Oktoberfest Update II

The Sauerbraten...well I followed Nanny's directions exactly, I made the marinade, flipped the roast every day for four days and then cooked it according to the recipe.  The only thing I changed was I served the meat with egg noodles rather than mashed potatoes.  The flavor of the dish was great, but the meat was really tough and up until yesterday I couldn't figure out why.  Then after talking with my mom I discovered the issue.. I didn't cut the roast against the grain.  I don't know how I managed to do this but I did.  So if you make this recipe, make sure you properly cut the roast.  I was so dissapointed Friday night even though the flavor was good I had such high hopes because I had put 4 days into this meal and it didn't turn out as planned.  Below are some instructions I found on how to cut a Beef rump roast so next time around I don't forget; based on these directions I probably also failed because I cut the slices too thick.

1. Place the beef rump roast on the cutting board so the grain of the meat runs horizontally in front of you.
2. Insert the carving fork into the top of the beef rump roast at approximately the center of the roast.
3. Begin cutting slices of roast cutting across the grain of the meat. Make the slices as thin as you can, with 1/4 inch being an optimal thickness. Rump roasts will taste the most tender when the slices are very thin.
4. Continue slicing the roast in this fashion until you reach the point where the carving fork is. Remove the carving fork, reposition it at the end of the roast and continue slicing the roast.
5. Arrange the thin slices on a serving platter. Top the slices with gravy to serve.

Chris rated this meal on two separate categories (1) Flavor (2) Overall.  He rated it 3.5 asparagus spears for flavor but due to the texture of the meat he brought the overall rating down to 2.5 asparagus spears.  He then told me he didn't want to rate my meals anymore because it makes him uncomfortable.

  

Oktoberfest update

I was able to get my Sauerkraut made so its in jars just sitting on the counter.  I can't wait until I can give it a try. I got this recipe from my Farmer John Cookbook, its for Lacto Fermented Sauerkraut.

 Ingredients
1 small head of cabbage
1 tablespoon caraway seeds
2 tablespoons of sea salt

Preparation
Put all of the ingredients in a large wood or stainless steel mixing bowl. Using a pounder or meat hammer or a can from the pantry, pound the cabbage in the bowl for a full ten minutes so that the cabbage starts to release its juices.


Before



After 10 minutes of pounding

Transfer the cabbage to 2 clean 1 quart jars, leaving a good inch of head space below the rim of the jar. Screw on the lids. Let stand on the counter for 3 days. By about the second day you'll notice the lacto-fermentation process taking place-you'll see bubbles in the jars and the jars will hiss-this is good.
 

The sauerkraut will be ready and will have a wonderful sour, tangy taste after 3 days. The flavor will only get better with age. After the first 3 days, store the jars in a cool, dark cellar or in your refrigerator. This will keep for at least 6 months.

Yesterday I got Nanny's Sauerbraten recipe, which is apparently her grandmother's recipe, since I knew it took a couple days for the meat to be ready to cook so you have to plan ahead on this one.  As a result I am posting the recipe now but we won't actually be eating this until Friday night.

4 lbs. of beef chuck, round, or rump roast
2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 onion sliced
3 bay leaves
1tsp. peppercorns
2 cups vinegar
2 cups water

Rub meat well with salt and pepper.  Place in pan with onions and bay leaves and peppercorns.  Heat vinegar and water, pour over meat to cover.  Cover pan and place in refrigerator for 4 days, turning every other day.

Place in a roasting pan with 1/3 to 1/2 cup of liquid with onions. remove bay leaves. Save the rest of liquid for gravy.  Roast at 350 degrees for 3 to 4 hours, depending on the size of the roast.
Heat gravy.  Add 1/4 cup of sugar, 1/4 cup raisins and 6 crushed ginger snaps.  Continue to heat gravy and stir until smooth.  Then add 2 Tbs. sour cream.  Slice meat and serve in gravy.

Nanny says she ususally serves with mashed potatoes but her grandmother typically made potato pancakes. She also said its good with a beet salad as opposed to a green salad.