Beef Rouladen

5 from 3 votes

This classic German dinner is made of steak stuffed with pickles, bacon, mustard, and onions and then served in a delightful gravy. Make this classic German comfort food to really experience German cuisine.

Course beef, Main Course

Cuisine German

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 2

Total Time 2 30

Servings rouladen

Calories 463kcal

Author Alexandria Drzazgowski

Equipment

Ingredients

2 lb choice beef top round steak
4 tbsp dijon mustard
6 pieces bacon
8 baby dill pickles sliced thinly
1 sweet onion chopped
6 tbsp Butter divided
¾ cup carrots chopped
1 stalk celery chopped
3 stalks Green onions chopped
2 tsp garlic chopped
1 cup Red wine
2 cups Beef broth
1 tbsp Sugar
2 Bay leaves
2 tbsp Tomato paste
¼ tsp Salt
Fresh Ground Black Pepper to Taste (Use code FF20 for 20% off)
3 tbsp Flour
⅓ cup water

Instructions

Put each piece of top round in a gallon sized plastic bag and seal the bag. Pound the meat through the plastic with a meat tenderizer until about ¼” thick. Each piece of meat should be about 3”x7”, so you can cut the pieces accordingly to get as close to this measurement as possible.
Lay each of the pieces of top round on a cutting board and spread the top with dijon mustard.
Lay one piece of bacon on top of the mustard on each piece. If you can fit 2 pieces of bacon side by side on the beef, feel free to use two pieces.
Lay the pickles horizontally down the length of the beef cut. Then sprinkle about ¼ cup of the chopped onions over all of the rouladen.
Use your hands to roll the beef up from top to bottom, using as many toothpicks as necessary to secure the beef/toppings in place.
In a dutch oven, heat 2 tbsp of butter over medium heat. Add the rolled rouladen into the dutch oven and cook until the bottom browns. Then flip, cooking each side until the entire outside of the rouladen brown.
Remove the rouladen to a separate plate and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
Add another 2 tbsp of butter into the pot until it melts. Then add the rest of the chopped onions, carrots, celery, and green onions into the dutch oven.
Saute for about 5 minutes, until the vegetables start to soften. Then, add the chopped garlic.
Saute for another 3-4 minutes. Then, add the red wine into the pot, letting the mixture come to a simmer. Once the wine has simmered for about 4 minutes, add the beef broth, sugar, bay leaves, tomato paste, salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine.
Add the reserved rouladen back into the dutch oven, put the lid on, and cook in the oven for about an hour and a half, or until the meat is tender.
When the meat is tender, remove the dutch oven from the oven. Then, use tongs to remove the rouladen from the pot. Place them on a separate plate and set aside. Remove the toothpicks from the meat.
Strain the vegetables out of the liquid. Return the liquid back to the pot. Put the dutch oven back on the stove on medium heat, and bring the remaining liquid in the pot to a simmer.
In a small bowl, mix together the flour and water until completely smooth. Pour this mixture into the liquid in the bottom of the dutch oven. Allow it to cook over medium heat until the gravy begins to thicken.
Once the gravy is thick, place the reserved rouladen back into the gravy. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

Recipe inspired by: https://www.daringgourmet.com/rouladen-recipe/

Dijon Mustard: You can also use yellow mustard if so preferred, or even German Mustard

Bacon: Thick cut, pork bacon

Baby Pickles: I cut each pickle in half lengthwise and then each of those halves into three or four smaller pieces. I tried to get as small of pieces of pickle as possible.

Carrots: You can use 1-2 large carrots, if you have them available. I had baby carrots in my fridge, so I chopped those up and used them instead.
Red Wine: I used a bottom shelf merlot for cooking. Merlot is also a great choice for a glass of wine to drink with this dish.
You can also make this dish with veal if preferred. It is thought that the original recipe was made with either venison or pork, so you can give those a try as well.
You can also use cornstarch to thicken the gravy if you’d prefer. Make sure to start with small amounts and add more if necessary, always combining the cornstarch with water first.
Use cooking twine instead of toothpicks for an easier time browning the meat.
Make sure to keep the browned bits in the bottom of the pot after browning the beef rouladen but before adding the vegetables. All of those bits add extra flavor to the dish!
You can reserve the vegetables that are strained out of the gravy. They will be delicious as a side to the dish or served alongside another meal.

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