Description
Grandma Joyce’s Beef Rouladen wraps tender beef with savory bacon and pickles, creating a hearty German classic that connects family through generations. Rolled with love and seasoned memories, this comforting recipe brings warmth to your dinner table with each delicious bite.
Ingredients
Scale
Meat:
- 1 thinly sliced beef (top round or flank steak)
Filling and Flavor Enhancers:
- 4 strips bacon, cut into small pieces
- 1 large onion
- 4 dill pickles, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard or yellow mustard
Cooking and Seasoning:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 tablespoon flour
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Arrange beef slices on your kitchen counter. Salt and pepper each slice, then spread 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard across the surface.
- Place 1 strip of chopped bacon, 1 slice of pickle, and 2 tablespoons diced onion in the center of each beef slice. Tightly roll the meat and secure with 2-3 toothpicks.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat at 375°F. Carefully brown the rouladen for 4-5 minutes, rotating to achieve golden color on all sides.
- Transfer browned rouladen to a plate. In the same skillet, sauté remaining onion for 3 minutes until translucent.
- Sprinkle 1 tablespoon flour into the skillet, stirring constantly for 1 minute to create a roux. Pour 2 cups beef broth, whisking until smooth.
- Return rouladen to the skillet. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer at 225°F for 1 hour and 45 minutes, turning rolls every 30 minutes.
- Remove toothpicks before serving. Ladle warm gravy over the rouladen and plate alongside your favorite side dish.
Notes
- Use thin beef slices like top round or flank steak to ensure tender rouladen that rolls easily.
- Select thick-cut bacon with good smoky flavor to enhance the overall taste of the dish.
- Kitchen twine works better than toothpicks for securing the rolls and preventing them from unraveling during cooking.
- For a gluten-free version, replace wheat flour with cornstarch or alternative thickeners when making the gravy base.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours 15 minutes
- Category: Beef
- Method: Simmering
- Cuisine: German
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 to 6
- Calories: 220 kcal
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 450 mg
- Fat: 14 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 0.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 8 g
- Fiber: 1.5 g
- Protein: 22 g
- Cholesterol: 60 mg