When I grow up, I’m going to be a paleontologist.
That is what I would have told you when I was in grade school. (It was a slightly more attainable goal than the previous year’s career aspiration, which was to actually be a dinosaur.)
I was obsessed with dinosaurs, and my room was covered in drawings of all sorts of prehistoric creatures. I could tell you everything you ever wanted to know about dinosaurs, and everything you never cared to know, too. Even if you tried to politely walk away from my dino-conversation, I’d follow you, spewing out Stegosaurus facts until you just couldn’t take it anymore. In fact, I wouldn’t even stop then.
At some point after that, I decided that dinosaurs were less fun than many other animals. This was mostly because dinosaurs are dead and, due to that minor detail, they couldn’t lick your face or play fetch or do much of anything besides stay dead. Then I saw Jurassic Park and decided that if dinosaurs did come back to life, they wouldn’t be the sorts of animals I wanted to be around, anyway. Dogs were much less likely to-- you know-- eat you whole, so I decided I was going to be a vet when I grew up instead. The drawings lining my walls quickly changed from T-Rex to terriers.
Then more and more drawings began to appear on my walls, not just of animals, but of anything I could sketch. I was a very talented artist as a child and only got better as I grew older. I often volunteered in my art classes to help other students learn proportions or techniques, and even eventually went to other art classes and helped kids there, too. It wasn’t long before I decided that I would make a great art teacher, and everyone I knew agreed. No other occupation could have been a better fit for me.
I went to college prepared to get my Bachelors of the Arts, and I toted my humongous portfolio and box of art supplies all around miles of New Brunswick with me every day between classes, with only the occasional complaint. With my roommate’s consent, I bunked our beds to create more space for me to lie out canvases on the floor and paint in our dorm room. I sat outside by the tennis courts and sketched campus scenery whenever I had an hour or so to spare. I enthusiastically did all of the work assigned in my art classes and got very good grades.
And so here I am today, — an art teacher! a food and drink blogger!
Don’t see how that happened? Neither does anyone I know, especially because I didn’t really start cooking meals until about a year and a half ago. I didn’t even boil pasta before my sophomore year of college.
But when they say, “When did you become interested in cooking? What happened to art?” -- and trust me, they always say that -- I don’t know how to respond. The truth is, I’ve been interested in cooking since I was little, because it is an art. I just didn’t realize I could do it.
I came to this conclusion at a young age, after watching my Omi make some of her renowned German dishes while visiting in Michigan. She would start combining ingredients early in the morning, putting in a pinch of this and a coffee cup full of that, mixing with her hands and sharing the occasional “German” cooking tip. The way she cooked was unlike anything I had ever seen, and I loved to watch her. My parents cooked when we were home, but they cooked quickly and efficiently. My Omi, on the other hand, had a sort of tenderness in her process and product that fascinated me.
The way she used her whole body to rhythmically knead the dough for Dampfnudeln would transfix me. Her Rouladen were perfectly formed little rosebuds of meat that looked prettier than anything I could ever put on paper. All of her dishes intrigued me with their colors, their shapes, the techniques behind making them, the balance of textures, and of course, the flavors.
It never crossed my mind that I could one day be capable of cooking like that, of making little bits of bite-able art. It seemed so impossible to learn, as though my Omi had been born a kitchen savant. I couldn’t do that, I told myself, and never considered that I might be able to—until my Omi visited last week.
Rouladen is the comfort food of Germany. Pickles, onions, and bacon create a flavorful filling for tender beef, smothered with rich brown gravy. Usually, Rouladen is served with spaetzle, potato dumplings, or egg noodles to sop up some of the delicious gravy.
Every German makes their Rouladen differently, and my Omi is no exception. She replaces dill pickles with bread and butter pickles in the filling, and she doesn’t use any mustard or horseradish. However, when you make yours, feel free to switch it up according to your own preferences.
Rouladen take a decent amount of time to make, but they’re really not hard to do at all. The time isn’t even a big deal when you get a taste—it’s simply amazing. My Omi’s Rouladen has become one of the most requested meals in my family, and I’m sure it will be a hit with everyone you feed, too.
I thought about keeping this recipe a family secret, but it just wouldn’t be fair not to share something this good with you. I can’t hold out on you like that. After all, I once wanted to be a teacher, and there’s nothing I’d rather teach you than how to make one of my favorite meals. Enjoy!
