Fratelli Perata Winery

Quasi-Sauerbraten

We love the combination of ginger and Zinfandel, which is a very fruity wine. When we tried the 2012 Bel'Bruzzo, which is also fruity, with ginger, we were pleasantly surprised and this has become a favored pairing. It's the first non-pork pairing that we've offered. The “secret ingredient” for this pairing is to not marinate the meat very long, much shorter than an authentic sauerbraten. The longer the meat marinates the more sour it becomes. If you let it go 3-4 days, drink beer with it. At day one, the flavors are there, the meat is still tender, and there's a balance of acidity with the wine. Some mysterious to mortals transformation brings this spicy dish into balance with the black cherry of the Bel' Bruzzo.

6 pound beef rump roast or boned chuck roast
3 cups of red wine vinegar
4 cups red wine
3 cups water
2 bay leaves
10 peppercorns
6 whole cloves
4 T salt
2 onions, sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 T shortening or oil
5 T flour
4 T butter
1 T sugar
3/4 cup crushed gingersnaps

Combine the vinegar, wine, water and seasonings; pour half of the mixture over the meat. Add 1 sliced onion and garlic. Marinate in the refrigerator for 1 full day, turning occasionally. (Reserve the second half of marinade in refrigerator.)

Remove meat from marinade, pat dry with paper towels. Discard this marinade. Dust with 1 T of the flour. In a large high sided pan or pot, brown the meat in the shortening over high heat. Strain the reserved marinade (from the refrigerator) and add it to the meat along with the 2nd sliced onion. Cover and cook gently for 4-5 hours, until fork-tender. Remove the meat and keep in a warm place.

To make the sauce for the serving platter: in a small pot, melt the butter; add the remaining flour and the sugar, stirring until smooth and browned. Slowly add to the stock the meat has cooked in, cooking and stirring until smooth and thickened, about 10 minutes, then add the gingersnaps, and cook until they dissolve. Place meat in the sauce and cook 1/2 hour longer to meld the flavors. Remove meat, slice thickly, and put on a platter, topping the meat with the sauce from the pot.