My chunk of beef. It was 800 grams rump roast

Chop up the vegetables and place the veggies, the beef, bay leaf, peppercorns, allspice and juniper berries into a container or bowl that you can pour in the the liquids. I used a big tupperware container.

Pour in the red wine, vinegar and water. If the beef is still sticking out of the liquid a bit, put a plate or something heavy on top to weigh it down.

Marinade for at least 3 days and up to 5 days at most. Turn the beef everyday so it marinades evenly. Note the marinade liquid will get a bit cloudy as the meat and veggies marinade.

When you're ready to make the sauerbraten, preheat oven to 170°C. Remove the meat from the marinade (keep the marinade) and pat it dry with paper towels. Rub some salt over the meat.

Rub salt on the beef. Heat the butter and/or oil in a frying pan. Sear the beef on all sides so it's nice brown and brown. That will seal in the flavor! Remove the beef to a baking dish. Keep the oil/butter in the pan.

If using, briefly toast the piece of bread crust in the same frying pan. Add it to the baking dish.

Keeping the pan on the heat, pour in 250 ml of the marinade liquid to deglaze the pan. Scrape up any brown bits left over from browning the meat.

Add the onions and dry spices that you took out from the marinade liquid. Let it cook for a few minutes.

Pour the liquid from the fry pan along with the spices and onions into the baking dish with the meat.

Lay slices of bacon across the top of the beef.

Optional: Include the other vegetables from the marinade liquid into the baking dish as well. I think it gives it more flavor :)

Roast for 60-90 minutes for a smaller piece of beef or 90-120 minutes for a large (1 kg) piece of beef. Halfway through the baking time, turn over the beef (put the bacon slices back on top of the other side) and return to the oven to finish roasting. If needed add more marinade liquid to the roasting dish.

Remove the meat from the oven. Place the beef on a tray. Strain out the vegetables and spices from the liquid, make sure you keep the liquid as we'll use it to make the sauce!

The strained liquied :)

Return the meat to the dish and cover in foil. I return it to the oven to keep it warm while making the sauce (the oven should be off).

Now it's time to make the sauce! In saucepan on low heat, first melt 1 or 2 tablespoons of butter with 2 tsp of sugar until light brown and caramelized.

Sprinkle in 2 tablespoons of flour, mix in and cook it until lightly browned but be careful not to burn.

Add in the juices from baking the meat little by little and mix very well with the flour. Try to get any lumps smoothed out. The sauce will thicken as it simmers and you stir in the liquid.

Add 2 tablespoons red wine to the sauce and simmer on low for about 15-20 minutes, until reduced and thick. Stir often and if needed, add a little the left over marinade liquid to thin it.

After the sauce is nice and thick, season with salt and pepper, then add in 2 tablespoons of sour cream. (If lumpy, you can strain the sauce before adding cream).

While making the sauce, saute the sliced mushrooms in a separate pan in butter or olive oil. Season with pinch of salt and pepper. Set aside.

When the sauce and mushrooms are finished, remove the sauerbraten that's been resting in the oven and slice it into thin slices. Arrange the slices on a platter.

Pour the sauce over the meat, top with mushrooms (and optionally chopped up bacon) and garnish with parsley!

Classically served with potato dumplings (kartoffelklöße) or bread dumplings (semmelknödel), and stewed red cabbage. I also like it with some good rye bread!