German Rouladen
- Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
- Yield: 6-12 1x
Description
German Rouladen
Recipe Type: Main
Cuisine: German
Author: Morgan
Prep time:
20 mins
Rouladen are a staple of German comfort food. Pickles, onions, and bacon create a flavorful filling for tender beef, and it all is drenched in rich brown gravy. This is my Omi's recipe, just as she learned it from watching her mother in Germany.
Ingredients
- 12 slices of thin-sliced top round beef (should be approximately 10” long , 4” wide, and ¼” thick)
- 1 lb thick-sliced bacon, excess fat removed, diced
- 1 onion, minced
- 8 oz bread and butter pickle slices, chopped
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 cups beef broth
- ¼ cup flour
- ⅓ cup water
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Lay out each slice of beef and season both sides with salt and pepper.
- Spread about a tablespoon of each the bacon, onion, and pickles on each. Roll the meat up tightly and secure with cooking string or toothpicks.
- Heat the oil in a large, high-walled pan over medium-high heat. Place the rolls in the pan. It is okay if they are packed in somewhat tightly, they will shrink a bit when they cook and free up more space.
- Sauté the rolls on each side until browned. Add the remaining pickles, onions, and bacon to the pan in between and around the meat.
- Add a bit of the beef broth, and try to scrape up and mix in any browned drippings at the bottom of the pan. Add the rest of the broth and bring to a boil. Let boil for one minute, and then reduce the heat to a simmer and cover for an hour to an hour and a half.
- Remove the meat from the pan. Tent aluminum foil over the plate with the meat in order to keep it warm.
- Stir together the flour and ⅓ cup water until smooth. Slowly pour this mixture into the gravy to thicken, stirring constantly. Bring the gravy to a boil as you stir, and keep boiling and stirring until the gravy has reached the desired consistency.
- Remove the toothpicks or cooking string from the meat. If you used toothpicks, be especially careful when removing them. The Rouladen should be extremely tender and you don’t want them to fall apart too much.
- Return the meat to the gravy and heat for about 5 more minutes. Serve warm.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour 30 mins
- Category: Main
- Cuisine: German
James says
10/10
kathy says
Love Rouladin! My grandmother made it with spicy brown mustard,bacon ,onions, salt and pepper. With dumplings on the side for the gravy.
Morgan says
YUM. I'm having a craving right now, haha.
Lyn says
Yes! That's traditional! I grew up in Germany with a German born and raised mother who cooked from scratch . This recipe looks good but is definitely missing the traditional ingredient is spicy or Dijon mustard spread inside the meat. This is the age old traditional authentic recipe. This looks delicious but she might of derailed a little with her own version 🙂
Ingrid says
Cannot imagine Rouladen without a generous amount of spicy and/or Dijon mustard spread over the entire slice of meat. It's the mustard combined with the other ingredients that gives this dish the most delicious flavor ever!!!!!
Renate says
that is how my dear Mother-law made them.
Ingrid says
🙁 this is a re-created form of rouladen...real rouladen is very thin tenderized beef spread with hot prepared mustard and a 1/4 dill pickle spear inside...rolled and wrapped in bacon....lightly pan seared to brown the bacon and then roasted for hours (if not roasted long enough the mustard remains hot)...NO toothpicks needed
Morgan says
Just like all types of food, Rouladen varies depending on who is making it and where they are from. This is my Omi's recipe, who lived in Karlsruhe for most of her life. She learned to make it from her mother. However, feel free to make yours however your own personal recipe dictates.
Claudia C says
I agree. There are so many recipes, so many towns in Germany. The north cooks differently than the south. Just like in Italy. Recipes are never wrong, just meant to inspire. I treasure my Oma's and my mommy's recipes. Thank you for sharing yours
Nicky says
U right ,cause I grew up in thueringen and my mom always put a little hamburger meat with the onion ,mustard and pickles but no bacon
Jean Marie says
My Mom and Dad immigrated from Germany permanently when I was 3, and I am full blooded German. my Mom uses toothpicks, my mom is an amazing German cook. The bacon is not on the outside and she uses whole strips when she makes her's either. I changed it up a little and don't use toothpicks but rather tie them, doesn't really matter does it? They taste the same. Thanks for sharing your version, Morgan. There is never a hard and fast rule when you are cooking, nothing wrong with making small changes. Definitely one of my favorites, and one of my family's favorites as well.
