German Beef Rouladen is a delicious and hearty dish made with thinly sliced beef that’s rolled around a tasty combination of bacon, mustard, pickles, and vegetables and braised in a rich brown gravy until tender. It’s great for special occasions, Oktoberfest celebrations, or whenever you’re craving comfort food!
When summer ends I find myself craving heartier foods, and these beef rouladen (aka German beef rolls, beef birds, or steak rolls) are one of my favorites!
They’re similar to Italian beef braciole in that they consist of thinly sliced top round that’s rolled with stuffing, but that’s where the similarities end.
The ingredients that fill the rouladen can vary from region to region in Germany, and from family to family and you should feel free to adjust as you’d like!
Rouladen is traditionally served with potato dumplings and German red cabbage (rotkohl), but it’s also great with spaetzle or mashed potatoes.
Recipe Ingredients
All ingredients for this recipe are shown in the pic below and special notes are made in this bulleted list to assist you.
- Beef. I’m using top round, also known as London Broil for these beef rouladen. Where I live on Long Island I’m able to find beef that’s already sliced specifically for braciole in Italian supermarkets. If you can find this, it will save you some time.
- Bacon. I like to fry strips of the bacon and include that in the rouladen stuffing. You can also use a slice of Black Forest ham if you prefer not to use bacon.
- Pickles. Use any pickle you’d like. I love the rouladen with dill pickles, while Tara prefers sweet gherkins.
- Beef stock. Use homemade beef stock, or no-sodium beef stock that’s power-reduced to concentrate the flavor as noted below.
- Mustard. If you can find German mustard, use that, but any mustard will work.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make it
Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.
- Slice 2 tot 2 1/2 pounds of top round to 1/2-inch thick and cut into 3×4 inch rectangles (you should have anywhere from 8-12 slices). Pound the beef with a meat mallet until they’re 1/4-inch thick. They will get larger as they are pounded. Finely dice 1 large onion, 2 ribs of celery, and 3 medium carrots.
- Slice 1/2 pound of bacon into 2-3 inch pieces (you can also just cut them in half for larger pieces) and saute them in a large oven-safe pan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Once the bacon is about halfway cooked, remove it from the pan and place on a paper towel-lined plate. Remove a few tablespoons of the bacon fat and save for later.
- To the same pan add the onion, carrot, and celery and saute for 10 minutes or until soft, then place them into a bowl and set aside.
- Arrange the pounded beef slices onto a cutting board or flat surface and season with salt and pepper. Spread a thin layer of German mustard (or other mustard) onto each slice. Evenly divide the vegetable filling and bacon onto each slice. Place a slice of pickle on each piece of beef.
- Tightly roll each slice of beef around the filling and secure with 2 toothpicks or kitchen twine.
- Heat the same pan to medium heat and add the reserved bacon fat. Sear the beef rolls on all sides working in batches if required to prevent overcrowding. Once seared, remove from the pan and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 325f and set the rack to the middle level. Heat the same pan to medium heat and add a few tablespoons of olive oil or lard, then add 3 tablespoons of tomato paste. Saute for a few minutes adding a splash of water if it starts to burn. Add 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour and cook for 1 minute or until the white specks disappear.
- Add 1 cup of dry red wine and 4 cups of thick homemade beef stock and turn the heat to high and use a wooden spoon or whisk to dislodge any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Note: If you are using boxed stock, you should start with 8 cups and power reduce by boiling on the stove until you’re left with 4 cups. It’s important to use no-sodium beef stock since you’ll be reducing it. Once reduced, taste the stock and if it’s not beefy enough, add 1-2 teaspoons of low-sodium beef base.
- Once the sauce is simmering, add the beef rolls to the pot.
- Cover with a tight-fitting lid or foil and place in the oven for 60-90 minutes or until the beef rouladen are fork tender. Note: You can also simmer over very low heat on the stovetop.
- Once tender, remove the rouladen from the sauce and remove the toothpicks or twine.
- Taste test the sauce and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Note: If the sauce isn’t thick enough, place the pan on the stove on medium-high heat and whisk in a cornstarch slurry to thicken. Spoon the gravy on top of the rouladen, garnish with parsley, and serve with potato dumplings (or spaetzle, mashed, or boiled potatoes) and red cabbage. Enjoy!
Top tips
- Use homemade stock. A rich homemade beef stock is ideal for German rouladen. If you don’t have homemade stock, start with 8 cups of storebought no-sodium beef stock and reduce it to 4 cups by boiling on the stove. Then taste test and add 1-2 teaspoons of low-sodium beef base if a richer beef taste is desired.
- Securing the rouladen. Toothpicks are much easier to remove but kitchen twine will hold the beef rolls more securely.
- Thickening the sauce. If the sauce is still too loose after braising, you may wish to thicken the sauce. You can do this by adding a cornstarch slurry (cornstarch mixed with water) until the desired thickness is reached.
More braised beef dishes
If you love the comfort of braised beef, give these other great recipes a try!
- Classic Pot Roast – with potatoes, carrots, and herbs.
- Sauerbraten – traditional German braised beef with a sweet and sour sauce.
