Beef Rouladen

This Beef Rouladen recipe features thinly sliced beef wrapped around bacon, pickles, carrots, and onion then braised in a red wine gravy until it’s fall-apart-tender. This German comfort food will warm your soul!

I learned how to make this incredible recipe from my good friend, Sharon, with a magic touch for perfect rouladen. She has been making rouladen for decades as her family’s favorite Sunday dinner. I was lucky enough to learn her secrets for making the perfect rouladen, and I’m so excited to share it with you!

I’ve never made something like this before. I’ve made steak or chicken roll-ups, but this is completely different. Beef wrapped around a pickle? and a carrot?! It sounds odd, but the flavors are out-of-this-world. After braising for a few hours in a yummy red wine gravy, everything marries together to create a symphony of deliciousness.

What Is Beef Rouladen?

This is a classic German recipe, popular for Sunday family dinners, and always made in abundance for Oktoberfest. Everyone has their own special twist on this comforting braised beef dish, but there are a few pieces that always stay constant: thinly sliced steak wrapped around mustard, bacon, onion, and pickles, then braised to tender perfection.

Everyone has their own preference for mustard. Practically every recipe you’ll find will use a different variety! It’s all up to preference but my friend swears by Keens mustard. She also use carrots in her rouladen to give some extra flavor and umph.

Ingredients

There are a couple specialty items to find in this recipe, but I promise it’s worth it! Keep scrolling for the full recipe and ingredient amounts.

• Beef rouladen – I found this thinly-sliced variety of beef at my local butcher and it’s usually labeled rouladen. Typically it’s top round steak thinly sliced.
• Hot mustard – I used the brand Keens. It’s definitely the best for this recipe, but you can use a different brand if you can’t find it.
• Onions – White onions work best, but you can use yellow or red if that’s what you have handy.
• Carrots – I used large carrots. If yours are small, use more than I’ve called for.
• Pickles – I used dill pickles. If you like sweet pickles better, or you have some homemade, you can use those.
• Bacon – Make sure to find thin-cut. This will make sure it doesn’t get too gummy from being wrapped up.
• Vegetable oil – for frying the the beef rouladen before making the gravy.
• Salt & pepper – Season to taste.
• Water and Flour – Make a slurry with water and flour and this is what we use in our gravy. If you want to go gluten-free, you can use 1/2 cup corn starch instead.
• Red wine – A dry variety such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Merlot, or Shiraz.

How to find the right type of beef

I went to my local butcher and found some already sliced rouladen beef. If your butcher doesn’t have any ready, you can get them to cut some top round steaks into 1/4″ slices.

Flank steak, cut 1/4″ thin, will also work for you if you don’t have access to top round steak.

How to Make Beef Rouladen

1. Prep the beef: If your beef comes in fairly long pieces, cut them in half, we’re looking for pieces that are about 4×4-inches (roughly cut).
2. Prepare the rouladen: Easiest way to do this is to assemble a bunch of rouladen at once, as in an assembly line (see picture above), so lay the pieces of beef on a cutting board, as many as you can fit. Start by spreading about a teaspoon of mustard on each piece of beef, followed by a tsp of onion, a piece of bacon, season with a bit of salt and pepper. Next add a piece of carrot and pickle, you may add 2 of each, depending how big they are. Roll them up and secure each rouladen with a toothpick. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
3. Sear the rouladen: Heat a bit of the vegetable oil in a frying pan or skillet. Add a few rouladen to the skillet, about 6 or so depending on the size of your skillet, but don’t overcrowd. Sear the rouladen on all sides. Transfer the seared rouladen to a large Dutch oven that’s oven safe and has a lid.
4. Make the gravy: In that same skillet make gravy from the drippings. In a bowl whisk together 1 cup of flour with about 3 to 4 cups of water. Pour about 1 cup of this slurry in the skillet with the drippings. Whisk until it starts to thicken and the flour cooks a bit then add about 1/4 cup of red wine. Continue cooking for a couple more minutes while whisking, then pour this gravy over the seared rouladen in the Dutch oven. Clean the skillet and repeat with remaining ingredients. You might need to do this in 3 or 4 batches. There should be enough gravy to cover all the rouladen.
5. Preheat the oven to 350 F degrees and position your rack in the middle.
6. Bake: Cover the Dutch oven with the lid and transfer it to the preheated oven. Bake for about 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

How to serve

I served my rouladen with some classic German red cabbage and creamy mashed potatoes. The perfect vessel for all that amazing gravy!

Want to switch it up? Give some of these sides a try!

• Skillet Green Beans
• Garlic Herb Roasted Carrots
• Italian Roasted Mushrooms and Veggies
• Cauliflower Rice
• Rosemary Smashed Potatoes
• Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
• Soft Buttermilk Dinner Rolls
• Garlic Parmesan Dinner Rolls
• No Knead Bread

Perfect for the slow cooker

This beef rouladen is ideal to be made in the slow cooker. Follow the instructions as outlined including the searing and making the gravy, but place the rouladen and gravy in your slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

Leftovers

Your rouladen will last 3-4 days in the fridge in an airtight container. Make sure to store your rouladen covered with the gravy. I know it may seem like a ton of gravy that you end up with, but it’s a great way to make sure your rouladen doesn’t dry out.

Reheat either in the microwave, or covered in the oven at 375F until heated through. When reheating, use lots of the gravy, again, to prevent your rouladen from drying out.

Freezing

You can also freeze leftovers. Transfer the rouladen to an airtight container, with the gravy, let it cool down on the counter, then store up to 3 months. Thaw by transferring to the fridge overnight.

To freeze rouladen before braising but after searing, prep the rolls, place them on a baking sheet, cover with plastic, and freeze for 2 hours. Transfer your frozen rolls to a large freezer bag or airtight container. They’ll last 6-12 months. You can pop them right into the pot from the freezer to cook. Give them an extra 10-20 minutes of braising time.

More great recipes to try:

• Argentinian Stuffed Flank Steak
• Cheese and Prosciutto Stuffed Chicken Breasts
• Asian Style Pepper Steak
• Flank Steak Tostadas
• Chimichurri Steak Quesadillas
• Steak Fajitas