Olde Worlde German Beef Rouladen Rolls with Gravy ("Rindsrouladen")
When we were little, my mom used to make these German Beef Rolls every now and then, and they were one of my favorite dishes that she used to make! Though traditionally made with dill pickle spears, she always made hers with sweet dill pickle relish and they were absolutely divine!
"Rindsrouladen" is Germany's version of the French roulade, and is typically thin slices of beef wrapped around a pickle spear, bacon, onion and mustard mixture, then slow simmered in broth until very tender. The broth is then thickened and served over the rolls.
My mom just used regular table mustard, French's, but you can use a spicy brown, whole grain, dijon, or a nice German mustard. No matter what mustard you use, they always turn out deliciously flavored! You can't go wrong. 😉
I prefer to use flank steak for this, but I have my butcher cut the meat for me into 4 thin steak filets only a ¼" thick. I don't know what type of beef my mom used, but it was probably flank steak as well.
You can also use a quality top round steak for this, and even though these cuts of beef are tougher cuts, they will get very tender while simmering. So you'll be ok either way. Just make sure they are very thin, and that you roll them with the grain running lengthwise, so that when you go to slice bites to eat, you are slicing against the grain.
That way it will insure that it's extremely tender.
You don't have to partially cook the bacon, but I do a little just to get some of the excess fat away. You can bake the bacon in a 375 degree oven for about 15 minutes on a foil-lined baking sheet for ease and minimal cleanup if you'd like.
You want to cook out a lot of the fat, but still have it pliable to roll. But, as I said, you can just add it uncooked if you'd like, too. Either way works just fine.
If you can find the tomato paste in the tube, use that, or any that you already have open and handy. Otherwise, ketchup works perfectly fine. Seriously, not kidding. After all, it is a spiced and condensed type of tomato sauce with nice flavor.
I've used it in place of tomato paste many times in a pinch when I only need a little bit. And it's usually the main ingredient in most homemade bbq sauces, so go for it! 🙂
I like to add a bit of red wine into my gravies, too, but if you prefer not to, just substitute cold water for the wine, no problem. But almost all of the alcohol will cook out while simmering, if that's the problem for you, and it always adds so much extra flavor! I highly recommend that you do add it. 😉
And that's pretty much it! 😀
These turn out SUPER tender with a remarkable flavor all of their own that you'll not only instantly warm up to, but will be very sad when supper's done and gone. (I highly recommend that you double this if you'd like leftovers.) 😉
These go FAST and are enjoyed by everyone I've served them to, including my hubby, who swears he hates anything with pickles of any kind, shape or form. I love it when I'm right. 😉
But mostly, I love it when something new is introduced to someone, and thoroughly enjoyed!! Making others happy makes me happy. 😉
So don't wait. Add the ingredients, most of which you probably already have, to your next grocery list and make these soon! Pick up some crusty rolls, and serve this with some mashed potatoes and a side vegetable and you'll have a wonderful meal that will please the whole family!
The prep work is minimal, so you can easily make this on a weeknight, or take your time and do the whole meal up royally for a heartwarming Sunday dinner!
I hope you all enjoy this recipe, take care, and I'll see you tomorrow! 😀 ~Kelly
Olde Worlde German Beef Rouladen Rolls with Gravy ("Rindsrouladen")
Ingredients
Instructions
I have followed this recipe for several years.
It is terrific. Great German recipe.
Hi, I made this today but I used my moms stuffing....thinly cut mushrooms, onions, porkbelly (diced small and cooked til golen brown) and pickles. It was delicious we had green beans, mashed potatoes and our garlic vinegar dressing untop of cucumbers (gurken salad).
I used this version to amp up my husband's favorite harvest roll ups that utilizes sauerkraut and a slice of cooked bacon in the beef roll. I liked the addition of the tomato paste and the touch of red wine with the cornstarch. The gravy was sooo delish! We loved it and it's in the top five favorites.
@Julie Klemens, did you also use relish and mustard or just sauerkraut
What home remedy can I use to tenderize my beef rouladen rolls. I have top round steak.
Thanks.
Carolyn
@Carolyn, The long cook time tenderizes the meat. You can also lightly pound them with a meat hammer.
Awesome, just made this while some family was visiting. St. Patricks weekend 2019. Nothing but compliments. Thanks Kelly.
My first attempt at making roulade and following your recipe was so easy and fortunately I had all the ingredients. It has turned out great just like I remember having had it in Germany. Thank you for this recipe
We’ve always used the mini sweet pickles. I made my own version and found this site to make a gravy. I’m looking forward to trying it.
