[Sca-cooks] Welser - To Make a Good Roast

[Terry Decker]

Ain gút brates zú machen

Nim kelberis oder ain lembratten von ainem ochsen, legs jn ain wein jber 
nacht, darnach stecks jn an ain spis, thú jn dan jn ain haffen, thú daran 
ain gúte fleschbrie, zwiffel, wein, gewirtz, pfeffer, jmber, negellen vnnd 
lasß woll daran
sieden, versaltz es nit.

(Transcription by Hugo Stopp)


152 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.

(Translation by Valois Armstrong)


I got talked into doing the Namron Protectorate Feast this year.  The new 
Baron and Baroness have expressed a desire for German food for the feast. 
Ergo, I am testing recipes to find ones that can be done at our fall back 
site, as our first choice was booked and we are looking for a site with a 
better kitchen and hall.  Tonight, I tried to find out whether or not I can 
make a good roast with the potentially limited facilities.

My adaption of Welser's recipe is:

3 pounds of rump roast marinated for about 15 hours in 1 1/2 cups of wine 
(what was left of the Syrah that's been sitting in the fridge).  I ran the 
wine through a coffee filter to seperate the dregs.  Turn the roast several 
times during the marinating.  Reserve the wine after marinating.

Roast the meat in the oven at 350 F for one hour to brown.

Take a covered pot.  Put in 1/2 cup of the reserved wine and 2 cups of broth 
(I used canned chicken broth, but I'll prepare a fresh beef broth if I make 
this dish for the feast).  Add 2 sliced onions, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 
teaspoon ground pepper, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, and 1/8 teapoon ground 
cloves.  Because I was using a fairly dry wine, I added 1 teaspoon of sugar. 
Stir the mixture together, add the roast, and cover.  Let cook in 300 F oven 
for 2 hours (I didn't work by temperature because my last meat thermometer 
died sometime in the past week).

The meat was fork tender.  The taste was similar to sauerbraten, but milder. 
The meat was served on noodles with some of the cooking broth ladled on.

The meat is very well-done and will dry out fast, so keep it in the broth 
until time to serve.

Bear