Beef Rouladen

This Beef Rouladen is the ultimate cozy comfort food, thin beef slices wrapped around bacon, pickles, and onions, slow-cooked until melt-in-your-mouth tender in a rich, savory gravy. Perfect for special occasions, Sunday dinners, or whenever you’re craving something hearty and homemade.

📝 Ingredients

• 3 pounds beef rouladen
• 3 ounces keens hot mustard
• 2 medium onions (shredded or finely chopped)
• 3 medium carrots (peeled, and cut into 1/4 inch sticks)
• 6 pickles (cut into 1/4 inch sticks)
• 2 pound bacon (thin cut, cut slices in half)
• 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• 1 teaspoon pepper (or to taste)
• 3 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 4 cups water (or more as needed)
• 3/4 cup red wine (such as Cabarnet Sauvignon or Malbec)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1Prep the beef:: If your beef comes in fairly long pieces, cut them in half, we're looking for pieces that are about 4x4-inches (roughly cut).
2. 2Prepare the rouladen:: Easiest way to do this is to assemble a bunch of rouladen at once, as in an assembly line (see picture above), so lay the pieces of beef on a cutting board, as many as you can fit. Start by spreading about a teaspoon of mustard on each piece of beef, followed by a tsp of onion, a piece of bacon, season with a bit of salt and pepper. Next add a piece of carrot and pickle, you may add 2 of each, depending how big they are. Roll them up and secure each rouladen with a toothpick. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
3. 3Sear the rouladen:: Heat a bit of the vegetable oil in a frying pan or skillet. Add a few rouladen to the skillet, about 6 or so depending on the size of your skillet, but don't overcrowd. Sear the rouladen on all sides. Transfer the seared rouladen to a large Dutch oven that's oven safe and has a lid.
4. 4Make the gravy:: In that same skillet make gravy from the drippings. In a bowl whisk together 1 cup of flour with about 3 to 4 cups of water. Pour about 1 cup of this slurry in the skillet with the drippings. Whisk until it starts to thicken and the flour cooks a bit then add about ¼ cup of red wine. Continue cooking for a couple more minutes while whisking, then pour this gravy over the seared rouladen in the Dutch oven. Clean the skillet and repeat with remaining ingredients. You might need to do this in 3 or 4 batches. There should be enough gravy to cover all the rouladen.
5. 5Preheat the oven:: Preheat the oven to 350°F and position your rack in the middle.
6. 6Bake:: Cover the Dutch oven with the lid and transfer it to the preheated oven. Bake for about 2½ to 3 hours.
7. 7Rest and serve.: Allow the beef rouladen to cool for a few minutes before serving along some spaetzle, german red cabbage or mashed potatoes.