- Beef Bourguignon – with mushrooms, carrots, and pearl onions.
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Beef Rouladen
Beef Rouladen is a traditional German dish of thinly sliced beef that's rolled with a delicious filling of bacon, mustard, pickles, and vegetables, then braised in a rich brown gravy until tender. Perfect for special occasions, including Oktoberfest celebrations!
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 pounds top round sliced and pounded into (8-10) 1/4-inch thick pieces
- salt and pepper to taste
- German mustard
- 4 large Dill pickles sliced lengthwise
- 1/2 pound bacon cut into 2-3 inch pieces
- 1 large onion finely diced
- 2 ribs celery finely diced
- 2 medium carrots finely diced
- 3 tablespoons minced flat-leaf Italian parsley for garnish
For the sauce
- 4 cups low-sodium beef stock can reduce 8 cups of no-sodium boxed beef stock to 4 cups
- 2 teaspoons low-sodium beef base optional, see notes below
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Instructions
For the rouladen
- Filet the top round to a 1/2" thick. Cut the beef into rectangles approximately 3×4 inches. Pound each rectangle to roughly a 1/4" thick which will make them substantially larger. You should have 8-12 pieces. Note: Your butcher might be able to slice the beef for you.
- In a large oven safe pan or Dutch oven over medium heat, saute the bacon about halfway then remove the pieces to a paper-towel lined plate. Remove a few tablespoons of the bacon fat and save for later.
- Add the onion, carrot, and celery and saute until soft (about 10 minutes). Remove the pan from the heat. Place the vegetables in a bowl and set aside.
- Arrange the pounded meat on a cutting board and season the with salt and pepper. Spread a thin layer of mustard onto each piece. Evenly divide and spread the filling onto each piece, making sure to add an equal amount of bacon. Place a pickle slice onto each piece.
- Roll each piece tightly and secure them with toothpicks or kitchen twine.
- Heat a large pot or pan to medium heat with the saved bacon fat. Sear the pieces on all sides, working in batches if required to not overcrowd the pan. Set the seared rolls aside and prepare the sauce.
For the sauce and rouladen
- Preheat oven to 325f and set the rack to the middle level.
- Heat the same pan/pot to medium heat and add a few tablespoons of olive oil or lard then the tomato paste. Saute for a few minutes, adding a splash of water if it starts to burn. Add the flour and cook for a minute or until no white specks appear.
- Add the wine and and beef stock and turn the heat to high. With a wooden spoon while scrape the bottom of the pan to remove any brown bits.
- Once simmering, add the beef rolls to the pot and cover with a tight fitting lid or foil. Place in the oven. Note: you can simmer over very low heat on the stovetop if you like.
- Cook for 60 to 90 minutes, or until fork tender.
- Once tender, remove the rouladen from the sauce and remove the toothpicks. Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper. Serve with spaetzle or mashed potatoes. Enjoy! Note: if the sauce isn't thick enough, remove the rouladen to a platter and place the pan on a burner over medium-high heat. Whisk in a cornstarch slurry and thicken to your liking. You shouldn't need more than 2-3 teaspoons of cornstarch.
Notes
- A rich homemade beef stock is recommended. If you opt to reduce 8 cups of no-sodium beef stock to 4 cups, taste test, and if needed, add 2 teaspoons of low-sodium beef base to increase the beefy flavor of the stock.
- Besides top round, bottom round, eye of round, flank steak, or sirloin can be used. They should all be pounded flat to 1/4″ thick for easy rolling.
- Kitchen twine will hold more securely, but toothpicks work well and are far easier to remove.
- Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. It will taste even better the next day. Just reheat on a stovetop until completely heated through. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Calories: 827kcal | Carbohydrates: 28.1g | Protein: 100.3g | Fat: 30.9g | Saturated Fat: 10.3g | Cholesterol: 246mg | Sodium: 1350mg | Potassium: 1250mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 13.1g | Calcium: 73mg | Iron: 11mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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For the Concentrated broth, If I’m using beef bullion/better than bullion, would doubling the ratio of bullion to water work instead of reduction?
Hi Ted. You can try it, but the reduced sodium BTB still is quite salty. I do recommend making your own beef stock: https://www.sipandfeast.com/beef-stock/ for these type of situations since it will have no salt. Hope that helps.
Thoughts on using cube steak!!!
Jackson
That could work since cube steak is almost always just pounded out top round. I would just make sure that it isn’t super thin or with too many holes so that it can hold the filling. Enjoy!
I just saw thinly sliced Chuck steaks at the grocery store, 5 or 6 in a pack. Would that be okay to use? They also had bottom and eye round.
Hi Carol, bottom and eye round are a little tougher. Chuck steaks are hard to get thin enough where they don’t fall apart. If you can’t find top round, flank steak would be a good option.
Thank you for your response, I can’t wait to try this recipe! I LOVE your recipes!
Have not tried this yet. My Mom always made them with just onion rolled up with bacon on the outside. May have been version of this recipe. Will give it a tr.
This is a really tasty version of German Rouladen.
We’re so happy you enjoyed the recipe, Cherryl!