Janie says
This recipe is the reason my husband decided to marry me 28 years ago. It's still his favorite. My mother got this recipe when we were stationed in Berchestgarden Germany.
Gwen says
We make these all the time....just without the pickles.
A co-worker gave me a recipe for a gravy that he makes with his.....haven't tried it yet.
Betsy Dean says
My husband & I will be married for 40 years on Nov, 29, 2015. When we were dating his 100% German Mom made rouladen which I had never had and was my future husband's favorite. I asked her for the recipe but she just made them from scratch and she always seemed reluctant to "show" me how to make them. I would try to catch her in the act of preparing them but she was very sneaky about it and only on very rare occasions did I stumble upon her in her kitchen making rouladen. I know that she bought a particular cut of beef but never knew what it was, and then she would ask the butcher to slice it to a certain thickness. She always started by pounding the beef strips, seasoning with salt & pepper and rolling them up with bacon & onion, nothing else.
She used toothpicks and when the family devoured the rouladen the person who ended up with the most toothpicks on their empty plate was the one who did the dishes, my Mother-in-law never had a dishwasher. My husband was always the one doing the dishes but he totally did not mind at all. He loved his German Mom very much, she was an awesome cook. Thank you so very much for sharing, I think I will be making rouladen very soon.
Christine P says
My mom is full German (her folks owned a restaurant) and makes this dish and apple-strudel for my dad (both are his favorite dishes), she always added a slice of pickle and a slice or two of carrot, plus used the bacon strip (on the inside) and always used toothpicks. She would cook them in the pressure cooker. Goes to show how the different parts of Germany do dishes differently! Thank you for the recipe - I'm going to try and make these - using of course my moms ingredients and see if I can make them just as good as I remember from my childhood! I am looking for a good strudel recipe.....
Heidi says
I also make rouladen...very thin pounded out top round, salt & pepper, mustard, bacon, pickle spear, carrot, onions - all rolled up and toothpicked! Browned in butter & then cooked in beef broth to make the best gravy! That's how my German mom did it. We are from the north and would eat this with egg noodles. I grew up in Germany but have been in the US now for 43 years. Love my mother's cooking and baking!
Martina says
I am German, and the rouladen are looking good. l put pretty much Mustard on thebeef, ad a slice of pickle plus a bacon strip and then roll it. In germany yo have special rouladen-sticks to pin them together.
My mother always used sewing yarn. 🙂
And we usually eat red cabbage or grren beans with it. Yummy.
By the way: In Southern Germany you eat it with Spätzle (kind of Noodles), in Northern Germany with potatoes, I prefere the last. Maybe because I live in Northern Germany. 😉
Patti says
Just made these last Sunday with homemade spaetzle and saurerkraut.
Joan Roux says
Please post more of these recipes, I lived in Germany for several years and just love their food
Pamela says
Love Love Rouladen Thanks so much for all the comments!! I lived in Germany for 2 years and it was just AWESOME. But many years ago I lost my recipe for Jagger Schnitzel. My Son's friend wanted to make it So if you would happen to have a good recipe for Jagger Schnitzel I would be forever grateful you can email me at pammies2@hotmail.com!!!!!
Thank You in advance
Pam Thiner
Have a Happy New Year
Katie @ Old World Taste says
That's some salty goodness! My grandmother used dill pickle spears and spread the meat with Dijon mustard. Thanks for sharing! Those German grandmas are a wealthy of knowledge when it comes to cooking meat. http://oldworldtaste.com/germanrouladen/
Joan says
Great recipe- I use dill relish down the center of each roll.
Marie says
Love Rouladen Made it last week and he rolls came out hard. Anything I can do to soften them up for another mea;
Silke Ledlow says
I make mine in a Crockpot....super delicious and soft!
Jody Nap says
Made this recipe tonight and it was delicious.
Hallie says
I made this earlier today for Christmas dinner and it was a hit!!! The only things I did differently, when it comes down to it, were that I didn't die the pickles and onions I put in the rouladen--I cut them into strips but I did dice the ones that went into the gravy--and I put spicy brown mustard into the rouladen. Oh, and I used as much store-bought, gluten-free gravy as I could, for my health reasons. But, yes, your recipe is a hit! A+!
Riley says
Do you cook the bacon before placing it in the roll? :/