The ultimate Sunday roast. Thin slices of beef top round are spread with mustard, classically filled with bacon, onion and pickle, rolled up and braised until tender in a rich sauce. The secret is the intense sear that makes the sauce dark and aromatic. Serve with red cabbage and potato dumplings, nothing else.
Why this works
The dark fond at the bottom of the pan is pure flavor. During the intense sear, the proteins and sugars of the meat react to form hundreds of roasted compounds that stick as a caramelized layer. Dissolved with liquid, they go into the sauce and make the difference between brown color and real taste. If the pan is too full, juices escape, the meat boils instead of frying, and the fond does not form in the first place.
Step-by-step instructions
- 1
Fill the rouladen
Spread the meat out flat, season with salt and pepper and spread thinly with mustard. Place two slices of bacon, a few onion wedges and a pickle on each slice. Fold the sides in slightly, roll everything up tightly and secure the rouladen with rouladen pins or kitchen twine.
- 2
Sear intensely
Fry the rouladen in clarified butter until strongly browned all over, because this fond will later give the sauce color and flavor. Remove them afterwards.
- 3
Start the sauce
Fry the onions, carrots and celery in the frying fat and briefly roast the tomato paste. Deglaze with red wine, let it boil down almost completely and then fill up with the broth.
- 4
Braise
Return the rouladen to the pot, add the bay leaf, bring everything to a boil and let it braise covered over low heat for 90 minutes. Turn the rouladen once halfway through the time.
- 5
Finish the sauce
Remove the rouladen and keep them warm. Pass the sauce through a sieve, pressing the vegetables out well, so it thickens all by itself, without flour. Season to taste and return the rouladen to it.
Our best tips
- Kitchen twine instead of rouladen pins is easier to remove at the table and does not press holes.
- The pureed braising vegetables thicken the sauce naturally, no flour, no starch needed.
- Rouladen can be prepared excellently and reheated the next day.
Tasty variations
With mushrooms
Add 250 g quartered mushrooms to the sauce in the last 20 minutes.
Franconian style
Instead of pickle, roll in a piece of raw bratwurst, heartier and spicier.
Nutrition facts
| Calories | 798 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 53 g |
| Carbohydrates | 31 g |
| – of which sugar | 12 g |
| Fat | 46 g |
| Fiber | 7 g |
Where the 798 kcal come from
per serving
These lines have no quantity (“to taste”) or no table value, so they are missing from the total.
Calculated from the ingredients – how we do it
We add up reference values for every ingredient and divide by the number of servings. These assumptions are baked in:
- Reference values per 100 g – for the raw ingredient, exactly as listed.
- Tinned goods count at drained weight, bone-in meat at purchase weight: you eat about 70 per cent of a chicken thigh and leave the rest.
- Water evaporates as you cook. The energy stays in the pot, the weight does not – so the figure is per serving, not per 100 g of finished dish.
- Anything listed without a quantity – “salt and pepper” – is not counted.
A guide value, not a lab measurement: no two onions weigh the same, and fat content varies from pack to pack.
Frequently asked questions
How do I prevent the rouladen from opening?
Wrap tightly and secure the ends with twine or pins. After searing, the shape holds better by itself because the meat is fixed on the outside.
Which red wine fits?
A strong, dry red like Pinot Noir or Merlot. No sweet wine, the sauce should remain savory. If you do not want alcohol, use more broth plus a dash of balsamic vinegar.
Can I make more rouladen at once?
Yes, they freeze very well cooked in the sauce. For a feast, feel free to double the amount, braise in a wide roaster or oven at 160 °C.
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