Rheinischer Sauerbraten (Rhineland Sauerbraten)

The Rhineland Sauerbraten is served with a sweet-sour sauce which has raisins.

1 cup Red Wine Vinegar
1 1/2 cups Water
1/2 teaspoon Black Peppercorns
2 Cloves
5 Juniper Berries
2 Bay Leaves
2 lb Beef Roast (boneless)
4-5 slices Bacon, minced
2 Onions, coarsely chopped
1 Carrot, chopped
1 Celery Stick, chopped
4 tablespoons Oil
Salt
Freshly Ground Pepper
3-4 Lebkuchen
1/2 cup Red Wine
3/4 cup Raisins
Apple Butter, Apple Juice, or Red Current Jelly, to taste

Add water and red wine vinegar to a pot. Bring to a boil. Grind down peppercorns, cloves, and juniper berries slightly. Add this, as well as the bay leaves to the boiling liquid. Cook for 2 more minutes, then remove from heat and allow to cool.

Place the beef roast in a medium-sized bowl. Pour the cooled red wine vinegar mixture over the beef, so that the beef is completely covered in liquid. Cover meat tightly and refrigerate for 3 days, rotating meat daily.

To cook the meat, begin by heating oil in a roasting pot. Add bacon and cook until much of the fat has been rendered.

Remove the beef from the marinade. Pat the meat dry with a cloth or some papertowels. Season meat with salt and pepper. Place meat in the roasting pot and sear each side. Add vegetables to the pot with the meat and allow them cook with the meat.

Pour the marinade through a strainer into a pot. Heat marinade to a boil.

Add about 1 cup of the hot marinade to the meat along with the Lebkuchen. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to low, and cook the meat for 2 hours. About half way through the cooking, add the red wine.

Once the meat is finished cooking, remove the meat from the pot. Cover and keep warm. Pour the liquid and vegetables from the pot through a strainer into a bowl or pot. Return the liquid to the original pot. Mix in raisins and allow the sauce to cook down, until it is thicker. Season with salt, pepper, and optionally the apple sauce or red current jelly.

Slice the Sauerbraten and serve with the sauce.

More Information on the Sauerbraten