German recipe
Rinderrouladen
Thin beef slices spread with mustard and rolled around bacon, onion and pickles, then browned and slowly braised in a dark pan gravy. The result should slice cleanly while staying tender enough to yield to a fork.
Germany-wide home cooking

01
Ingredients
- 8 x 150 g
thin beef top-round slices
- 80 g
medium German mustard
- 160 g
smoked bacon, cut into batons
- 220 g
onions, thinly sliced
- 160 g
dill pickles, cut into batons
- 25 ml
neutral oil
- 120 g
carrots, diced
- 100 g
celeriac, diced
- 25 g
tomato paste
- 250 ml
dry red wine
- 500 ml
unsalted beef stock
- 2
bay leaves
- 12 g
fine salt, divided
- 4 g
black pepper
02
Method
- 01
Prepare the beef sheets
Lay the 8 beef slices flat and pound any thick areas so each slice is about 4–5 mm thick. Season the meat with 6 g salt and all 4 g pepper.

Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph - 02
Add the classic filling
Spread the 80 g mustard thinly across the beef. Divide the bacon, half the onions and pickle batons evenly among the 8 slices, leaving a narrow border at the edges.

Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph - 03
Roll and secure
Fold the long edges slightly inward, roll each slice tightly around the filling and secure with kitchen twine or roulade pins. Keep the seam tucked underneath.

Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph - 04
Brown the roulades
Heat the 25 ml oil in a wide casserole over medium-high heat. Brown the roulades in 2 batches for 8–10 minutes total, turning until all sides are deeply coloured, then remove.

Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph - 05
Build the braising base
Add the remaining onions, carrots and celeriac to the pan and cook for 8 minutes. Stir in the 25 g tomato paste for 2 minutes, then add the 250 ml red wine and reduce by about half.

Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph - 06
Braise until tender
Return the roulades, add the 500 ml beef stock and bay leaves, and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook on low heat for 90 minutes, turning the rolls once halfway through.

Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph - 07
Finish the gravy
Transfer the roulades to a warm plate and remove the twine. Strain the sauce into a saucepan and simmer uncovered for 10–15 minutes until it coats a spoon. Adjust with the remaining 6 g salt.

Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph - 08
Serve whole or halved
Return the roulades to the hot gravy for 3 minutes, then serve whole or cut diagonally in half with potatoes, red cabbage or sauerkraut.

Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
03
Sources and photo credit
This standardized method was independently rewritten after cross-checking the references below. Recipe Nest Vault does not claim that the credited photographer cooked from this exact version.
Recipe references
Rinderroulade mit Blaukraut und Kloß in Erfurt — Photograph by Dr. Bernd Gross; CC BY-SA 4.0.
Step illustrations: Original illustrations created by Recipe Nest Vault with OpenAI image_gen.


