Beef Rouladen (Rinderrouladen)
Beef Rouladen is an iconic German comfort meal made from beef steak rolled up with mustard, bacon, onions, and pickles. Rinderrouladen are pan-seared, then simmered in a delicious wine-based broth until fall-apart tender. It makes the most delicious gravy that I love to soak up with some Spätzle (German egg noodles). Beef Rouladen brings back the best of childhood memories!
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 732kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
Rouladen Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds beef steak Use either flank steak or top round steak (add an extra 30 minutes in simmer time if using top-round steak).
- 8 teaspoons mustard Use a mild mustard like Dijon. I used locally sourced mustard this time.
- 4 yellow onions small in size, or 2 large yellow onions.
- 40 dill pickle chips I used locally sourced dill pickles from Kansas City Canning Company, but German pickles are my other favorite to use (I buy them at World Market).
- 8 slices bacon I use 8 thin slices total and cut them in half.
Sauce Ingredients
- 30 grams butter
- 1 stalk celery
- 1 carrot
- 1 leek
- 375 milliliter red wine Beer works well too (see note below).
- 500 milliliter beef stock 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.1 ½ pounds beef steak
- Rinse and pat dry your steak. Cut into 8 pieces, then flatten each piece by putting it in a gallon-sized freezer bag and hammering it with the flat side of a meat hammer.
- Cut onions in half, then slice. Cut bacon slices in half. Prepare your twine and keep scissors handy. You can also use toothpicks instead of the twine.4 yellow onions, 40 dill pickle chips
- Spread a thin layer of mustard on the meat, season with salt and pepper. Cover with a generous amount of onion slices, about 5 pickle chips, and 1 slice of bacon.8 teaspoons mustard, 4 yellow onions, 40 dill pickle chips, 8 slices bacon, 1 ½ pounds beef steak
- 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 (they may take even longer if using top-round steak). If they're tender, carefully remove them using tongs 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 and roasted carrots or any sides you desire! Bread dumplings, pretzel dumplings, potato dumplings would also make great starch sides. I also love red cabbage (Rotkohl) with Rouladen!
Video
Notes
Recipe tips & variations
- Beef rouladen with beer. I have used a mild, dark lager (Dunkelbier) for simmering instead of the wine before and wow, that was delicious. If using beer, make sure it's one with low hops content, otherwise your sauce can steer on the bitter side.
- Adding egg. My grandma never did this growing up, but you can add a whole, boiled egg in the middle of your rouladen before searing and simmering. It's a more Bavarian take on this dish.
- Cabbage rouladen. Another popular rouladen recipe in Germany uses seasoned beef and pork as the filling, while wrapping it with blanched cabbage leaves. Kohlrouladen is another one of my favorites that I know you'll love as well.
- Flank Steak vs. Top-Round Steak. Flank steak has shorter muscle fibers as it comes from a less exercised area of the cow (the abdomen), while top-round steak sits on the inside of the upper leg, and therefore tends to be leaner and needs more cooking to become tender. If using top-round steak, you may have to cook your Rouladen for just a little bit longer than the 90 minutes in the recipe, but the end result will be just as delicious! Top-round steak is also easier on the wallet!
Nutrition
Calories: 732kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 59g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 181mg | Sodium: 1255mg | Potassium: 1507mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 3191IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 125mg | Iron: 5mg