Grandma Jennie's Sauerbraten

Ingredients

• 1 cup white vinegar (I suppose you could use red wine vinegar)
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon pickling spices (original recipe just says mixed spices )
• 3-4 juniper berries (optional, my addition)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2-4 lbs boneless beef roast (original recipe doesn't specify meat type, but generally any inferior cut works well since it's mari)
• vegetable oil
• 10 ginger snaps (for gravy)

Directions

1. 1

   Bring vinegar, water, spices, and onion to boil (boiling my addition, to allow sugar to liquefy and onion and spices to release flavors). Allow to cool for several minutes. Place beef in a glass or porcelain container sufficient in size to allow the beef to be adequately covered by the marinade. You can probably add more water and vinegar (1:1 ratio) to cover. Pour marinade over the beef, cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 3 days once a day.

2. 2

   Brown beef in hot oil. Add vinegar solution and cook like a pot roast.* Remove meat, strain onion and spices, and return a portion of the solution to a pan depending how much gravy you want. Add enough gingersnaps to thicken to a moderately thin gravy.) Slice meat and serve with spaetzels or potato dumplings.

3. 3

   *Suggestion: cook in a crock-pot on low for 6-8 hours until tender.