Sauerbraten with Gingersnap Gravy and Buttered Spaetzle

Steps

1. Step 1

   Three days before you want to eat: in a large saucepan, combine the vinegar, water, wine, sliced onions, carrot, pickling spice, bay leaves, 1 tablespoon salt and the sugar. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then take it off the heat and let it cool completely to room temperature. Do not pour hot marinade over the meat.

   30 min

   • 2 cups red wine vinegar
   • 2 cups water
   • 1 cup dry red wine
   • 2 yellow onions
   • 1 large carrot
   • 2 tbsp pickling spice
   • 2 bay leaves
   • 1 tbsp kosher salt
   • 1 tbsp sugar
2. Step 2

   Put the tied chuck roast in a large non-reactive container or a gallon zip-top bag and pour the cooled marinade over it. The meat should be mostly submerged. Cover and refrigerate 3 days, turning the roast once a day so every side spends time in the liquid.

   72 hr, hands-off

   • 4 lb boneless beef chuck roast
3. Step 3

   On cooking day, lift the roast out of the marinade and pat it very dry with paper towels. Strain the marinade, keeping both the liquid and the softened onions and carrot; discard the whole spices and bay leaves. Let the meat sit at room temperature for 30 minutes and heat the oven to 325°F.

   30 min · 325°F

4. Step 4

   Season the roast all over with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering, then brown the roast well on all sides, about 4 minutes per side. Move it to a plate.

   15 min

   • kosher salt and black pepper
   • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
5. Step 5

   Lower the heat to medium and add the reserved onions and carrot from the marinade. Cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 6 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook 1 minute more.

   7 min

   • 2 tbsp tomato paste
6. Step 6

   Pour in 2 cups of the strained marinade and the beef broth, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Return the roast and any juices to the pot, bring to a simmer, then cover and transfer to the oven.

   10 min

   • 2 cups beef broth
7. Step 7

   Braise until the meat is fork-tender and a fork slides in with no resistance, 3 to 3 1/2 hours. Turn the roast over once at the halfway point.

   3 hr 15 min, hands-off · 325°F

8. Step 8

   Move the roast to a cutting board, tent loosely with foil and let it rest. Set the pot over medium heat and whisk the crushed gingersnaps, raisins and brown sugar into the braising liquid. Simmer, whisking often, until the gravy thickens enough to coat a spoon, 8 to 10 minutes. Taste and balance it: more brown sugar if it's too sharp, a splash of the reserved marinade if it's too sweet, then salt and pepper. For a smooth gravy, blend it or press it through a sieve.

   12 min

   • 3/4 cup gingersnap cookies, finely crushed (about 12 cookies)
   • 1/3 cup raisins
   • 2 tbsp brown sugar
9. Step 9

   While the meat rests, make the spaetzle: whisk the flour, 1 teaspoon salt and the nutmeg in a bowl. In another bowl, beat the eggs with the milk, then stir them into the flour until you have a thick, sticky batter that falls slowly off a spoon. Let it rest 10 minutes. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

   15 min

   • 2 cups all-purpose flour
   • 1 tsp kosher salt
   • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
   • 4 large eggs
   • 1/2 cup whole milk
10. Step 10

    Hold a colander with large holes (or a spaetzle maker) over the boiling water and push the batter through with a rubber spatula, working in two batches. The little dumplings are done about 1 minute after they float to the surface; scoop them out with a slotted spoon into a bowl.

    10 min

11. Step 11

    Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat, add the drained spaetzle and toss until coated and lightly golden at the edges, 3 to 4 minutes. Season with salt and stir in the parsley.

    5 min

    • 4 tbsp unsalted butter
    • 2 tbsp fresh parsley
12. Step 12

    Snip off the twine and slice the roast against the grain about 1/2 inch thick. Serve over the buttered spaetzle with plenty of the gingersnap gravy spooned on top.

    5 min

Where it’s from

Written by AI from an idea

Version 1, saved Oct 5, 2026