Rinderrouladen are German, stuffed flank steaks also called Beef Rouladen. They're stuffed with bacon, mustard, pickles and onion, then simmered in a flavorful wine or beer based sauce for about 90 minutes.
Rinderrouladen
About this Recipe
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Stuffing meat is a common thing to do in Germany! It adds a nice surprise of another layer of flavor and texture. Like a Chicken Cordon Bleu, today's Rinderrouladen recipe is stuffed with lots of flavor! Using either your oven or cooktop, it's simmered in a super flavorful, reduced wine or beer sauce for roughly 90 minutes. I actually went ahead and tried both version with wine and beer for you because I wasn't sure which one to make (see below)! Wine's the winner for me by the way, but they were both amazing and I think you should just try both versions as well! This recipe is drool-guaranteed and should pretty much satisfy anyone who is big on comfort food and beef!
So What's In Rinderrouladen?
Rinderrouladen or Beef Rouladen are thinly cut flank steak (you can also use top round), rolled up with mustard, onions, cornichon pickles and bacon, then simmered to perfection in a red wine broth. I served mine with homemade spätzle to go along with this meal (find the spätzle recipe here although pumpkin spätzle would also be amazing this time of year!).
This would be a great meal to feast over with friends or family, finishing that bottle of Affentaler German Pinot Noir or the beer you used to cook with. Rinderrouladen are easily prepared in advance and kept warm. They also reheat well if you happen to have any leftovers.
Scroll on down for the recipe, now in printable version.
Rinderrouladen Essentials
Wine or Beer?
Affentaler Pinot Noir Vs. Free State Oktoberfest
So, you could go twofold with today's recipe and either simmer your Rinderrouladen in a wine sauce or a beer sauce! Both are fantastic options! The wine sauce tends to be richer and more full-bodied in taste, while the beer sauce is slightly lighter and a few of the hop and malt notes come through. Honestly, it's been super fun experimenting with both! If I had to pick a favorite though, it would probably have to the the German Pinot Noir I used by Affentaler for my wine sauce and naturally also for my wine pairing! If choosing wine, stick with a lighter-bodied wine like Pinot Noir. To find out where Affentaler is available in your area, fill out the short product finder form.
If choosing beer, stick with a balanced brew that's not too hoppy or malty. Think Lager, Pilsner, Dunkel, and a few Oktoberfest Märzen can also make the cut, like the lovely Octoberfest by Free State beer in Lawrence, Kansas.
Happy Cooking & Prost!
more German Beef Recipes
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Lauch-Käse Suppe
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Rinderrouladen: Beef Rouladen
Equipment
Ingredients
Rouladen Ingredients
- 4 flank steaks I bought 4 thicker steaks and carefully butterflied them, resulting in 8 thin steaks.
- 4 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 4 yellow onions Small in size, or 2 large yellow onions. You could also use the white parts of green onions if you'd like.
- 20 cornichons The Whole Foods brand are my favorite, but World Market also sells some great German-style pickles!
- 8 slices bacon You can use 8 thin slices, but I actually used 4 thick-cut slices of bacon this time around!
Sauce Ingredients
- 30 grams butter
- 1 stalk celery
- 1 carrot
- 1 leek
- 375 milliliter red wine I used Affentaler Pinot Noir (you could also use one bottle of Lager, Pilsner or Dunkel beer. I tested the recipe with Oktoberfest beer!
- 500 milliliter beef stock beef stock or even water works, too!
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- 75 milliliter pickle juice
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In case you have an oven safe pot, preheat oven to 320° F or 160° C. If not, see below for alternative method. Rinse and pat dry the halved flank steaks.4 flank steaks
- Cut 3 onions in half, then slice. Slice cornichon pickles long ways. Prepare your twine and keep scissors handy. You can also use toothpicks instead of the twine.4 yellow onions, 20 cornichons
- Spread a thin layer of mustard on the meat, season with salt and pepper. Cover with a little less than ½ an onion, 2 to 3 pickles, and 1 ½ slices of bacon.4 Tablespoon Dijon mustard, 4 yellow onions, 20 cornichons, 8 slices bacon, 4 flank steaks
- Roll up and tie up with twine or secure the seams with toothpicks. Add butter to a large skillet and heat to medium high.30 grams butter
- Sauté the Rouladen for a few minutes on all sides, until browned. Transfer to a large pot (oven safe if possible).
- Medium dice the celery, the onion, carrot. Slice the leek. Add to the skillet you transferred the meat from.1 stalk celery, 1 leek, 1 carrot
- As soon as they start yellowing in color, add a thin layer of red wine. Let the wine evaporate and refill with a thin layer of wine. Repeat until you used half a bottle. This will help develop a deeper flavor. Add salt, pepper, broth and pickle juice. Alternatively, you can also use beer! Beer gives it a different, wonderful flavor. I personally prefer the wine sauce, but they're both amazing options!375 milliliter red wine, 500 milliliter beef stock, 75 milliliter pickle juice
- Add everything to the Rouladen. If the pot is oven safe, cover it with a lid and put in the oven for about 90 minutes. If it's not oven safe, cover and cook on your cooktop on medium-low heat instead.
- If needed, add more broth about every 30 minutes or so.After 90 minutes, test to see if the roulades are tender (use a cooking spoon to gently press down on one). If not tender, cook for another 30 minutes. If they're tender, carefully remove them and keep them warm.500 milliliter beef stock
- Strain the sauce and bring to a boil. Whisk together 1 tablespoon of mustard, a little bit of water and the corn starch. Whisk into the boiling sauce until desired consistency is reached. Season sauce to taste with salt, pepper, red wine and pickle juice.1 Tablespoon cornstarch, salt and pepper
- Serve with spätzle (link to recipe here) and roasted carrots or any sides you desire! (Semmelknödel and red cabbage would all be a great choice!
Nutrition
I received compensation from Niche Import Co. in exchange for writing this post. Although this post is sponsored, all opinions, thoughts and recipes are my own. This post contains affiliate links, which means that I may be compensated if you click certain links.
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