Me for Christmas bash please, but can someone remind me of the date?
Sauerbraten:
For the marinade:
1 large piece of beef - I used topside, brisket is traditional but fatty, and mine weighed about 3 lbs
2 cups water
1 cup red wine
1 cup wine vinegar (red or white - you can use cider instead if that is what you have)
1 lemon, sliced
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
6 cloves
8 allspice berries
8 juniper berries (I bash these to release a bit more flavour)
2 dessert spoons granulated sugar
1 dessert spoon salt
Mix all ingredients together and heat in a saucepan, stirring till the sugar has dissolved. Let it cool.
Plop the beef in. I put it in a lock and lock box in the fridge and turn periodically. Marinade either overnight or up to three days.
When you are ready to cook, set the slow cooker to low and add:
1 large onion, chopped
6 large carrots, peeled and cut into big chunks.
Put the beef on top.
Strain the marinade and add 2 1/2 cups of marinade to the slow cooker. Reserve the rest of the marinade - you will need it later.
Let the beef cook for 6-8 hours. Remove the beef, wrap in foil and leave on chopping board. Strain what is left of the marinade from the slow cooker into a saucepan (leave the veg in the slow cooker in a small amount of liquid). Heat in small saucepan with the rest of the reserved marinade. Then put 8 ginger nut biscuits in a bag, crush and add to the marinade. I put the stick blender in, to ensure a more even consistency.
Slice the beef (it will just fall apart) put on serving platter with the onions and carrots and serve the marinade separately as a sauce. You can serve it with spaetzle, gnocchi or boiled potatoes (or roast) and add a green veg if you want. Cabbage is probably traditional.