Making Traditional Bavarian Sauerbraten

As some of you may know my mom's family is from Germany; Bavaria more specifically. My mom was born in Munich in fact. I've grown up eating some really great, filling, traditional German foods, and now that I'm older I like to try my hand at our recipes. I had a bunch of family over recently for Sunday dinner. Cooking German food for my mom's side can be tricky, they know what it's supposed to taste like, and everyone has an opinion, of course, on how sour or salty or sweet it should be. I've compiled the best recipes and advice from everyone and here's what we get for sauerbraten. It's mostly a secret family recipe, you lucky people you.

Ingredients for marinade:

• 4lb pot roast (with fat trimmed off)
• 1 1/2 C Red wine vinegar
• 2 1/2 C red wine
• 12 peppercorns
• 1T mustard seed
• 4 bay leaves
• 4 whole cloves
• 1 1/2t salt
• 1/4t pepper

Ingredients for cooking:

• marinated roast
• 3T butter
• 12 carrots, sliced thin
• 6 onions, sliced

First combine all marinade ingredients (except meat) in a large saucepot, bring just to a boil. Let cool slightly.

Put meat in large bowl and then pour mixture over meat. Let cool, cover tightly, and put in fridge. Marinate for 5 days, turning meat daily.

On day 5 remove from marinade (save it, you'll need it later), drain and pat dry. Melt butter in a dutch oven, then brown meat on all sides.

I made 2 because I had a number of guests. Here's the browned meat and the other one just getting started.

Once browned, add 1C marinade, and the carrots and onions. Bring to a boil, cover tightly, and simmer for 2 hours. If you need to, add more of the marinade as it cooks.

Then strain the liquid in the dutch oven and use it to make gravy.

I'd love to tell you how, but I can't, it's secret, and umm... actually I'm not even sure how to do it right, that's Omi's department.

Along with sauerbraten we had semmelknodel, blaukraut, and creamed spinach. For dessert we had American favorites: pumpkin and apple pies. I think in the end everyone was pretty happy and full.

ummm ok I'm hungry now!