Sauerbraten

Ingredients

• For the marinade
• 500 ml red wine vinegar, or a mix of red wine vinegar and red wine
• 500 ml water
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 2 carrots, roughly chopped
• 2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
• 3 bay leaves
• 6 cloves, whole
• 10 black peppercorns, whole
• 6 juniper berries, lightly crushed
• For the beef
• 1.5 kg beef topside, silverside, or rump, tied if necessary to hold its shape
• 2 tbsp neutral cooking oil
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• For the sauce
• 80 g raisins
• 80 g Lebkuchen or gingersnap cookies, crushed to coarse crumbs

Method

1. 1
   Combine the vinegar, water, aromatic vegetables, bay leaves, cloves, peppercorns, and juniper berries in a non-reactive saucepan. Bring to a simmer, then remove from the heat and allow to cool completely. Place the beef in a close-fitting non-reactive container and pour the cold marinade over it; the meat should be largely submerged. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 3 days and up to 7, turning the joint once daily. The surface of the meat will colour grey-brown; this is correct.
2. 2
   Remove the joint from the marinade. Reserve the marinade and its vegetables in full — it forms the braising liquid. Pat the surface of the meat completely dry with kitchen paper; no trace of moisture should remain on the exterior. Heat the oil in a heavy casserole over high heat until shimmering. Sear the joint on all sides until a deep mahogany crust forms — this is where the dish lives or dies: insufficient browning at this stage cannot be recovered, and a wet surface will steam rather than colour.
3. 3
   Reduce the heat to medium. Push the seared meat to one side and add the tomato paste directly to the base of the pot. Stir and cook the paste for one to two minutes until it darkens slightly and smells nutty. Pour the reserved marinade, including its vegetables and spices, over the meat. The liquid should reach roughly halfway up the joint.
4. 4
   Cover the casserole with a tight-fitting lid and transfer to an oven preheated to 160 °C. Braise for 2.5 to 3 hours, turning the joint once at the halfway point. The meat is done when a carving fork meets no resistance and the joint yields visibly when pressed.
5. 5
   Lift the meat from the casserole and set aside to rest, covered loosely. Strain the braising liquid through a sieve into a wide saucepan, pressing the vegetables to extract their liquid; discard the solids. Add the raisins to the strained liquid and bring to a gentle simmer; the raisins will begin to plump after ten minutes. In the final 30 minutes of reduction, stir in the crushed Lebkuchen or gingersnap crumbs. Continue to simmer, stirring, until the sauce thickens to a consistency that coats a spoon and the crumbs have dissolved completely. Taste and adjust the balance of acid and sweetness.
6. 6
   Slice the rested meat across the grain into portions of approximately 1 cm thickness. Return the slices to the sauce and serve immediately, or — preferably — allow to cool, refrigerate overnight, and reheat gently the following day. The sauce should coat the slices in a glossy, tangy, spiced glaze.