The Best Slow Cooker German Sauerbraten

German Beef Pot Roast with Gingersnap Sauce

Based on a German dish called Sauerbraten, this slow cooker roast recipe has a flavorful sauce that is off the charts delicious. The sauce takes on sweet and sour flavors from unique ingredients, like pickling spices, vinegar, gingersnaps, and gin (for the juniper berry taste). Authentic sauerbraten marinates for days, but this interpretation lets you have dinner on the table in just a few hours.

Sauerbraten is a classic German Pot Roast. To make it, a big chunk of meat (beef is most common, but venison, lamb or pork can be used) is marinated, for several days, in vinegar, wine and spices that includes juniper berries.  The meat is marinated for several days, in order to tenderize the meat.  The vinegar gives the “sour” taste — in a good way.

Sauerbraten is also a common Hofbrau buffet food item, and I’ve eaten some that left much to be desired.    My most recent experience was in Solvang, California. My dinner was served as a tough piece of meat with a beef gravy that tasted right out of a can. Ugh.

If you’ve read my “About Me” page, I talk about growing up with a Bavarian mom.  As a little kid, my Mutti felt it was her duty to teach me how to cook. At the time, I was resentful about it. Today, I’m very grateful for all that she taught me.  She is gone to her heavenly home, now, so I continue to carry on her traditional German recipes.Sauerbraten is one dish that I don’t recall my mother making at home and
I’ve never made one– until now.

The February issue of Cuisine at Home Magazine was loaded with several recipes that jumped out at me. I made their Milk-Braised Pork Loin Roast with Porcini Mushroom Sauce (in a slow cooker) that was a total success.  I also made their Cuban Style Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Sweet Potatoes— also fast and really good. Lo and behold, there was a recipe for making this traditional German dish in a slow cooker, without marinating it for several days. Really? As I read the ingredients listing, I thought to myself “this could totally work“!

I keep ginger in the freezer, because I don’t use it often enough.  I minced one tablespoon of fresh ginger (don’t use powdered, please).

Having never made Sauerbraten, I found it intriguing that crushed gingersnaps would be added to the gravy.  I’m not sure if this is an authentic ingredient, but as I researched other internet recipes, this seemed to be a common theme. Perhaps it’s an American rendition? I decided to use them, and carried on. NOTE: I can assure you that as strange as this sounds, it worked!

For whatever reason, I really enjoy searing meat.  It takes a bit of patience to pat the meat completely dry, to cut it up into smaller pieces, season it with coarse salt and pepper…

…and to sear the meat in 2-3 batches.  This takes the most prep time, and there have been times when I’ve caused the smoke alarm to go off. I’ve gotten much better about opening windows to keep the smoke level down.  All of that brown “stuff” (fond) is the foundation of flavor for sauces.

Deglazing the fond from the pan is something I find gratifying, weird as that may seem. I call this “flavor building”!  Tomato paste is cooked with the garlic and ginger and then red wine is added to scrape up and loosen up the brown bits– and then left to reduce by half.

Last, vinegar, gin, beef broth, salt and ground quick-cooking tapioca* is added and simmered for a few minutes.  I tasted the sauce, and it was just a tad on the far side of sour.  To give more balance, I added 2 teaspoons of sugar, which satisfied my taste buds that this sauce was going to be really good. *As far as adding tapioca, I figured that this was to thicken the sauce while in the slow cooker. I keep a jar of Clearjel in my baking pantry for thickening fruit pies.  The label says it’s also great for thickening stews and soups. So, I made a slurry of 1Tablespoon of Clearjel and whisked in a scoop of the sauce and added it back to the sauce. (This method ensures that I won’t have lumpy sauce.)

I buy these really cool slow cooker liners at the grocery store. It really makes cleanup an easy chore. So, I’ve placed the seared beef into the slow cooker and poured the sauce all over it.

An hour later, the prep work is done and the sauce is ready.  I placed the lid on the slow cooker, tidied up the kitchen and took a break.

Three hours later, I’m back in the kitchen and the meat and gravy is looking (and smelling) really good! It’s time to add vegetables add some  carrots, onion and celery, and the crushed gingersnaps.

I gave the “stew” a good stir to combine everything, replace the lid and got busy making homemade red cabbage and Spätzle.  Fortunately, my husband loves red cabbage as much as I do.  I’ve seen Sauerbraten served with potatoes or potato dumplings…but, to me, Spätzle (spetz-lay) is my #1 choice.

Anytime that I make German food, my husband delights in it, and making it for him is one of my Love Languages.  Dinner was ready, and we were both anxious to eat.  To us, a German dinner is not complete without a glass of cold German beer.