Gherkins are my favorite pickle, too! 🙂
I am making this for the very first time , it smells amazing, sauce is so good but I always have trouble making sure the bacon oui s cooked through. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed it cooks inside the roll
Hope you enjoyed, Patricia! 🙂
Can this be made with bottom round (as in Carna asada meat slices) ?
That's what I use. The beef is a little thin but it seems to turn out ok.
@Cathy, yes, almost any beef will work. Cheaper cuts are best anyway for this recipe.
As a child, this was my favorite dish with the tender beef stuffed rolls and the outstanding gravy that we ate with mashed or boiled potatoes and a vegetable.
We called this “Pigs in a Blanket” and when the cafeteria at school listed that name for lunch, I was seriously disappointed to see a hot dog in a baked dough wrap instead of the delicious lunch I looked forward to eating.
Mom never included mustard, pickles or ketchup, but may have used a brown gravy enhancing liquid called Kitchen Bouquet. She used round steak that we pounded to tenderize but the meat wrapper was about 3/8” thick after cooking for hours. We always used raw bacon, onion and roast wrapping string.
Thank you so much for filling in all of the details that I have forgotten. I look forward to trying your recipe.
My husband cannot eat pork. I have just recently moved to Germany and would like to make these for him. Do you have any suggestions on what to do about the bacon? Thank you
I would simply not add the bacon to his.
You could use Beef Bacon, or Turkey Bacon. Here in the states, I get precooked chicken bacon, which is the bomb, (it's by Al Fresco) and I used it. It was super yum! You could also sub turkey ham lunch meat instead of bacon.
Great ideas, Kristi!! I love Al Fresco's products, too!
Can this recipe be made with vinegar instead of broth as part of the sauce? A fiend of mine told me about this recipe but hers contains vinegar.
If you enjoy the taste of vinegar, I would try it using 1 3/4 cups beef broth and 1/4 cup vinegar. You could also use, instead of just regular distilled vinegar, a nice balsamic or red wine vinegar if you'd like.
@Marjorie, if you use vinegar you may need to add a little sugar so its not as tart. Saurbraden usually uses vinegar and some brown sugar so it wouldn't be unusual to do the same..
I have recently began teaching my grand children ages 9 ,11, 19 and 21 recipes from different countries. Beef Wellington, Duck a'lorange, Chicken Cordon Blue, this is going into our test kitchen. I think they will have fun making it and eating new tastes from around the world.
My gravy turned out salty. Is this from the bacon?
Salt is something that's a personal taste. If you're sensitive to salt, simply add less beef bouillon base. Most bacon today, really doesn't contain as much salt as it used to, unless you're using a non-commercial brand. So that is also another possibility. We've never personally thought this to ever be too salty, though. And in all the years making this, this is the first time that anyone has said that it was too salty.
I make this every week, but for the gravy I use ketchup, soya sauce and some of the pickle juice. makes great gravy
Your gravy sounds delicious!!
Hi my mom is full german and this our traditional Christmas dinner. I have bern making this dish firnyears I dont use any pickle or relish just steak, salt/pepper and onions so you dont get heartburn but last year I used smoked bacon and Omg it was the best I rver tasted the hint of smoke as it goes thru the meat from the bacon is beyond delicious!! So I recommend trying it with the smoked bacon you'll bever switch back enjoy!!
It truly is a wonderful dish, no matter how you prefer it! It's just delicious, isn't it? 😀 I have always loved it, too! We just got a smoker a year ago or so, and smoking my own bacon is on my to-do list this next summer! 😉 I will definitely try it in this! I'm sure it will "smoke" the store-bought smoked bacon hands down! 😉 (Sorry about the pun, couldn't resist!!) Hope you all have a wonderful holiday season! Thank you for stopping by! 😀
Lecker, lecker, lecker! I made this a couple of weeks ago but used sweet relish because I had it on hand and I really don't care for dills. I used microwave/precooked bacon to save time and reduce fat. I also braised them in the oven after browning and deglazing the browning pan with wine and transferring to a Dutch oven. Mine were eggroll size. We loved them! This week I am going to used the dill, as I realized I was actually craving some acidic flavor in this dish. I also quadrupled the recipe and will freeze some. This is a perfect winter dish and perfect for entertaining.
Thank you so very much, Jennifer! I very much appreciate you taking the time to stop by and comment! So glad that you enjoyed it! 🙂 Have a wonderful day! 🙂
I made these again with the dill pickles and they were perfect! These freeze well in the sauce, so make extra for a quick meal or cocktail parties. I made assembly easier by putting parchment paper on my kitchen table and laid out all of the meat first and then added the other ingredients. I used toothpicks instead of string. My German friend said these were as good as her mother's, if not better.
