Karl Ratzsch's Sauerbraten

Recipe originally published in the Milwaukee Journal - October, 1983.

4 pounds beef (rump, chuck, or sirloin)
1 tablespoon salt
1 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup white wine vinegar
1 onion, sliced
1 stalk celery, cut coarsely
1/4 cup mixed pickling spice
1 clove fresh garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons drippings or lard
6 to 8 gingersnaps, softened in a little water
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoons salt
Equal parts flour and water

Rub meat with 1 tablespoon salt and place it in a crock or deep container (not aluminum). Combine vinegars, water, onion, celery, pickling spice and garlic. Pour over meat and marinate in a cool place for 48 hours, turning twice daily.

To roast, move meat from crock. Heat drippings in a roasting pan and sear meat on all sides. Pour marinade over meat and cover. Roast at 400 degrees 20 to 30 minutes per pound, basting occasionally. Remove cover for the last 20 minutes of roasting and baste again.

Remove meat to a warm platter and strain marinade into a heavy kettle. Bring to a boil and simmer. Add the softened gingersnaps, 2 tablespoons sugar, and 1 tablespoon salt. Thicken to desired consistency with flour and water mixture; adjust seasonings and sugar. Slice meat across the grain and serve with gravy. Good with potato dumplings, buttered noodles, or stewed prunes.

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