Cue Up The Episode!

Make sure to listen to Ruth's episode 168: A Wedding Feast to Last a Lifetime while making your beef rouladen!

Make The Recipe

Prepping

1. Take the steak, trim off all the fat, and pound until 1/4-inch thick.
2. Clean and prep vegetables
3. Cook bacon by cutting it into approximately 1/2 inch pieces, and cook to tender but not crisp then drain.

Prepare The Meat

On each piece of meat spread or place:

1. A teaspoon of mustard
2. Next, sprinkle it with approx. 2 teaspoons of onions
3. Then sprinkle lightly with pepper and fresh ground nutmeg
4. Now place pieces of cooked bacon down the center
5. Lastly, sprinkle about 2 teaspoons of diced pickle
6. Roll the meat, jelly-roll style, into a cylinder (tuck sides in as needed as you roll)
7. Tie the rolls at each end and in the middle with kitchen cord or tuck with toothpicks

Brown The Meat

1. In a heavy 10-12 inch skillet, melt the lard (or use reserved bacon fat) over moderate heat until it begins to sputter.
2. Add the beef rolls, and brown them on all sides, regulating the heat so they color quickly and evenly without burning.
3. Transfer the rolls to a plate.

Slow Cooking

1. Pour the water into the skillet and bring to a boil, meanwhile scraping in any brown particles that are clinging to the bottom and sides of the pan
2. Add the celery, leeks, parsnip, parsley, and salt, and return the beef rolls to the skillet
3. Cover and reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 1 hour, or until the meat shows no resistance when pierced with a fork
4. Turn the rolls once or twice during the cooking period
5. Transfer the rolls to a heated platter, and cover them with foil to keep them warm while you make the sauce

Prep To Make The Gravy

1. Strain the cooking liquid left in the skillet through a fine sieve, pressing down hard on the vegetables before discarding them
2. Measure the liquid, return it to the skillet, and boil briskly until it is reduced to 2 cups
3. Remove from the heat.

Making The Gravy

1. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over moderate heat and, when the foam subsides, sprinkle in the flour
2. Lower the heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the flour is golden brown. Be careful not to let it burn.
3. Gradually add the reduced cooking liquid, beating vigorously with a whisk until the sauce is smooth and thick
4. Add a little ketchup
5. Taste for seasoning and return the sauce and the Rouladen to the skillet
6. Simmer over low heat only long enough to heat the rolls through
7. Serve the rolls on a heated platter and pour the sauce over them