This traditional German sauerbraten is just the thing to make for a cozy night at home with loved ones. One of the national dishes of Germany, sauerbraten traditionally consists of meat that has been marinated for three to five days (or sometimes as long as ten!) for optimal tenderness. Cuts of meat like chuck roast or rump roast are often used that will become meltingly tender from the long marinating time.

Also Read: Grass Fed & Finished Chinese Takeout Mongolian Beef

These cuts contain a lot of connective tissue that the marinade will effectively break down. The meat soaks up all the flavors of red wine, peppercorns, cloves, bay leaves and onion. These directions are for a stove top preparation, but this is also a great dish to prepare in a slow cooker or Instant Pot. I chose to make this dish with a beef chuck roast, but one of our bison roasts would be equally delicious.

Grass Fed & Finished New Mexican Beef

Our grass-fed & finished beef is raised essentially wild on a beautiful 20,000 acre ranch here in New Mexico. The cows roam freely as far as the eye can see with extremely minimal handling. For those familiar with New Mexico, it might sound surprising that there’s so much lush green grass for them to graze on. These fields are naturally irrigated by a sparkling river flowing with ice-melt from the Sangre de Cristo mountains. As you might guess, this means the grass is incredibly pure and nutritious.

Always Hand Cut By Master Butchers

Our cattle enjoy the shade of large trees, blue sunny skies and direct access to this river. People tell us all the time that they stopped eating beef because it was too difficult to find a truly reliable source. We felt the same way, until we began sourcing from this farm. We started stocking beef due to popular demand from customers who wanted to eat this meat with the knowledge that it’s impeccably sourced.

Also Read: The Ultimate Beck & Bulow Roast Beef Sandwich Recipe

We work exclusively with masterful local butchers. Our beef is cut by Amish butchers who have been practicing their craft for generations. Five people work on one animal at a time and the utmost care and precision is put into each cut of meat. Everything is pressure sealed immediately after butchering and flash frozen at the peak of freshness. Every order is hand packed at our warehouse in Santa Fe and shipped in reusable coolers with dry ice, straight to your door.

Ingredients:

• 1 beef chuck roast (you could also use bison)
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 cup red wine
• 5 bay leaves
• 2 onions, sliced thin
• 1 teaspoon peppercorns
• 4 whole cloves
• 2-3 tablespoons bison tallow
• 2 carrots, sliced thin
• 1 rib celery, sliced thin
• 1 cup bison or beef bone broth
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 cup grass fed sour cream

Also Read: Beef & Wild Boar Lasagna: Trust Us, It’s Worth The Effort

Instructions:

1. Season the beef chuck roast generously with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Make sure it’s a nice, abundant coating - don’t be afraid to overseason.
2. Place the meat in a large glass bowl (or ceramic - just don’t use a metal or plastic one). Add in the red wine vinegar, red wine, bay leaves, peppercorns, cloves and one of the onions. Add just enough water that the marinade covers the meat completely.
3. Cover the bowl securely with plastic wrap. Let the meat marinate in the refrigerator for 3-5 days (for optimal flavor - but you can shorten the marinating time and still get a delicious sauerbraten). Turn the meat over once or twice per day so that it absorbs the marinade evenly.
4. Once marinated for the desired amount of time, drain the meat.
5. Heat the 2-3 tablespoons of bison tallow in a large Dutch oven. When the tallow is hot, sear the roast well on all sides.
6. Add the remaining onion along with the sliced carrots and celery to the Dutch oven. Let the vegetables cook until they’re lightly golden brown.
7. Add the cup of bone broth (or water, if you don’t have broth on hand) to the Dutch oven. Reduce the heat to low and cook, covered, for three hours.
8. Remove the meat from the pot and set aside. In a small dish, mix the cornstarch with a little bit of water. Add the mixture into the simmering liquid slowly, stopping when it has reached desired thickness for gravy.
9. Remove the Dutch oven from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Stir in the sour cream.
10. Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
11. Serve the meat with the gravy spooned over top.

Also Read: Moroccan Spiced Beef Tagine With Dates, Honey & Prunes