Mama’s German Beef Rouladen

The first time I made these for Jim, may be the day he fell in love with me!  Just joshin’ but they may have cemented the deal.

Right up there with Sauerbraten, when we had company coming, this was one of mama’s go-to meals.  It’s a bit of work, but the end result is pure German magic!  This is a traditional German meal meant for special occasions, often during the cooler months.

What are Beef or Fleisch Rouladen?

They are also referred to as Rinsrouladen, or Beef Rolls.  Thin slices of beef are pounded so that they are less than 1/4 inch thick.  The finished slices are usually around 4 x 6, or 4 x 7 inches in size.  While the actual filling ingredients may vary from region to region, and Oma to Oma, usually mustard, bacon, onions, and pickles are involved.  The beef slices are rolled up, tied off or secured with toothpicks etc, and then they are seared on all sides.  Then they are set to simmer in either simple water and seasonings, or some stock etc.  My mama usually just used water and seasonings like bay leaf, pepper, coriander, pickle spices etc. As the Rouladen simmer, some of the flavours from the filling seep into the liquid, creating a wonderful start to the eventual gravy.

Method

Size and Serving suggestion: if the meat slices you are working with are on the larger size, then one per person is good.  If they are on the smaller size, then be prepared to make two per person.

First things first, gather all the ingredients for the filling.  Slice the pickles and onions, and slice the bacon in half cross-wise (my mama didn’t always use bacon, but I do think it adds not only flavour, but a bit of fat to add moisture to the finished rolls, so that they aren’t too dry), and some dijon mustard, salt and pepper.  Have the pickles and onions in bowls for easy access.

The way I learned from my mama was to lay out all the pounded meat slices on a clean counter, in assembly line fashion.  Have the narrower end of each slice placed at the bottom, so that the finished exposed edge once rolled up will be the wider one.  Spread each slice with mustard, then some salt and pepper.  Place a piece of bacon down the middle.  Add a small mound of pickles and onions towards the bottom pointy end. Start by rolling the pointy end of the beef over the pickles and onions and then if the slices are wide enough, fold each side in to cover the pickles and onions.  If not, don’t worry, they’ll be fine.  Firmly roll up till the end.  Place the seam side down, and continue with the rest of the rolls.

Now you are ready to secure the rolls.  Mama always used toothpicks.  But I found through the years that sometimes it was a pain to catch the meat through, or having to use more than one toothpick. And sometimes the cooked meat gets torn when you try to remove the toothpicks. So I now use butchers twine.  So much easier.  Tie the knots on the seam side, and then trim the string close to the knot.

Sear, Then Braise

Once all the Rouladen are rolled and secured, you are ready to sear them.  Use a large deep skillet or dutch oven.  In heated butter and oil, and working in batches, sear each roll on all sides.  Transfer them all to a plate while you prepare the base for the cooking liquid.  You will be sautéing onions, garlic, and celery till just softened.  Then wine, stock and seasonings are added.  Nestle the Rouladen in the liquid, bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer till they are tender, about 1 1/2 hours, depending on the size of the Rouladen.

How to Thicken the Gravy

Once the Rouladen are cooked through and are super tender and are sitting on a warm platter in the oven, it’s time to make the gravy.  I grew up watching mama use a cornstarch slurry to thicken the strained liquid.  I like this because cornstarch gives the gravy a lovely glossy sheen.  If you would rather use flour, that’s fine. Of course while cornstarch is naturally gluten free, you can also use gluten free flour.

What to serve with Rouladen

Traditional sides include Kartoffelklöße or Knödel which are round fluffy potato dumplings.  My other favourite side is Spätzle, or little dumplings that are simmered first and then quickly sautéd in butter for a little crispy goodness.  Of course, if you are Jim, you will be wanting mashed potatoes, which is fine.  This usually means that I have to make all three carby sides!! And next on the list is Rotkohl, or Sweet and Sour Braised Red Cabbage.  All sorts of spices are added to sautéd shredded red cabbage until the perfect balance of sweet, sour, and umami-ness is achieved.  Usually a green vegetable like simple sautéed green beans or brussels sprouts finished the meal. 

The perfect German winter meal!

Final Thoughts

Planning a meal with many moving parts requires all the help it can get.  So here are my Prep Tips:

Make the Rouladen the day before.  Once they are cooked through, place them and the cooking liquid in a sealed container and store in the fridge till the next day.  If it is winter, I will admit, I will even place the container on the balcony or in the garage if it is chilly!  Save room in the fridge for all the other dishes.  The next day they can be reheated in the oven at 375F and then kept warm while you make the gravy.

You can also make the Spätzle the day before and then just do the final sauté in butter before serving. Click on the link for my favourite recipe for these lovely little noodles.

You can form the Knödel or Potato Dumplings the day before, and store on a wax paper lined baking sheet and covered with plastic or even in a large sealed container (try not to have them stick to each other) Add them to the fridge or that chilly garage overnight!  Then all you need to do is simmer them in a pot of water before dinner.

The Rotkohl can also be made in advance and stored in a sealed container in the fridge and reheated the next day. This is a perfect Sunday evening family dinner, since so much of it can actually be made on Saturday! 

And since the prep work takes a bit of time, make a double batch and have some ready to put into the freezer, that’s what mama always did!  She would put four or six Rouladen in freezer safe containers, covered with some of the braising liquid, so that there would be flavourful liquid for gravy already prepped.  Just do this after the Rouladen are cooked through and cooled down to room temperature.

