Photography by Murray Hall; Food Styling by Jessie YuChen
It was in Cologne in 1963 that I finally solved the riddle of preparing sauerbraten. What I could not achieve until then was the golden glow that shimmers over the deep brown gravy; browning flour in the conventional einbrenne (roux) never yielded that result. But a generous chef demonstrated the secret: the addition of sugar to the einbrenne. It gilds the gravy even as its sweetness balances the sour lemon note and the zing of pickling spices. —Mimi Sheraton, author of The German Cookbook
Yield: 6–8 Time: 5 days 1 Tbsp. pickling spices 14 whole cloves 8 black peppercorns 3 bay leaves 3 thyme sprigs 2 parsley sprigs One 5-lb. beef eye of round Kosher salt 2 cups red wine 1½ cups red wine vinegar 3 large onions, thinly sliced, divided 1 carrot, thinly sliced 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, divided 4 bacon slices, finely chopped Kosher salt, to taste 3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour 2 Tbsp. sugar ½ cup golden raisins 6 gingersnaps, crumbled 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice 2 Tbsp. coarsely chopped parsley leaves Instructions Make a bouquet garni: In a square of cheesecloth,
