Baltimore Style Sour Beef And Dumplings Sauerbraten Food

TRADITIONAL GERMAN SAUERBRATEN

Steps:

• Wipe beef with a damp cloth and season with salt and pepper. Place seasoned beef in a large glass bowl.
• Combine vinegar, carrots, onion, peppercorns, cloves, bay leaves, and parsley in a bowl; pour over beef. Cover dish tightly with a lid or plastic wrap.
• Refrigerate beef, turning daily, for 3 to 7 days.
• Drain meat, reserving liquid and vegetables. Rub flour over all sides of beef.
• Heat butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat; brown beef on all sides, 5 to 10 minutes. Add onions, carrots, and 2 cups reserved liquid. Cover Dutch oven, lower heat to medium-low, and simmer until meat is tender, about 2 hours. Transfer beef to a serving platter.
• Stir gingersnap crumbs and sugar into the liquid in Dutch oven; cook and stir until sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes. Pour sauce over meat.

TRADITIONAL SAUERBRATEN

Steps:

• Place beef rump roast, onions, vinegar, water, 1 tablespoon salt, 1 tablespoon black pepper, sugar, cloves, and bay leaves in a large pot. Cover and refrigerate for 2 to 3 days, turning meat daily. Remove meat from marinade and pat dry with paper towels, reserving marinade.
• Season flour to taste with salt and black pepper in a large bowl. Sprinkle flour mixture over beef.
• Heat vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat; cook beef until brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Pour reserved marinade over beef, cover, and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until beef is tender, 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Remove beef to a platter and slice.
• Strain solids from remaining liquid and continue cooking over medium heat. Add gingersnap cookies and simmer until gravy is thickened about 10 minutes. Serve gravy over sliced beef.

BALTIMORE-STYLE SOUR BEEF AND DUMPLINGS (SAUERBRATEN)

Steps:

• WARNING: This part has to be done the day before you want to serve. Stir together all of the marinade ingredients in a nonreactive bowl. Place the roast in a nonreactive container (or large ziplock bag) and marinate overnight. The day before is also a good time to make the gingersnaps if, like me, you are using homemade.
• The next day: Remove the meat and pour the marinade in the slow cooker. In a large skillet, quickly brown all sides of the meat in the canola oil. Add the meat into the slow cooker and turn on low for 6 hours.
• During the last hour or so of cooking time: Start to make the dumplings. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. In a large bowl, combine the cooled mashed potatoes and salt and the egg. Stir in the baking powder and add the flour in 1/2 cup increments until the it resembles a dough and the mixture holds its shape when molded (roughly 3 cups). Form into 2 to 4 inch balls. They should be able to hold their shape but not be too floury. Drop them into the water. They should sink, then rise to the surface when cooked through. Set aside.
• During the last 1/2 hour of cooking time: Skim off any visible fat that may have risen to the top then add the gingersnaps and turn the heat to high.
• After the time is up, shred the meat a bit with a fork or break it into pieces. Serve hot, with dumplings on the side.

SOUR BEEF AND DUMPLINGS (SAUERBRATEN)

Steps:

• First, make the marinade: In a large saucepan over high heat, combine the vinegars, 3 cups of water, onion, carrot, 1 tablespoon of salt, pepper, bay leaves, cloves, juniper berries and mustard seeds. Cover and bring to a boil, and then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Set it aside and let it cool. Heat the vegetable oil in a large saute pan. Rub the beef roast with 1 teaspoon of salt and brown it on all sides. Once the marinade has cooled to the touch, put the meat into a large, nonreactive vessel and cover with the marinade. (I use a ceramic-coated Dutch oven.) Place it in the refrigerator for three to five days. If the meat isn't covered entirely by the marinade, be sure to turn it once a day. (In my Dutch oven, I sometimes wedge an onion between the lid and the meat to hold the meat under the liquid.) After marinating, preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Add the sugar to the meat and marinade, cover and cook in the oven until tender--approximately four hours. While it's cooking, you'll want to start making the dumplings (below). When the meat is done, remove it from the pan and keep warm. Move the Dutch oven to the stovetop, whisk the crumbled gingersnaps into the marinade, and simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, until it is smooth and well blended. Strain the sauce through a fine mesh sieve to remove any lumps. TIP: To crumble the gingersnaps, I usually put them into a freezer bag, squeeze the air out and give it to the nearest child to pound on until there aren't any more lumps. Slice the beef and serve in a large bowl or platter covered in the sauce. Serve the dumplings on the side. Generally each diner puts some beef and a couple of dumplings on their plate, and then spoons the sauce over all. To make the dumplings: Heat the water and 1 teaspoon of salt to a heavy simmer in a 5-quart Dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat. Add the quartered potatoes and cook until tender, about 15 or 20 minutes. Drain the potatoes very well, and mash them or put them through a potato ricer. (A ricer works best.) Spread the riced potatoes on a platter or cookie sheet and set them aside to dry and cool. After the potatoes have cooled, place them in a mixing bowl and add the eggs, grated fresh potatoes, farina, flour and nutmeg. Mix well, and roll into golf-ball or tennis-ball sized dumplings. (Mine tend to be tennis balls or racquetballs. I like big dumplings and I cannot lie.) Roll the dumplings in a little bit of flour to help them dry on the outside and not stick. Bring a large pot of water to boil and then reduce to a heavy simmer. Cook the balls for 15 to 20 minutes. They should all be floating when they are done. Drain and serve on a platter.

SAUERBRATEN WITH POTATO DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Season roast generously with salt and pepper. Heat a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add 3 tablespoons oil; swirl to coat. Sear meat, turning occasionally, until deep brown all over, about 12 minutes. Transfer roast to a plate.
• Reduce heat to medium and add onions, garlic, remaining 1 tablespoon oil, and a splash of water. Raise heat to medium-high and cook, stirring frequently, until onions are translucent, about 8 minutes. Stir in sugar, vinegar, wine, thyme, peppercorns, juniper, bay leaves, and cloves. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat and stir in applesauce. Add roast; turn to coat. Let cool 20 minutes, then cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours, turning once.
• Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Transfer Dutch oven from refrigerator to stove top; turn roast in liquid. Bring mixture to a boil over high heat. Cover; transfer to oven and bake 2 1/2 hours, turning roast every 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until roast is tender and the tip of a knife pierces through easily, about 30 minutes more. Remove roast; transfer to a cutting board to rest.
• Meanwhile, cook sauce over high heat until reduced to a silky consistency, 8 to 10 minutes. Taste sauce; add 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar if too acidic.
• Cut roast against the grain into thin slices; return to pot. Divide sliced meat with sauce, dumplings, and reserved croutons among plates. Top with thyme and serve.

SAUERBRATEN IN CROCK POT

Steps:

• Pour pickling spice into a square of cheese cloth and tie into bundle with string.
• Combine vinegar, water, lemon juice, salt, sugar, onion, and spice bag in the crock pot.
• Add the meat and marinate in a cool place overnight.
• Cook all day on low heat.
• Remove meat and spice bag.
• Add crumbled gingersnaps.
• Whisk or stir until gingersnaps form a smooth gravy.
• Add gingersnaps as needed to thicken to desired consistency.
• Taste, and add additional salt and/or sugar to suit individual taste.
• Return meat to pot and cook a little longer, so that flavor of gravy penetrates meat.
• Serve with potato dumplings or mashed potatoes.