← Back to Germany recipes 🇩🇪
FROM
Germany
Sauerbraten

This is an AI-generated image.

Sauerbraten

Main Dish
⏱ 180 min
👥 Serves 2
Difficulty ⭐⭐⭐

Marinated in vinegar and wine for days before simmering — Germany's tangy signature pot roast.

#Germany#Beef#Braised#Rhineland#Holiday
📱 Open in Storage App

🚧 The Storage app is currently in development. Please check back soon.

Share on LINE Save to Pinterest Post to X

📖 The Story Behind This Dish

True to its name meaning "sour roast," a beef chunk is marinated for days in vinegar, red wine, and aromatic vegetables before being braised — one of Germany's most historic regional dishes. Believed to have originated as a preservation technique to tenderize tough cuts of meat, variations exist across regions, with some adding raisins or gingerbread for thickening; the Rhineland version is especially famous. Given the time and effort required, it's often reserved for holidays and celebrations.

🌆 Where it's eaten: At Christmas or another special holiday, when this labor-intensive dish — marinated for days in advance — finally reaches the table, it signals the start of the family's special time together.

🥕 Ingredients (serves 2)

👩‍🍳 Instructions

  1. Marinate the beef in red wine vinegar, red wine, sliced onion, bay leaf, and clove; refrigerate overnight (2-3 days is even better).

  2. Remove the meat from the marinade, pat dry, and sear in a pot until browned.

  3. Add the marinade (with the vegetables) and the carrot; cover and simmer over low heat for about 2 hours.

  4. Remove the meat and strain the cooking liquid, then add the raisins.

  5. Dissolve flour in water and stir into the liquid to thicken.

  6. Slice the meat thin and pour the sauce over it to finish.

← More Germany recipes 🗺 Explore another country