Any tips for making sauerbraten

[Bigfish]

Anyone have any tips for Sauerbraten?

Gonna cook up a batch next week for us and the neighbors. Ordered the spices from an online vendor.

Turkish bay leaves and tellecherry peppercorns. Sauerbraten spice and Juniper berries. Cheaper than the store and unbelievable variety.

What do you use for thickening. Ginger snaps? Flour roux? Corn starch? That stickey sweet Dutch rye bread?

Looked at dozens of recipes. Any tips?

All recipes agree with three days for the marinade and to use glass or ceramic pot, non reactive.(metal) Anyone made it before?

Cook the marinade or no?

What type of red wine? I was thinking of buying something I don't care for so I wont drink it.

Add any sugar to the marinade? White? Brown?

Add apple juice or apples? To the marinade? Pear jam or preserves? Apple butter?

Add any cream or milk to the gravy?

What type of vinegar? Red wine? White Wine? Apple cider?

Brown the meat before marinating? No?

Brown the beef after marinating?

Brown the beef in butter? Vegetable oil? Mixture?

Top round, bottom round, chuck, or pot roast? Sirloin?

Roast the marinated beef in the oven or stew it on the stove top?

Thanks in advance

 

[AllieBaba]

Use good wine, or it will taste like crap you don't like.

I made sauerbraten once; it was awesome; I used gingersnaps for thickening.

 

[AllieBaba]

Oh, and I browned it before marinating, in oil & butter, I think. I actually used a 7-bone roast; they say you shouldn't because it has bone and too much fat, and the fat absorbs the flavors and ends up tasting weird; but I trimmed out all the bone and fat, and it was good. It was a really good piece of meat, actually...I sort of felt bad because I think of sauerbraten as a way to prepare cuts that don't taste all that fab, or are tasteless.

I cooked it in the oven; I used apple cider vinegar. I got a decent red wine but can't remember what kind now. there was a little sugar in the marinade, and cloves and mustard seed as well as the ones you mentioned. I think allspice as well.

 

[Bigfish]

A thousand thanks, AllieBaba.

 

[Granny]

It's been years since I've made saurbraten - but I loved it. Does take a little prep time, though! It's well worth the effort.