Go Back
+ servings
2 slices of Böfflamott German beef roast arranged on a plate with sides
Print Recipe
5 from 3 votes

The BEST German Beef Pot Roast (Böfflamott)

This better-than-Sauerbraten German Beef Pot Roast is a family favorite recipe by Alfons Schubeck! It features lots of wine and spice AND is SO GOOD!
Prep Time3 days
Cook Time4 hours
Total Time3 days 4 hours
Course: Dinner, Entertaining
Cuisine: Bayern, German
Keyword: German beef roast recipe, German Christmas recipe, German Entertaining Recipe, German Holiday Recipe, German Oktoberfest Recipe, German Pot Roast recipe, German roast recipe
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 611kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

Marinade (3 to 6 days)

  • 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
  • 1 bottle red wine Don't use a crappy wine! I love to use the German Affentaler Pinot Noir in this recipe! The smoke and berry notes pair so nicely with this German roast! Malbec, Cab Sauv or Shiraz would work great as well!
  • 3 pounds beef shoulder roast Beef shoulder is less fatty than beef chuck. If you can't find it, you could use beef chuck instead (like I had to).

After Marinating

Instructions

  • To create the marinade, in a medium-sized pot, let powdered sugar melt and caramelize until light brown. Add in the red wine and bring to a boil over high heat. Let cool completely. Place the beef shoulder in a large container (I used a gallon size freezer bag), pour the wine marinade onto it, and let marinate in your fridge for 3 to 6 days.
    1 tablespoon powdered sugar, 1 bottle red wine, 3 pounds beef shoulder roast
  • Peel the vegetables and cut them into chunks. Remove the meat from the marinade and pat dry.
    100 grams celery root, 80 grams carrots, 150 grams yellow onion
  • Pour the marinade into a pot and reduce it to a third of the liquid, removing any foam with a skimmer.
  • Add oil in a large pot over medium heat, brown the beef from all sides, then remove it from the pot (mine sprayed hot oil a lot, so make sure to use a splatter guard).
    2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • Add the tomato paste to the oil and let brown for 30 seconds to a minute while stirring, then add the cognac, the reduced marinade, and chicken broth.
    1 Tablespoon tomato paste, 20 milliliters cognac, 500 milliliters chicken broth
  • Return the beef to the liquid and add the chopped-up vegetables. Cover with a lid and let roast on the stovetop for 3 to 4 hours at just below boiling (medium simmer), until the meat is tender.
  • 20 minutes before the end of cooking time, add in the allspice, pepper, anise, cinnamon, juniper berries, bay leaf, garlic, ginger, lemon peel, and orange peel.
    ½ teaspoon whole allspice, 2 whole star anise, 1 1 centimeter piece cinnamon stick, 5 whole juniper berries, 1 dried bay leaf, 1 garlic clove, 2 ½ inch slices fresh ginger, 1 2 inch piece lemon peel, 1 2 inch piece orange peel, ½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns
  • At the end of the 20 minutes, remove the beef and strain the roasting liquid, maybe returning it to the pot to let reduce some more if still too thin.
  • In a small skillet, caramelize the powdered sugar over medium-high heat, then pour vinegar into the skillet and let boil down until the mixture has a syrup-like consistency.
    2 tablespoon powdered sugar, 50 milliliters red wine vinegar
  • Add butter to the reduced roasting liquid and season to taste with the just-made vinegar mixture, salt, cayenne pepper, and sugar.
    40 grams cold butter, cayenne pepper & sugar to taste
  • If still too thin, thicken by removing a few tablespoons of the sauce, whisking in a little bit (½ tablespoon at a time) of cornstarch, then removing to the sauce and bringing to a boil. Repeat if necessary.
    some cornstarch to thicken
  • Cut the beef into slices and cover in sauce. Serve with potato dumplings to soak up more of that yummy sauce and braised, red cabbage. Guten Appetit!

Nutrition

Calories: 611kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 66g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 185mg | Sodium: 518mg | Potassium: 1196mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 2289IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 69mg | Iron: 8mg