Awwww!! Bless your heart!!! I'm absolutely thrilled to hear this!! I LOVE dill pickles, too. The hubs, not so much. LOL!!! So happy to hear that everyone is enjoying!!
I stumbled on this recipe, looking for something to make my German boyfriend for his birthday. I don't eat meat, so I was looking for something that described this well, and I was able to follow it to a T, but I used top round instead of flank steak.
He actually groaned "oh yeah. That's the stuff!" It was amazing. He loved it.
Thank you so much for sharing this!
Oh, Jenn! I'm so happy to hear this! That must've made you so proud and happy, too, that he enjoyed it! The best compliment in the world, can simply be the "yummy sounds"! 😉 I'm sure you made your boyfriend's birthday very special! 🙂
Just made this! Love it!
Thanks so much, Charlene!! Always so nice to hear when people have have enjoyed and have a new recipe to make! Thanks for taking the time to let me know!! 🙂
My Aunt T used to make this when I was young and had begged her for the recipe but she passed befroe I could get it from her. I have been looking for one close to what I remember hers was and I think this may be the closest I have found yet Thank you for posting this.
You are so very welcome, Tanya!! I hope this works well for you, though I'm nothing can compare to Aunt's and Grandma's! Nothing ever does!!! 😉 🙂 Best to you!!!!
We make these..only diff is 20 minutes in a pressure cooker....more tender and faster : )
That is a GREAT idea, Steve!! Love pressure cooking! I'll try your cooking method the next time I make these! Although, I've never had a problem with tenderness, mine are always very tender, I can certainly see how they could be even more tender cooked your way! Thank you!
Looks so delicious, my stomach is growling! Nettie
Thanks, Nettie!! 😀
What.temp.do.u.cook.it
This is done on the stovetop, covered - after browning over medium heat - and simmered over low heat for 1 hour or until tender.
One of my all-time favorite German foods!!!
Mine, too!! Going to have to make some more soon!!
Never tried this before, looks so good!
I so hope you try them soon!! They're easy to make, and so very good!!!!
This looks totally stunning Kelly... it's on the top of my must make dishes... thank you for sharing ♥
You're so very welcome! Thank YOU, Doreen!! 😀 <3
This is one of my favorite meals. German food ROCKS!!! Learned this recipe from my German neighbor, Greta, straight from Hamburg!! Make it every fall and winter; my family loves it!! She was a second Mom to me and I'm America with Irish/Italian roots!!! Good stuff!!! Some noodles, red cabbage and a good German beer!!!
My kind of meal, too, Peggy! (Including the beer!) 😉 😀
I cooked in a few Guest house in Germany, and made Beef Rouladen several times. Love German menus
Love German food, too, Robert! Hope you enjoy! 🙂
I'd just like a good spaetzle recipe for this!
Amazon sells a spaetzle maker...it comes with a great recipe.
Thanks, Robin! I love it too, but have never made it before. Going to have to fix that. 😉
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
2 large eggs
1/4 cup milk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, pepper. In another mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, butter and milk together. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the egg-milk mixture. Gradually draw in the flour from the sides and combine well; the dough should be smooth and thick. Let the dough rest for 10 to 15 minutes.
Roll out the dough make sure you use some flour so it does not stick to the surface or your rolling pin. I try and make it as flat as a can they a roll it up (like a cinnamon roll). Start slicing the thickness you want until all cut up. After I take the noodles and placed in a strainer and shake out the extra flour. I like to spread out the noodles and let them dry out before a boil approx. 2 hours or overnight.
Bring 3 quarts of salted water to a boil in a large pot. Placed noodles in pot until your desired tenderness. 8-10 mins. Rinse and serve…
I like to add a twist in a separate pan I fry up about 10 slices of bacon that I slice up before cooking into ½” pieces. Once bacon is to your desired likeness I take the spaetzle and fry up with the bacon. You may need to add a little more butter…
Hope you enjoy – there are tons of recipes out there – This is the one a was taught when I was a little girl.
Carey, this was so very kind of you to share!! I will most definitely try your recipe and method! Thank you so much for sharing this!!! 🙂 It sounds like the perfect recipe! 🙂
I make spaetzle and sweet and sour red cabbage (rotkraut) with pumperknickle rolls to go with this.
Sounds absolutely heavenly, Kat!!! 😀 I haven't made this in way too long. Going to have to fix that. 😉 😀 I can't even imagine how wonderful your homemade rolls must be!! 🙂
Thank you for stopping by!! 😀
I also make spätzle as a side. I make my Oma's German cucumber salad as another go with. This is the most requested meal by my hubby for Father's Day or birthday. Makes my mouth water just thinking about it!
This meal sounds divine! Also grew up with my grans delicious German cooking but sadly don't have her recipes. Please share the German cucumber recipe