Classic German Beef Rouladen (Rinderrouladen)

To make these mouthwatering German Rouladen fill a thinly sliced steak with mustard, bacon, onion, and pickles. Braise in a red wine sauce until they are perfectly tender and irresistibly delicious.

You can serve Rouladen with lots of classic German side dishes such as Spätzle, German Potato Dumplings, and Red Cabbage.

Growing up in Germany Beef Rouladen (‘Rinderrouladen’ in German) were always on my family’s dinner rotation. It’s one of the ultimate German comfort foods. Although when I say dinner, I’m referring to the midday meal. Germans typically eat their hot meal at lunchtime!

And since my grandfather loved ‘Salzkartoffeln’ (salted boiled potatoes), we’d often enjoy our Rouladen with those and Oma’s Cucumber Salad. Mashed potatoes are also a popular option for this dish.

And if Oma was in a good mood (and she was almost always in a good mood) she’d surprise us with homemade dessert such as German Strawberry Cake, Bee Sting Cake (Bienenstich), or Kirschstreusel.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds BEEF TOP ROUND – ask butcher to slice beef to about ¼ inch thickness
• 8 slices BACON
• 5-6 whole DILL PICKLES – thinly sliced
• ⅔ cup MUSTARD – yellow or whole
• 1 whole ONION – half sliced, half diced

FOR THE GRAVY

• 3 tablespoons OLIVE OIL– or clarified butter
• 2-3 stalks CELERY – chopped, about 1 to ½ cups
• 2-3 medium CARROTS chopped, about 1 to ½ cups
• 1 whole BAY LEAF
• 2 cups RED WINE – preferably dry variety
• 1 cup BEEF BROTH
• ¼ cup PICKLE JUICE
• 2 tablespoons TOMATO PASTE (not shown in image above)
• 2 tablespoons CORNSTARCH

How To Make Rouladen

1. Tenderize the meat. Cover meat with cling film and pound beef slices with the flat side of a meat tenderizer.
2. Spread mustard over the beef slices and top with bacon, onion, and pickles.
3. Fold sides (if possible) and shape the stuffed slice of beef into a roll.

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4. Take the rolls and secure with toothpicks (or butcher’s twine).
5. Brown rouladen on each side over medium-high heat in a large skillet with vegetable oil (or clarified butter). Once browned remove rouladen from the skillet and set aside.

6. Add chopped onions, celery, and carrots to the pan and sauté over medium heat for 2-3 minutes until tender.
7. Stir in tomato paste and add wine, beef broth, pickle juice, and bay leaf. Bring to a quick boil. If you have any leftover pickle slices add them to the mix.

8. Reduce the heat to a simmer and returned browned rouladen to the skillet. Braise over low heat for 90 minutes.
9. Remove rouladen and pour the sauce through a sieve to remove the vegetables.
10. Return the sauce to the pan and thicken with cornstarch. Season with salt and pepper. Add the beef rouladen back into the skillet to make sure they are and warm. Serve immediately.

You can store cooked Rouladen in an airtight container for 2-3 days in the fridge.

Recipe Success Tips

• Time-saving hack – Look for a container of pre-sliced carrots and celery. It’s already peeled and pre-sliced and perfect if you want to save some time.
• Talk to your butcher. The sliced beef I used in the photo shoot were on the thicker side. Ask your butcher to cut the beef as thin as possible.
• Don’t overstuff the rolls. It’s going to make rolling easier.
• Toothpicks vs. Butcher’s Twine. No real difference in the outcome. I prefer wooden toothpicks, because it’s a little quicker.
• You can also make Rouladen in a slow cooker. Sear the rouladen in a skillet like described in step 5. Once browned transfer the rolls into the slow cooker and add the liquids and veggies. Set on low for 8 hour (or high for 4 hours). Transfer the liquids into a skillet (remove the veggies) and thicken the sauce with cornstarch.
• Don’t own a meat tenderizer? No problem, a rolling pin, or a heavy cast iron pan work, too. Basically any flat, heavy object will do.

More German Dishes

• Zwiebelkuchen (Onion Pie)
• Reibekuchen (Potato Pancakes)
• Speckknödel (Bread and Bacon Dumplings)
• Kaiserschmarrn (Shredded Pancake)
• Krautfleckerl (German version of Haluski)