RECIPE
Ingredients
4-pound lean beef roast (rump or eye of round work best)
For the marinade mix together in saucepan:
2 cups red wine vinegar
2 cups red wine
2 cups water
1 large onion, sliced
2 bay leaves
6 whole cloves
10 peppercorns (or ¼ cup pickling spice)
Add to slow cooker when ready to cook:
2 cups beef stock or bone broth
Method
Heat marinating mixture to a simmer, then turn off heat. Pour mixture over meat in a large bowl, and allow it to cool. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3-5 days, turning roast once daily. Remove meat from marinade and drain fully. Strain and reserve the marinade.
Place sliced onions from the marinade on the bottom of a slow cooker sprayed with cooking spray. Place the roast on top of the onions and cover with 1 cup of the reserved marinating liquid and 2 cups beef stock or beef bone broth. Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours. Remove from slow cooker and place on a platter; cover with foil and allow to rest 15-20 minutes.
Meanwhile, to make the gravy, melt 4-6 tbls. butter in a saucepan, stir in 1/2 cup flour (or more) to make a roux, then slowly add 1-2 cups of the liquid the roast cooked in, whisking briskly to blend. Heat to boiling over med-high heat, stirring often, until desired thickness. *optional – add 1-2 tsp. ground ginger to gravy and 1/2 cup sour cream).
Serve gravy over sliced roast. Sauerbraten is traditionally served with Spatzle, Potato Dumplings, or mashed potatoes and German Red Cabbage (Rote Kohl). I have also served it over egg noodles.
Make this with a Pork Shoulder Roast: tomake this with a Pork Shoulder Roast, reduce the cooking time to 6 hours in a slow cooker on low (pork will shred some) or 4 hours if you want it to slice. Reduce the amount of red wine vinegar to 1 1/2 cups and follow the remainder of recipe above.
Enjoy,