Cover the pot with a lid and and simmer for 90 minutes or more depending on the size of the roast.

Pour the reserved liquid over the roast to douse the roast and return the vegetables to the roast. Brown the roast in the oil on all sides, 2-3 minutes on each side until it has a nice crust develop. Heat a large pot over high heat and add canola oil. You will only use half of the marinade for the roast, discard other half or marinade Place the vegetables into a bowl and pour the remaining marinade through a mesh sieve to remove the Juniper berries and other seasonings.

Sprinkle the roast with salt and pepper on all sides. Remove the meat to a plate and blot it dry with paper towels.

Do this for 3, 4 or even as long as 5 days. Turn the roast over once a day to allow the marinade to penetrate the roast completely. I tied the plastic liner shut and covered the pot with a lid (you do not have to use a liner, I wanted the keep as much as the roast covered as possible and the plastic “pulled” the liquid up and around it more than if it had just been in the pot by itself) Place the covered pot in your refrigerator. I placed the roast into the bottom of the pot and poured the marinade (now at room temperature) over the roast. I lined a large pot with a liner that is used for crock pots and folded the edges over the rim of the pot. Turn off the heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer and simmer for 5 minutes. Add Juniper berries, bay leaves, salt and pepper. In a large pot, combine the quartered onions, pieces of carrot and cleaned leek.

3 1/4 cup vinegar (you could use red wine vinegar or white).

1 leek, cleaned and cut into quarters lengthwise.

8 Juniper berries (I found them at my local grocery store.

I used a larger roast than the original recipe, because of the effort it takes to make the roast and because I wanted to get two meals out of it. I made it to celebrate my husband’s birthday because he loves German food. I let mine marinate for 3 days before preparing it. What makes this dish unusual is the time it marinates. Why is it called Sauerbraten? Sauer means sour. ( link) I served ours with red cabbage and homemade spätzle (Wolfgang Puck’s Goulash and spätzle recipe follow directions for spätzle.) It claims to be someone’s grandmother’s recipe. This time I made a rendition that I found on a German recipe site on the internet. I wanted to find a recipe that was not too sweet.The variations of Sauerbraten are as diverse as the regions that make it, so if you like it sweet find a recipe with gingersnaps. Like most things in life there is more than one way of doing things. Many thicken the sauce with bread (dark rye bread) or a slurry of cornstarch. Many Americanized recipes for Sauerbraten have a super sweet gravy that has been sweetened with gingersnaps, but I found that the authentic recipes are not super sweet. A little German restaurant that we used to frequent in Anaheim had a good Sauerbraten – though the last time we went there the spätzle were not very good and the Sauerbraten also was not on its usual game either – we are a little scared to go back and try it again. I grew up in Austria and have a love for German and Austrian food.

Times life series sauerbraten recipe