This was super easy with the slow cooker and very close to authentic Sauerbraten that my family use to make when I was young. I was not able to find juniper berries, but it did not seem to effect the recipe. I was really skeptical about the gingersnap cookies in the gravy, but it worked beautifully and produced a wonderful sauce. Will definitely be keeping this one to make for large family dinners in the future.
Terrific sauerbraten recipe. Marinated the beef for 3 days, then prepared it in the pressure cooker. (Seared meat in about 2 tbsp vegetable oil; cooked without vegetables at high pressure for 50 mins. Let pressure drop naturally; removed meat, added veggies and simmered until tender.) Served it with Grandma Jeanette's Amazing German Red Cabbage and buttered kluski noodles.
I made this recipe for a international luncheon we had at work. I won!! Best entree. This recipe is terrific. I used a rump roast instead of a chuck roast. I also made Grandma Jeanette's Amazing German Red Cabbage.
I really had high expectations for this. I used to have sauerbraten at a German restaurant in the Amana Colonies in Iowa every couple of years and for days or even weeks afterwards I would think of that meal and think to myself "Man, I really need to learn how to make that". I love sauerkraut on Reubens or brats and I always buy the good stuff that's refrigerated and not the canned junk.
Somewhat unusually for me I followed the measurements to a T with the exception of juniper berries which I could not find at the store plus I added a couple of extra gingersnap cookies because they looked small to me (about the size of a half dollar). I marinated the meat for 2 & 1/2 days. I also cooked this in a Dutch oven where I browned the meat on all 4 sides first before adding the liquid and brought it just to a boil and then put it in a 250 degree oven for just under 4 hours. The meat came out almost fall apart tender.
The taste of the meat was fine. As long as you got a little from the outside of the roast it had a nice little kick of sour to it's taste. My problem was with the gravy. It was way too sour and I usually like big, bold tastes. I used exactly 1 cup of cider vinegar. I ground the cookies up in a food processor and they thickened the gravy up a little too much so I was getting as much sugar from the cookies as possible. It was still way too sour in addition to being too thick so I added about a cup of water and that toned it down a tiny bit but it was still too strong.
Not a huge fan of German cuisine but this is very good. Followed instructions for marinade exactly including juniper berries harvested in my yard and let it sit for two days. Instead of a slow cooker I put it in a cast iron Dutch oven at 300 deg for about 4 hr. I believe pot roasts cooked this way are far superior to a slow cooker. And during chilly weather the heat and aroma in the kitchen are much appreciated. Served with red cabbage and noodles. Flavorful and falling-apart tender.
So much like my father's recipe (which he wouldn't share and took to his grave!) that I can't wait to try it. 2 essential ingredients that I have seen missing from other recipes are the lemon and the gingersnaps to thicken the gravy.The only thing I will do differently is sear the roast before putting it in the crockpot. I think it really helps develop the flavor. I will serve it with red cabbage potato pancakes and my grandma's Apfel Kuchen recipe.:)
This is an authentic German recipe. At last!!!! Even has the gingersnap cookies which are needed for thickening rather than flour. Excellent! Thank you for sharing!!!
I cried and enjoy each time I chew the stew. On the side of awesome Red Cabbage. I wish to add potato salad but look at those cook is large for two people. We thankful for to keep ourselves because it does taste like we ate the restaurant! The only thing I removed is celery because I do not recall at the restaurant have that recipe to cook.
