins.
Instructions
Marinate The Beef:
- Sprinkle salt over the beef roast. Place it in a deep pan (not stainless steel), crock, pot, or heavy-duty leak-proof bag.
- Add the red wine, red wine vinegar, water, sliced onions, bay leaves, crushed peppercorns, and juniper berries to the pan or bag. Ensure the marinade covers at least half of the roast. If not, add more red wine. Marinate the meat for 3-5 days, turning it over 1-2 times daily.
Cook The Beef:
- Remove the meat from the marinade and pat it completely dry. Strain the marinade, reserving the liquid and discarding the solids.
- In a heavy pot, melt the lard over medium-high heat. Brown the meat on all sides for about 15 minutes until you achieve a deep, brown sear. Then transfer the meat to a plate.
- To the fat in the pot, add the diced onions, carrots, and celery. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 5-8 minutes or until they are soft and turning light brown.
- Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and continue to cook, stirring for 2-3 minutes, until the flour begins to color and is no longer raw.
- Pour in the reserved marinade liquid and add 1/2 cup of water. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Return the meat to the pot, cover it tightly, and simmer over low heat for two hours or until the meat is tender and shows no resistance when pierced with a knife.
- Transfer the meat to a plate and keep it covered and warm while you prepare the final sauce.
Make The Final Sauce/Gravy:
- Turn the heat up to high and bring the sauce to a boil. Add the crushed cookies, lower the heat, and stir frequently for about 10 minutes until the sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
- Use an immersion blender or a fine mesh sieve to puree the sauce until it reaches a thick gravy consistency without large vegetable chunks.
- Carve the beef into 1/4-inch thick slices and serve covered in the sauce with your choice of sides.
- Note: You can also cook sauerbraten in the oven at 350°F for about 2 hours.
