Rouladen (German Beef Rolls)

Donna Hackett

Servings: 4

This recipe while authentically German in every respect did not come to me from Germany.  I got this recipe from the Sophienburg Museum in New Braunfels, Texas.  That's right Texas, not Germany.  New Braunfels was settled by German immigrants recruited from all over Germany and brought to Texas under the auspices of the Society for the Protection of German Immigrants in Texas, a corporation chartered by the Duchy of Nassau.  The stockholders were all members of the German Nobility.  The organization was generally referred to as the Addsverein or simply, The Society.  Prince Carl von Solms-Brunfels, a handsome young cavalry officer and member of the society, was in Texas to expedite the colonization project with German-Texans whom he had engaged to help him, among them Ferdinand Lindheimer, and L. C. Ervendberg.  They had the newcomers and their baggage carted to the site of the colony.  They arrived there March 21, 1845.  Solms named the colony New Braunfels after his ancestral home in Germany.

This German dish is onions with a sliced of beef rolled around them and then cooked.  What a delightful taste this is.  I highly recommend it to anyone who claims to be an onion lover.  Guten Appetit!

Ingredients

4 slices flank steak, ½" thick slices
2 small onion, minced
1 small onion, quartered
4 slices bacon
½ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Gravy*: ...Knorr Rouladen Mix + 1¾ cups water
1 dill pickle, cut into quarters lengthwise

Cooking Method

Pound beef with edge of saucer to tenderize meat tissue. 

1. Spread mustard thinly over meat. 

2. Sprinkle with pepper and salt. 

3. Place ½ onion and 1 strip of bacon on meat. 

4. Roll up tightly and tie with thread or hold together using toothpicks.
   Place meat in a Dutch oven with a small amount of fat and brown slowly on all sides to a rich color.

5. Add 1 onion, cut in quarters while meat is browning. 

6. When brown add Rouladen Mix, cover tightly and cook over very low heat until tender, about 45 minutes.

7. When meat is tender place in bowl.

8. Pour gravy over meat and serve with boiled potatoes and red cabbage. 

9. Place ¼ dill pickle on the side.

*Note:  If you can't find the Rouladen Mix then you can make your own gravy.  Put ½ to ¾ cups of water with the meat in the Dutch Oven along with the fat.  When meat is done then add ½ cup of water with 2 tablespoons of flour mixed in to the pan drippings.