[Sca-cooks] Sauerbraten

[Terry Decker]

Sauerbraten is a pickled beef roast, often a cheaper piece of meat like 
brisket, which is cooked slow and moist like a pot roast.  The pickle uses 
vinegar, which provides the sour taste.  It is common to use at least some 
of the pickle in the cooking and convert the cooking fluids to a sauce for 
the meat.  If a better cut of meat is used, pickling is done for a few hours 
or overnight just to impart the flavor.

Welser's beef roast is similar to Sauerbraten in spicing but uses wine and 
broth for the cooking and makes no mention of preparing a sauce from the 
cooking liquor.  The method of browning by roasting and finishing the 
cooking in a pot is at odds with Sauerbraten.  I'd probably use rump roast 
if preparing Welser's recipe for a feast.

I suspect that Sauerbraten was developed as a method of cooking pickled beef 
being preserved over the winter and the pickling was carried over to the 
recipe when better methods of preservation became available.  I have yet to 
find solid proof my opinion is correct.

Bear

> I have never had Sauerbraten but a brief Google Search showed that it
> is a Spiced Beef Roast of some sort. For my upcoming feast I redacted
> the following dish that might be an early version from Sabina
> Welserin:
>
> A Good Beef Roast (Translated by V. Armstrong)
> 152 Ain güt brates zü machen. Nim kelberis oder ain lembratten von
> ainem ochsen, legs jn ain wein jber nacht, darnach stecks jn an ain
> spis, thü jn dan jn ain haffen, thü daran ain güte fleschbrie,
> zwiffel, wein, gewirtz, pfeffer, jmber, negellen vnnd lasß woll daran
> sieden, versaltz es nit.
>
> To make a good Roast. Take veal or a sirloin of beef, lay it overnight
> in wine, afterwards stick it on a spit. Put it then in a pot. Put good
> broth therein, onions, wine, spices, pepper, ginger and cloves and let
> it cook therein. Do not over salt it.
>
> Ingredients:
> 2 ¼ lb Beef Chuck
> 2 C Red Wine
> 2 C Beef Broth
> 2 C  (1 large)  Coarsely chopped Onions
> 1/2 t Mace
> 1 t Pepper
> 1 t Salt
> 1 1/2 tGround Ginger
> 1/4 t Cloves
>
> Place Beef in airtight container with wine, soak overnight. Remove
> from wine and heat grill to 475 degrees. Grill beef about 5 minutes on
> each side. Put spices into the broth and add 3/4 to 1 C of the soaking
> wine. Place chopped onion in a roasting pan, place beef on onions.
> Pour spice mixture over beef and cover tightly. Roast at 375 degrees
> for 2 1/2 hours basting every 30 minutes.
>
> I hope this is of assistance to you.
>
> Glad Tidings,
> -Serena da Riva