Sauerbraten questions?!
Sauerbraten questions?
I will be making sauerbraten this weekend. I have not done this before and have no idea "how" it should taste. What type of taste am I looking for here? Does the meat have to be cooked in a closed lid pot as compared to a roasting pan.
Should the gravy/sauce be thick or thin? I will not be doing any veggies as I cannot eat them, BUT, do I need to put some in just for the flavor.
If this meat is sitting in wine and vinegar for two/three days, won't the meat turn out to be very mushy. I over-marinated meat once and it was all mushy.
Can I use red wine vinegar? Again, please tell me what type of flavor I will be looking. Should it be sour?? I don't know.
Thank you
Answers:
sauerbraten
[SOW-uhr-brah-tihn, ZOW-uhr-brah-tihn]
German for "sour roast," sauerbraten is a German specialty made by marinating a beef roast in a sour-sweet MARINADE for 2 to 3 days (or longer)before browning it, then simmering the meat in the marinade for several hours. The result is an extremely tender roast and a delicious sauce. Sauerbraten is traditionally served with dumplings, boiled potatoes or noodles.
3 pounds beef shoulder
2 teaspoons garlic
2 teaspoons pepper
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups vinegar
2 cups water
? cup onion, sliced
2 bay leaf
1 teaspoon peppercorns
? cup sugar
oil
flour
1 cup sour cream
Rub meat with a cut surface of garlic, salt and pepper and place in bowl.
Heat vinegar, water, onion, bay leaves, peppercorns and sugar together, but do not boil.
Pour hot mixture over meat, cover bowl, and let stand in cool place 2 to 6 days, turning meat each day.
Drain, saving vinegar mixture.
Brown meat in fat, add half of the strained vinegar, cover pan and simmer until tender, 2 to 3 hours, adding more vinegar as required to keep liquid about ? inch deep in pan.
Strain liquid and thicken with 2 tablespoons flour for each cup of liquid.
Cook until thickened and add cream.
Real nice served with braised cabbage with apple.
Beer: Any Vienna style is nice but try to get a German Whaet beer such as Berliner Weisse it has a nice tatrness (not bitter) with a hint of clove from the yeast. You can get the beers from a specialty beer shop or many warehoude beer stores. The imported beers from Germany or Mexico will be nice. Dos Equis and Negro Modelo were created by german brewmasters in Mexico are are great examples of vienna lagers.
PROST!
* The sauce is thickened but still thin and not pasty.
**The addition of ginger snaps is an American contribution to the dish but it is still nice. Could work well with the Berliner Weisse.