Oktoberfest: Sauerbrauten

San Diego boasts no fewer than 18 Oktoberfest celebrations.  And every year I vow we're going to make it to one.  And we haven't made it since 2009.

It's not my fault!  As I've said before, our weekends are SO full in the fall.  But this year, one of the local breweries were having their Oktoberfest late, on a Sunday.  And our Sundays are usually pretty quiet.  It was an adults only event, requiring tickets, so after checking in with our babysitter to make sure she was available, we planned a day date.

Of course, as often happens, after making that plan our Sunday filled up.  Sunday school, a birthday party - the event was from noon to 6pm, so we just made arrangements to head over around 2:30, after all our morning events.

So I guess really it was our own fault that by the time we arrived, they only had one stein (included with the price of our ticket) left.  Which isn't the biggest deal, except the first beer in that stein was free.  So while they subbed in a non-Oktoberfest stein, filling it wasn't as great of a deal. 

What wasn't our fault is that although they billed it as "adults only" and "tickets required" there were tons of kids running around.  And anyone who showed up was welcome to come join in the Oktoberfest festivities.  Which means that "free" stein of beer, just became a VERY expensive stein of beer since it included an unnecessary babysitter for two kids who would have been just as happy to run around playing with the other kids there.

Thatboy took part in a stein holding contest.

He did not win.

The guy next to him, who was sitting at our table did though!  So it was like we were part of the winning team.

The best part of the entire experience was the food.

I can't tell you about the German chocolate cake - I'm not a sweets girl.  But the sausage was excellent, the schnitzel was way better than expected, and the pretzel?  Well, I haven't met a pretzel a pretzel I didn't like.

While we ate, Thatboy and I reminisced about the food we ate in Austria.  We definitely have a soft spot for Austro-German (Germanic? Austro-Hungarian?  Eastern European?) cuisine.  And like my love of various other cuisines, I credit my parents.  

Wurst were introduced to us from an early age, with bratwurst being my favorite.  So much so that I introduced it to my kids last week - and they were likewise big fans.

But brats are easy.  For our own fall celebration at home I wanted something a little more special.  I was inspired by the new and improved Good Eats Reloaded which premiered this week.

If you've been reading this blog for a long period of time, you'll know I'm a HUGE Alton Brown fan.  If you're new - HI!  I'm a big Alton Brown Fan.  I've been super excited about the Reloading of an old favorite, so I popped open one of my Good Eats Cookbooks (I have all three) and pulled out this Sauerbraten recipe.    Sauerbraten, or "sour meat," gets its name from the vinegar marinade it sits in for days.  And while this dish is time consuming, it couldn't be easier.  You pour a bunch of vinegar in a bowl with the meat, let it sit, then pop it in the oven.  You end up with a super flavorful pot roast that goes perfectly with your favorite Marzen beer! 

Sauerbraten (From Alton Brown)

2 cups water

1 cup apple cider vinegar

1 cup red wine vinegar

1 onion, chopped

1 carrot, chooped

1 Tbsp + 1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

2 bay leaves

6 whole cloves

12 juniper berries

1 tsp mustard seeds

3 1/2-4lb bottom round

1 Tbsp canola oil

1/3 cup sugar

18 gingersnaps, crushed

1. Combine water, vinegars, onion, carrot, salt, pepper, bay leaves, cloves, juniper berries, and mustard seeds in a large saucepan over high heat.  Cover and bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
2. Pat the bottom round dry, then rub with oil and salt on all sides.  
3. Heat a large saute pan over high heat.  Add the meat and brown on all sides.
4. When the marinade is cool, place the meat in a large glass or metal bowl and cover with the marinade.  Refrigerate for 3 days.
5. After 3 days, preheat the oven to 325.  Transfer the meat and marinade to an ovenproof pot or dutch oven. Add the sugar to the meat and marinade.  Cover and cook for 4 hours.
6. Remove meat and tent with foil to keep warm.  Strain the liquid to remove the solids.
7. Return the strained liquid to the pot and place over medium high heat.
8. Whisk in the gingersnaps and stir until the sauce has thickened.
9. Strain the sauce once more to remove any lumps.  Slice the meat and serve with the sauce.