German Style Beef Rouladen

I’m a sucker for a good German Dinner. I’m also a sucker for any recipe that will make me look like I spent hours in the kitchen. This German style beef rouladen is one dish that I reserve for such occasions. It’s super tasty and easy to prepare.

A roulade is popular in various European cuisines¹ and this term may be used to describe any filled and rolled dish including pastry or meat.  There are different meat roulades normally consisting of a slice of steak rolled around a filling. Some typical examples include:

• Braciole, Italian roulade consisting of beef, pork or chicken usually filled with Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs and eggs
• Paupiette, French veal roulade filled with vegetables, fruits or sweetmeats
• Rouladen, German and Hungarian beef roulade filled with onions, bacon and pickles. Also Kohlrouladen, cabbage filled with minced meat.
• Španělské ptáčky (Spanish birds) are roulade in Czech cuisine. The recipe is practically identical with German Rouladen, perhaps omitting wine and adding a wedge of hard boiled egg and/or frankfurter to the filling. Unlike the large roulade, sliced before serving, the “birds” are typically 10 cm (3.9 in) long, served whole with a side dish of rice or Czech style bread dumplings.
• Szüz tekercsek (“Virgin rouladen”), in Hungary a dish filled with minced meat.
• Zrazy (or “rolada”), in Poland
  Source: Wikipedia

My Rouladen: Simplified & Healthified

This recipe is a simplified version of a traditional German Rouladens² – each area of Germany has it’s own style.

In our house, we rarely have red wine sitting around for cooking purposes (it’s for drinking!), so I adapted the traditional German Rouladen, which is accompanied by a rich red wine gravy, to be a simple gravy of beef stock, flour and seasonings.

I also simplify my rouladen preparation by purchasing beef that is pre-cut and sliced thin for braciole. This way, I don’t need to flatten the beef myself, it’s ready to go. If I am unable to find beef for braciole, I buy beef flank stead instead as you’ll see in the recipe below.

Rob and I are extremely mindful of what we eat so to help cut down on the fats in this recipe, we use nitrate free turkey bacon instead of traditional bacon.

The Meal

Traditionally, a German Rouladen would be served with mashed potatoes or potato dumplings and pickled red cabbage. It’s such a beautiful meal to prepare, however, Rob and I generally find the rouladen is so rich and hearty that it goes nicely with simple brussels sprouts or asparagus and bread. Back in the good old days, this meal was commonplace but today, it’s enjoyed for special occasions.

I hope you enjoy my German Style Beef Rouladen!

Yield: 6

German Style Beef Rouladen

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Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 1.5 lbs beef flank steak
• 4 tsp mustard, German or Dijon
• 6 slices bacon, turkey
• 3/4 cup onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup flour
• 13.75 oz beef broth
• 1/2 tsp thyme

Instructions

1. Flatten beef into a 10x8 rectangle with a meat mallet. Spread with mustard.
2. Chop bacon and onion. Heat in large skillet until onions are tender and bacon is crisp. Chop dill pickle into small chunks. Spread bacon mixture over meat. Then, sprinkle with chopped dill pickle.
3. Roll meat into log from short end. Secure with toothpicks or string. Place meat log into skillet and brown on all sides. Remove to a 13x9 baking dish.
4. Add flour and thyme to skillet, stir. Gradually add beef broth. Cook and stir continuously over medium heat until thickened. Pour over beef.
5. Cover with tinfoil and bake 325 degrees for 1.5 hours.
6. Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes. To serve, cut into slices and drizzle with gravy mixture.