Chef St.John-Grubb's (Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts) version of the classic German dish using sirloin tips, red wine and beet sugar
Ingredients
- 3 lb beef rump or sirloin tip
- 1-1/2 cups vinegar
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 3/4 cup water
- 3 medium onions sliced
- 2 stalks celery sliced
- 2 carrots sliced
- 10 whole peppercorns
- 10 cloves whole
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons sugar or Apfelkraut
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar or Apfelkraut
- 1-1/2 teaspoons Salt
- flour
- 3 tablespoons oil
For the gravy:
- 3 cup drippings plus strained marinade
- 5 tablespoons flour
- 5 tablespoons ginger snap crumbs
Instructions
- Place meat in a large plastic bag. In a large bowl, thoroughly combine vinegar, wine, water, onions, celery, carrots, pepper, cloves, bay leaves, sugar and salt; pour over meat. Fasten bag tightly and lay flat in a 9" X 13" pan. Refrigerate 2-3 days, turning bag each day. (If you like sour sauerbraten, let marinate for 4 days.)
- When ready to cook, remove meat (saving marinade) and dry well. Rub the surface lightly with flour. In a Dutch oven, heat oil and slowly brown the meat well on all sides. Add 1 cup of the marinade liquid plus some of the vegetables and bay leaves. Cover tightly and simmer on surface heat or in a preheated 350 degrees F oven for 3 to 4 hours until the meat is fork tender. If needed, add more marinade during the cooking time to keep at least 1/2 inch liquid in the Dutch oven. Remove the meat and keep warm until ready to slice.
- Into a large measuring cup, strain the drippings. Add several ice cubes and let stand for a few minutes until the fat separates out. Remove the fat, then make the gravy.
For the gravy:
- In the Dutch oven, combine the gravy ingredients, stir and cook for about 5 minutes over medium heat until gravy has thickened. Taste for seasonings and adjust if necessary. This makes about 3 cups of gravy.
