German Beef Rouladen

German Beef Rouladen are rolls of thin, tender round steak stuffed with spicy mustard, bacon, onions, and pickles, all baked to fork tenderness. Then it is smothered with an easy-to-make beef sauce made from the delicious browned bits and beef juices.

Course main meal beef

Cuisine German

Keyword German rouladen, how to make rouladen, rouladen recipe

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1 30

Servings servings

Calories 356kcal

Author Beth Pierce

Ingredients

8 slices beef top round roast sliced very thin
1/4 cup spicy brown German mustard
8 slices bacon
2-3 dill pickles thinly sliced
1 small onion thinly sliced
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 1/4 cup low sodium beef broth
1/4 cup dill pickle juice
2 tablespoons cornstarch
salt and pepper to taste
2-3 pinches sugar to taste optional

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spread out your beef steaks on a clean work surface. Coat each with a thin layer of German mustard. Lay a bacon slice on each one. Top with the pickles and onions, leaving the last couple of inches free of any.
Start with the busy end (the one with the pickles and onions) and roll up tight, tucking the pickles and onions in as you go. Once completely rolled up, secure it with a toothpick. Repeat the procedure until all are rolled up.
Heat the butter and vegetable oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Brown the rolls on all sides. Add 1 cup of beef broth and pickle juice.
Cover the skillet with aluminum foil and bake for 1 1/2 -2 hours. Remove the rouladen from the skillet and plate.
Place the skillet on the stovetop over medium heat. Scrap the bottom to remove any brown bits. Combine 1/4 cup beef broth and cornstarch. Whisk into the skillet and cook until thickened. Season with salt, pepper, and a pinch or two of sugar to taste. Add the rouladen back to the skillet and simmer. Spoon the gravy over the top and warm.

Notes

This cut of meat is called breakfast steak at my grocery store. It is not always available so you might need to have your butcher cut a round roast lengthwise about 1/8 inch thick.
These can be prepped up to 1 day ahead. Store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to cook.
German mustard is ideal but honestly any spicy brown mustard will work.
Cut your pickles and onions into long thin pieces.
The rolls secure quite easily with one wooden toothpick per roll. You will have it down pat once you have secured a couple of them.
Brown them thoroughly in a little vegetable oil and butter. You can use olive oil but I find many things brown better in vegetable oil.
I like to cook these up in an ovenproof skillet so there is only one pan to clean. However if you don't have one you can transfer the rolls to a covered baking dish. Then add the beef broth and pickle juice. Now bake about 90 minutes. Then transfer the juices to the skillet and make the gravy.

Nutrition