Old World Sauerbraten

The first dusting of snow on the peaks. Cattle work this week. Patrick rode in the truck. He pointed out two heifers I had not noticed. He sees things I do not. The work is shared.

Patrick on the porch in the afternoon. Coffee in the good cup. The cottonwoods. Tuesday meeting in Roundup. Eight regulars. Three vets. I do not lead. I show up.

Pot roast Sunday. Chuck. Five hours low and slow. Onions, carrots, celery. The kitchen smelled like winter.

Cattle were good. Horses were good. The week was the week.

Worked on the truck Saturday afternoon. Plugs and wires. Two hours. Hands black with grease. Came in. Showered. Ate.

Drove the back fence line Saturday. Two posts down from elk. Replaced them in the morning. The fence held the rest of the week.

Hauled three bull calves to the auction yard Wednesday. Got a fair price. Came home. Counted the cash. Put it in the ranch account.

Truck started cold Tuesday. Twelve below. Battery is the original. I will replace it before next winter. I always say I will replace it before next winter. I never have.

Mr. Whelan from down the road came over Saturday with a story about a horse he sold in 1979. The story took an hour. I listened. He needed someone to tell it to.

Three days of horses this week. The work is meditative. The horses know. The owners pay. The cycle holds.

Mended the chute hinge Wednesday. Welder was finicky. Got it on the third try. Patrick used to do this. I do it now.

Wrote a blog post Friday night. The first one in two months. About making chili in a snowstorm. Short. Practical. Posted it. Forgot about it.

Drove to Billings for parts Friday. Stopped at the cemetery on the way home. Stood for ten minutes. Came home.

A neighbor's heifer was choking on a corn cob. I drove over with my emergency kit. Cleared the cob with a length of garden hose. The heifer recovered. The neighbor brought a pie the next day.

The barn cats are doing their job. Down to one mouse this week, in the feed shed. The cats brought it to the porch as proof. They are professionals.

A reader emailed about the elk chili recipe. Asked what beer to use if non-alcoholic was not available. I wrote back: any beer is wrong if you don't drink. Use stock.

The Tuesday Roundup AA meeting was eleven this week — three new guys from a referral. The room was full. The coffee was strong.

Took a walk to the river before supper Tuesday. The cottonwoods were silver. The water was running. I did not think much. I just walked.

Listened to the cattle market report on AM radio while I worked the shop. Beef is up. Feed is up. The math is the math.

Hank, the dog, herded the chickens by accident. He apologized in the way dogs apologize — eyes down, tail low. The chickens were unimpressed.

Storm came through Friday night. Thunder. The dog hid under the bed. The kids slept through it. The cattle bunched up by the windbreak. Standard.

The Musselshell was clear Sunday. Could see trout in the deeper pools. Did not fish. Just watched.

The wood pile is half what it was at Thanksgiving. I will split another cord on Saturday. The cord will be ready by next winter. The wood always is.

Sunday’s pot roast — chuck, five hours, onions and carrots — is not a complicated thing, but it is a reliable one, and reliable matters more than complicated by the end of a week like that one. Old World Sauerbraten is the version of that same idea with a little more depth: a long braise, a tangy braising liquid, the kind of smell that fills the kitchen and stays there. Patrick would have approved. It’s the sort of meal that doesn’t ask anything of you once it’s in the pot — which, on a Sunday after cattle work and fence posts and a drive past the cemetery, is exactly right.

Prep Time: 20 min (plus 2–3 days marinating) | Cook Time: 3 hrs 30 min | Total Time: 3 hrs 50 min active | Servings: 8

Ingredients

3 to 4 lbs beef chuck roast or bottom round roast
1 1/2 cups red wine vinegar
1 1/2 cups water
1 medium onion, sliced
2 bay leaves
10 whole cloves
10 whole black peppercorns
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup finely crushed gingersnap cookies (about 8–10 cookies)
1/2 cup sour cream (optional, for finishing the gravy)

Instructions

Make the marinade. In a saucepan, combine vinegar, water, sliced onion, bay leaves, cloves, peppercorns, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then remove from heat and let cool completely.
Marinate the roast. Place the beef roast in a large zip-top bag or deep non-reactive container. Pour the cooled marinade over the meat, seal, and refrigerate for 2 to 3 days, turning the roast once or twice daily.
Brown the roast. Remove the roast from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Reserve the marinade. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the roast on all sides, about 4–5 minutes per side.
Braise low and slow. Pour the reserved marinade (including onions and spices) over the browned roast. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover tightly and simmer for 3 to 3 1/2 hours, or until the meat is fork-tender, turning once halfway through.
Make the gravy. Remove the roast and tent loosely with foil. Strain the braising liquid into a saucepan, discarding solids. Bring liquid to a simmer and whisk in crushed gingersnaps. Cook, stirring, for 5–8 minutes until the gravy thickens. Stir in sour cream if using; do not boil after adding.
Slice and serve. Slice the roast against the grain and arrange on a platter. Spoon gingersnap gravy over the top. Serve with egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or roasted root vegetables.

Nutrition (per serving)

Old World Sauerbraten — The Roast That Holds the Week Together