Sauerbraten

Ingredients for 8 servings:

• 2 ½ kg roast beef (rump roast)
• ¾ liter vinegar (brandy)
• ¾ liter of water
• 2 onions, quartered
• 10 white peppercorns
• 4 bay leaves
• ½ tsp salt
• 4 slice(s) bacon, streaky
• 1 onion(s), quartered
• 1 tbsp jam (currant), red
• Salt
• Vegetable fat, for frying
• Sauce thickener

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest period approx. 4 days; Total time approx. 4 days 30 minutes

Tried and tested family recipe

Place all ingredients for the stock (marinade) in a saucepan, bring to a boil, and then let cool. Place the sirloin roast in a stoneware pot and pour the cooled stock and all ingredients over it. Place a plate over the pot as a lid and refrigerate. If the roast isn’t completely covered with stock, turn it every 24 hours. Marinated in this way, the roast must remain in the stock for 4 days (so marinate it on Wednesday morning for a Sunday dinner). Cooking: Heat a little vegetable fat in a cast-iron roasting pan until browned, then fry the onion and bacon (without the rind). Remove the sirloin roast from the stock, add it to the hot roasting pan, and sear on all sides. Heat the stock in a saucepan. Add a little more salt to the roast on all sides. Pour some of the stock (about half the liquid and all ingredients) over the roast, cover, and simmer over medium heat for about 3 hours. This braising process can also be done in the oven at 170°C. It is important that the roast does not dry out. Add more of the preheated stock frequently. The amount depends on the amount of sauce desired for the finished roast. Turn the roast several times during the braising process. When the roast is finished braising, remove it from the roasting pan and keep warm on a meat platter covered with aluminum foil in the oven at 50°C. To make the gravy, strain the liquid in the roasting pan through a sieve into a second roasting pan (removing the bacon first), bring to a boil, season with the redcurrant jam, and thicken with a gravy thickener until the desired consistency is reached. Carve the roast and serve with the gravy. Suitable side dishes include half-and-half potato dumplings or tagliatelle with red cabbage, fresh apple compote with cranberries, or a green salad. Serve with a dry red wine.