Sauerbraten with onions

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 kg roast beef (roll, rib eye, or boiled beef for those who want to save fat)
• 1 tsp white pepper, ground
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 large butcher’s onions, preferably 3 instead of 2 if they are smaller butcher’s onions
• 50 g clarified butter
• 4 tbsp sauce thickener, dark, e.g. from Mondamin
• 3 tbsp instant dark gravy
• 500 ml wine vinegar, e.g. Altmeister, not balsamic vinegar etc.
• 500 ml water
• 1 bag of spice mix for Sauerbraten
• 1 m.-sized carrot(s)
• 8 dumplings, half & half
• 800 g applesauce
• 4 servings of red cabbage (recipe in my profile)

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Rest period approx. 4 days; Cooking/baking time approx. 2 hours; Total time approx. 4 days 3 hours

A variation of the classic for onion fans

First, mix the water with the vinegar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, cut the carrot into thinner pieces or small cubes. Add the Sauerbraten seasoning and the carrot pieces to the boiling water, bring to a boil for less than 1 minute, then simmer for 10 minutes on low to medium heat. Remove the marinade from the heat and let it cool for at least half an hour. During this time, prepare the roast. Tendons and excess fat can be trimmed, depending on your taste. The roast doesn’t have to be lean, but overly thick fat and tendons will be less appetizing later. Peel the onions and cut them into 0.5-1 cm thick round slices. Take a not-too-large saucepan or other sealable container (the roast should be slightly covered with the marinade at the end) and first place a small layer of onions on the bottom, then place the roast in it, and then cover with the rest of the onions. Pour the cooled marinade over the meat, cover, and let it marinate in the refrigerator for at least 36 hours and up to 4 days. Remove the roast from the marinade, remove any spices and onions, and dry. Then, don’t be too timid, season with salt and white pepper! Place the onions and marinade in a colander, reserving the marinade and setting it aside. If necessary, strain again to remove any stubborn spice residue. Remove any spices from the onions. This may require some water; please be patient, as the Sauerbraten spice is such that it can interfere with cooking. Then let the onions drain in the colander. Now heat the clarified butter in a large roasting pan and brown the meat well on all sides. The result should be crusty, but definitely not burnt. When the meat is browned on all sides, add the onion and brown it. The onions shouldn’t be crispy, but rather brownish and translucent. This will take a while, and you may need to lower the temperature a bit. Briefly heat the marinade (max. 2 minutes at 800 watts in the microwave is sufficient). Deglaze the roast with the onions with some of the marinade, about 200 ml, and bring to a boil. Add the gravy powder, simmer for a little longer, then add another 100 ml of the marinade. The roast is now ready to cook. Reduce the temperature to a much lower, medium setting. Cover and cook the roast at a low temperature for at least 90 minutes, but up to 120 minutes. While cooking, add a little water or, to taste, a little more marinade. Keep in mind, however, that the marinade naturally makes the roast acidic, and the less you like this, the less marinade you should use. I definitely don’t recommend more than 400 ml in total, because if it’s too sour for you, you won’t be able to control it even by adding a little sugar. Now is a good time to prepare the apple red cabbage. I have a recipe for that, but you’ll need at least 90 minutes for it. Fresh red cabbage is hard and takes a long time to cook slowly. Burning it will ruin its flavor! https://www.chefkoch.de/rezepte/3439451512330470/Apfel-Rotkohl.html You can use a meat thermometer to approximate the end of the roast; I recommend an internal temperature of 75-80°C. A sauerbraten shouldn’t have any pink residue, and it can crumble a little on the outside. But you also shouldn’t cook it at too high a temperature for too long, because then it can become quite dry and hard. The dumplings need to be cooked in the last half hour. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for this. I find fresh dumpling dough extremely practical and delicious. When the roast is ready, remove it from the pot and wrap it in aluminum foil to keep it warm. Meanwhile, bring the sauce to a boil and add the gravy thickener. The sauce should be creamy but not sticky. Shortly before serving, cut the roast into slices about 0.5 to 1 cm thick, arrange on a platter, and drizzle some of the onion sauce with the rings over it, setting the rest aside as the dumpling sauce. The apple sauce is placed in separate bowls, but can also be served as a side dish. It is eaten alongside the roast and counteracts the acidity.