If you want to explore German cuisine beyond my humble blog, this link has some great options.  As does this one!

Sehr Lecker!!

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Mama's German Beef Rouladen

This traditional German meal is a true labour of love! Tender meat is rolled around a filling of mustard, bacon, pickles, and onions, seared and then simmered in a flavourful braising liquid. Serve these with the gravy, potato dumplings or noodles, and red cabbage. Sunday Dinner or Company's Coming never tasted so good!

Course Main Course

Cuisine German

Keyword beef, beef rolls, rouladen

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 2 hours

Servings 8

Ingredients

Rouladen

• 8 slices top round beef, usually about 4x7 inches in size and 1/4 inch thick (ask your butcher), gently pound the slices with a meat mallet until they're a little thinner than 1/6-1/4 inch (be careful not to pound holes into them) See Notes
• 1/2 cup German or dijon mustard
• salt and pepper
• 4 slices lean bacon, sliced in half, see Notes
• 1 medium onion, sliced lengthwise
• 4-6 large garlic dill pickles, depending on how large they are, sliced into spears
• 2 tbsp butter, or more as needed
• 2 tbsp olive oil, or more as needed

Braising liquid

• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large celery stalk, chopped
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 2 cups strong beef broth, or water, See Notes
• 5 dashes of Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp sugar, more if needed at the end
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• cornstarch or flour dissolved in a little water for thickening, depending on how much gravy liquid there is you'll need about 1-2 tbsp of cornstarch in 2 tbsp of water

Instructions

Create Rouladen

1. Lay the beef slices out on a work surface to form an assembly line. Have the narrowest part of each slice positioned at the bottom.
2. Spread each beef slice with about 1 tablespoon of mustard and season with a salt and black pepper.
3. Place a strip of bacon on each beef slice so it's running the same length as the beef.
4. Place the two or three pickle spears and some sliced onions on the bottom third of each beef slice. Roll up the beef slices, tucking in the sides as best you can. Don't worry if the slices aren't wide enough to achieve this.
5. Use butcher's twine to secure either end of the roll on the seam side of the roll, trimming the ends. See Notes

Sear

1. Heat the butter and oil in a heavy Dutch oven or or large deep skillet with a lid over medium to medium high heat.

2. Sear the rouladen in batches, browning well on all sides. Do not crowd rouladen in skillet, or they will not brown nicely. Add extra butter and oil if needed. Adjust the heat if the meat is scorching.

3. Set the rouladen aside on a plate.

Braise

1. Do not remove the browned bits in the bottom of the pan (that's flavour gold!)

2. Add the onions to the pot and a little more butter or oil if needed. Cook the onions over medium heat until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes.

3. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the celery and cook for another 5 minutes.
4. Pour in the red wine, bring to a rolling boil for 3 minutes. Add the beef broth or water, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf, sugar, salt and pepper.
5. Nestle the beef rouladen in the pot. Add any accumulated juices back in as well. If the liquid doesn't almost cover the tops of the rouladen, top up with extra stock or water.

6. Stovetop: Bring to a boil and then reduce and cover. You can cook the rouladen, covered, on the stovetop on low for about 90 minutes or until fork tender. Turn the rolls, moving ones from the bottom to the top so that they all cook evenly.

7. Oven: Transfer the pot (make sure it's oven-safe) to the oven preheated to 325 F and cook it there for about 90 minutes or until fork tender.
8. Remove rouladen to a platter.

Gravy

1. Strain the liquid through a mesh strainer, and the return the liquid to the pot. Bring it to a rolling simmer, over medium to medium high heat.
2. To thicken gravy, create a slurry by combining about 1 to 2 tablespoons cornstarch in a little cold water and stir it gently into the liquid, stirring, until slightly thickened. If it hasn't thickened to your liking, just repeat with a bit more cornstarch.
3. Season gravy to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. If you feel the flavour needs balancing, feel free to add a bit more sugar, or mustard, or even a little sweet balsamic vinegar.
4. Cut away the twine to serve rouladen, drizzled with gravy. Serve the rest of the gravy on the side.
5. See blog post for more details.

Recipe Notes

This is enough to feed eight people. Feel free to double the recipe so that you will have enough to freeze or for leftovers.
A butcher is your friend for getting the right meat cut properly. Depending on the cut, the size may be smaller or larger than stated. If they are on the larger side, then one per person is good. If smaller, then be prepared to make two per person.
I don't like a whole slice of bacon, I feel like it can get a little greasy. But if the bacon you are using is on the thinner or smaller side, use full rashers per roll.
Feel free to use toothpicks if you would rather, for securing the rolls. I don't like using toothpicks.
You can use beef stock, beef bouillon powder or paste, or even just water.
To use the slow cooker, after cooking the onions through wine, put everything into the slow cooker and cook on high 3-4 hours or low 6-8 hours.
You can prepare the rouladen the day before up to the point of making the gravy. Store everything in an airtight container in the fridge. The next day re-heat over medium low heat, either in the oven or stove top until the meat is warmed through. Then remove the rouladen and make the gravy as described above.
To freeze: Take the cooled rouladen and liquid and place into freezer safe container(s) covered with the cooking liquid. Thaw, then warm through as described above, and then make the gravy. Or if the gravy is already made, then cover the cooled rouladen with the gravy and freeze.