Venison Sauerbraten

Sauerbraten is a traditional German Pot Roast using meat ( venison, beef, pork, horse, mutton) that has been marinated in vinegar or wine for a few days before cooking. Having a German Grandmother I fondly remember the sharp smells of Sauerbraten and Red Cabbage during the winter months. Sadly our old family recipe has been lost but, I found what sounded like a good one on Simply Recipes.

I started with a good local Red Wine for the marinade. Hopefully next year’s archery season will yield a local deer for the freezer so I can make an All Long Island Sauerbraten.

All the marinade ingredients coming to a boil. I couldn’t find Juniper berries but substituted some dried Rosemary leaves in their place.

These are the Rump Roasts going into the marinade. The butcher did a really nice job with the deer and I would use him again. We usually butcher our own but time, travel, and an injury got in the way this year but, this butcher was a hunter himself, and it showed in his work.

After a few days marinading I was taken aback by how purplish the roasts had turned!

Going into a 275 degree oven for a nice 5 hour cook! I love getting to use our Dutch Ovens for a special meal.

When it came time to make the gravy, which is the crown jewel of the meal, I was feeling a bit overwhelmed, so I busted out Grandma’s Club Aluminum Pot. My Mom remembers Grandma making Sauerbraten in it  60 years ago and I remember it on the stove at Grandma and Grandpa’s house so it was a steadying influence.

All the work was worth it! The Sauerbraten was everything I remember and was delicious and this will now be my go to recipe. I’m hoping that someday my son will make this using my passed down pots and tell his own kids that this is “our family recipe” it is that good!

Check out our Venison Recipes Page for more great venison recipes!

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