Rinderrouladen
German beef rolls filled with mustard, bacon, onion and gherkin, braised until the meat gives and the pot makes its own gravy.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 1 hr 40 min
- Rest
- None
- Total
- 2 hr 10 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spice
- No chilli
- Cost
- A bit special$16–28 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Thin slices of beef topside are spread with mustard, laid with bacon, onion and a strip of gherkin, rolled tight, browned and braised in stock and a splash of red wine for an hour and a half. The onion and vegetables in the pot cook down into the gravy; a spoon of flour finishes it. Rolls are held with cotton string or toothpicks, and you count two per adult because one is never enough. Boiled potatoes or potato dumplings and red cabbage are the standard company. The whole thing takes two hours and most of that is the oven's problem.
What you'll need
15 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.
Ingredients
- Beef, topside cut 5 mm thick, about 125 g each; ask the butcher for rouladen8 slice
- Mustard, medium-hot German or Dijon59 ml
- Bacon, streaky8 rasher
- Dill pickles, gherkins, quartered lengthways4
- Onion, one finely chopped for the filling, two sliced for the pot3 medium
- Carrot, diced1 medium
- Celery, diced1 stick
- Tomato purée15 ml
- Red wine150 ml
- Beef stock500 ml
- Neutral oil30 ml
- Wheat flour15 ml
- Salt4.9 ml
- Black pepper2½ ml
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Lay the beef slices flat and flatten any thick spots with the base of a pan. Season, spread each with mustard, lay on a rasher of bacon, a spoon of chopped onion and a strip of gherkin at one end.
15 min
Step 2
Roll from the gherkin end, tucking the sides in as you go, and secure with string or two toothpicks. Dust lightly with flour.
10 min
Tip: Tight rolls hold. Loose rolls unwind in the pot and the gherkin escapes.
Step 3
Heat the oil in a Dutch oven and brown the rolls on all sides in two batches, about 8 minutes per batch. Set aside.
16 min
Step 4
Fry the sliced onion, carrot and celery in the same pot 6 minutes. Stir in the tomato purée for a minute, pour in the wine and scrape the bottom, then add stock and bay.
8 min
Step 5
Return the rolls in a single layer, bring to a simmer, cover and cook at 170°C in the oven, or on the lowest hob heat, for 90 minutes until a knife meets no resistance.
90 min170°C
Step 6
Remove the rolls and pull out the string or picks. Blend the sauce smooth with a stick blender or push it through a sieve, reduce if thin, and season. Return the rolls to warm through and serve.
10 min
Nutrition
Per serving · estimate
- Calories
- 887 kcal
- Protein
- 80.2 g
- Carbs
- 19.3 g
- Fat
- 51.3 g
- Saturated fat
- 18.1 g
- Fibre
- 3.3 g
- Sugar
- 7 g
- Sodium
- 1313 mg
Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.
Allergens
Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.
- Wheat
- Dairy-free
- Nut-free
Adapt this recipe
The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 13 November.
Substitutions
Dill pickles → Cornichons, three per roll
Sharper and smaller. Fine.
Tips
- Ask for 'Rouladen' cut at a German or Polish butcher; a supermarket will call it thin-cut topside or minute steak.
- They reheat better than they rest. Make them a day ahead and the gravy thickens on its own.
History & culture
Sunday lunch, Christmas Day, birthdays, grandmothers. When Germans are asked about home cooking this is one of the first dishes named. Every family holds a position on how much mustard goes in, whether the gherkin is whole or chopped, and whether the onion is raw or softened first. The arguments are part of the meal.
Rolled, stuffed and braised meat shows up in German cookbooks through the 19th century; the bacon, gherkin and mustard filling settled as the standard in the 20th. Cousins include French paupiettes and Polish zrazy zawijane. The German version is the one with the most mustard.
Traditional
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.
How long does Rinderrouladen take?
2 hr 10 min all in — 30 min prep, 1 hr 40 min cook. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 4 plates. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Medium.
How spicy is it?
No chilli.
What allergens should I watch?
This recipe is labelled for Wheat. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Dairy-free, Nut-free.
7 more questionsFewer questions
What does it cost to cook?
A bit special — about $16–28 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Dutch oven, Chef's knife, Tongs.
How much salt do I put in?
The recipe lists Salt at 1 tsp.
What can I use instead?
Dill pickles → Cornichons, three per roll. Sharper and smaller. Fine.
Any tips from this recipe?
Ask for 'Rouladen' cut at a German or Polish butcher; a supermarket will call it thin-cut topside or minute steak. They reheat better than they rest. Make them a day ahead and the gravy thickens on its own.
Can I prepare this ahead?
They reheat better than they rest. Make them a day ahead and the gravy thickens on its own.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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