I was really anxious to taste this slow cooker version of Sauerbraten. I wondered, could this non-marinated recipe be as good as the more traditional version?

TASTING NOTES:  The first tasting was a forkful of Spätzle with gravy.  I took a bite and savored the flavor.  Bam!  The sauce/gravy was rich in flavor. While I didn’t the taste gin, nor the  red wine, they definitely added good elements to the flavor.  It does seem a bit weird to add gingersnap cookies, but they melted right into the sauce. I think helped to thicken the gravy. The gingersnaps  have the front row, for flavor and I think they’re a great addition– so I’m keeping it!  The red wine and tomato paste gave the sauce a beautiful rich color, and the Clearjel had thickened the sauce to perfection.

As for the beef– I wish I had bought chuck eye roast.  I use this cut of meat, exclusively, for braised meat dishes, like my Austrian Goulash or any kind of stews or soups.  

The vegetables were more on the “al dente” side.  We like our vegetables this way, but if you prefer really soft carrots, then I’d add them an hour earlier. Just sayin’.

TASTING NOTES: I really, REALLY, liked this recipe.  A part of me is thinking I might be able to adapt this to my pressure cooker– and I will try that method. Making this in a Dutch oven should work, too.  I’d probably braise this at 275F for 2-3 hours.  If anyone tries it, this way, please let me know how it turns out.

I wish my Mutti was around to take part in this dinner. I think she would have loved it.  This Sauerbraten will be a part of my annual Oktoberfest menu, for sure. My family will love it!  I hope that you do, too.

Here’s to you, Mutti!

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Sauerbraten (German Beef Roast with Gingersnap Sauce)

Based on a German dish called Sauerbraten, this roast (with a flavorful sauce that is off the charts delicious) takes on sweet and sour flavors from unique ingredients, like pickling spices, vinegar, gingersnaps, and gin (for the juniper berry taste). Authentic sauerbraten marinates for days, but this interpretation lets you have dinner on the table in just a few hours. True to this recipe’s claim, my slow cooker made this recipe in four hours. If you’ve ever had sauerbraten, this recipe nailed it when it came to the flavor. I I served this with homemade spaetzle and red cabbage. Don’t forget to the beer!

Prep Time1 hour hr

Cook Time3 hours hrs

Total Time4 hours hrs

Course: main, Main Course

Cuisine: German

Keyword: German Pot Roast, Sauerbraten

Servings: 8

Calories: 312kcal

Author: Debby – www.AFeastfortheEyes.net

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 boneless beef bottom round roast 3 to 4-pound, trimmed, cut into 2-inch chunks, and seasoned with salt and black pepper
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger minced
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 1 cup low-sodium beef broth
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup gin
• 1 tablespoon quick-cooking tapioca ground
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoon pickling spices wrapped in cheesecloth and tied with kitchen string
• 2 teaspoons sugar my addition to the sauce, which seemed just a tad too tart, when I tasted it
• 6 medium carrots halved crosswise, then halved lengthwise
• 4 ribs celery cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 medium onion quarted
• 10 gingersnap cookies crushed

Instructions

• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Brown beef in oil in 2 to 3 batches, about 5 minutes per batch. Transfer beef to a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker.
• Stir tomato paste and ginger into skillet; cook 1 minute.
• Deglaze skillet with wine and reduce by half, scraping up any brown bits.
• Whisk in broth, vinegar, gin, tapioca, and salt; simmer 5 minutes.
• Taste the sauce. I found it to be a tad much on the sour side, and when I add the sugar, I felt it gave the perfect balance to the sauce.
• Pour broth mixture over beef in slow cooker and submerge spice sachet in it.
• Cover slow cooker and cook until beef is tender on high setting, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
• Add carrots, celery, and onion to slow cooker; stir in gingersnaps.
• Cover slow cooker and cook until sauce thickens and vegetables are tender, stirring halfway through,about 1 hour more.
• Transfer beef and vegetables to a serving dish; discard spice sachet.
• Serve beef and vegetables with sauce.

Notes

Ask your butcher for chuck-eye roast, which is a very tender cut of beef, and has more marble to it You’ll be much happier with this cut of beef. I used one tablespoon of Clearjel, that I order from King Arthur Flour.com. It’s great for thickening stews and pies.

Recipe source: Slightly adapted from Cuisine at Home Magazine

Nutrition

Calories: 312kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 69mg | Sodium: 520mg | Potassium: 707mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 7720IU | Vitamin C: 5.2mg | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 3.3mg

Tried this recipe?Mention @afeastfortheeyes or tag #afeastfortheeyesblog!

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