Real Rhenish Sauerbraten

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 kg roast beef
• ¾ liter red wine, strong
• ½ liter raspberry vinegar, preferably homemade
• 2 onions, roughly chopped
• 1 carrot(s), roughly chopped
• 10 juniper berries
• 5 grains of allspice
• 5 cloves
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 7 herbal prints, approx. 140 g
• 2 tbsp beet syrup
• 6 tbsp sultanas
• salt and pepper
• 2 onions
• 3 tbsp fat, neutral, for frying
• possibly flour
• possibly caramel coloring

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Rest period approx. 21 days; Cooking/baking time approx. 2 hours 20 minutes; Total time approx. 21 days 3 hours 20 minutes

It couldn’t be more Rhenish!

Bring all the ingredients for the marinade to a boil, simmer for 5 minutes, and then allow to cool completely. Add the roast beef, ensuring the meat is completely covered. Cover carefully, place in the refrigerator, and forget about it for the next 3 weeks. After 3 weeks, remove the roast from the marinade, strain the marinade into a container, and store it in a container. Pat the roast dry and sear it on all sides in the cooking fat. Chop the onions and add them. Season with salt and pepper, and let it brown nicely. Roughly chop the herb biscuits and place them around the roast with 3 tablespoons of sultanas. Add the sugar beet molasses and continue to sear everything together for a while. Deglaze with about half of the marinade. Cover the pot and simmer everything for about 2 hours, until the roast is tender. Be careful, this will go faster than usual after 3 weeks of marinating! Keep adding a little more of the marinade until it’s all used up. When the roast is tender, remove it from the pot, keep warm, and purée the sauce. The sauce should now usually have the right consistency. If not, mix some flour with cold water and add it. Now add the remaining 3 tablespoons of sultanas and simmer for another 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. The sauce should now be very dark; if it isn’t, there’s nothing wrong with adding 1-2 teaspoons of caramel coloring. Cut the roast into nice slices and serve with the sauce. Red cabbage and dumplings go best with this sauce, of course. But French fries are also a delicious accompaniment to sauerbraten.