Impress your family and friends with this delicious and authentic Beef Rouladen recipe. With tender beef, tangy mustard, and savory bacon, this dish will surely become a favorite in your household.
What is Rouladen
Traditional German Beef Rouladen Recipe combines thin slices of top round steak stuffed with spicy brown mustard, bacon, pickles, and onions, all browned, braised, and smothered with a mouthwatering, easy-to-make beef gravy. This is one of our absolute favorite German dishes. If you ever plan on having an Oktoberfest, this traditional German dish should be on the menu. It will knock the socks off your guests, who will ask for more. I love to serve it with Skillet German Potato Salad, Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, or potato dumplings, but you could also do mashed potatoes.
Ingredients in Rouladen
How to make Beef Rouladen
Start by spreading out your beef steaks on a clean work surface. Then, coat with a thin layer of German mustard. Next, lay the bacon slice on top, followed by the pickles and onions, leaving the last couple of inches free of any. Then, starting with the busy end (the one with the pickles and onions), roll up tightly, tucking the pickles and onions in as you go. Once completely rolled, secure with a toothpick or cooking twine. Repeat the procedure until all are rolled up. Then sprinkle with a little kosher salt and black pepper.
Heat a little vegetable oil and butter in a large ovenproof skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the beef rolls on all sides. Then add the beef broth and pickle juice. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 90 minutes or until fork tender, letting the beef rolls tenderize in the liquids. Then, remove the roulades from the skillet and plate. Place the skillet on the stovetop over medium heat. Scrap the bottom to remove any brown bits. Then combine the cornstarch with a little bit of beef broth and whisk it in. Cook until thickened. Season with salt, pepper, and a pinch or two of sugar. Add the roulade back to the skillet and simmer for a few minutes, spooning the gravy over them.
Recipe Tips
- This cut of meat is called breakfast steak at my grocery store. It is not always available, so you might need to have your butcher cut a round roast lengthwise about 1/8 inch thick.
- These can be prepped up to 1 day ahead. Store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to cook.
- German mustard is ideal, but honestly, any spicy brown mustard will work.
- Cut your pickles and onions into long, thin pieces.
- The rolls secure pretty easily with one wooden toothpick per roll. You will have it down pat once you have secured a couple.
- Brown them thoroughly in a little vegetable oil and butter. You can use olive oil, but I find many things brown better in vegetable oil.
- For extra flavor, throw in a splash of dry red wine like a Merlot or a Cabernet Sauvignon.
- In a pinch, I have used Dijon mustard with good results.
- I like to cook these up in an ovenproof skillet, so there is only one pan to clean. However, you can transfer the rolls to a covered baking dish if you don’t have one. Then add the beef broth and pickle juice. Now bake for about 90 minutes. Then, transfer the juices to the skillet and make the gravy.
What beef is best for rouladen?
Beef round roast thinly sliced is the way to go. Some grocery stores sell this ready-to-go as roulade or breakfast steak. It is about 8-10 inches long, about 5 inches wide, and 1/8-1/4 inch thick. If you are having trouble finding it, ask your butcher if he can cut a round roast to this thickness. Other options include flank steak or outside round roast.
What to serve with Rouladen
Serve with mashed potatoes, boiled potatoes, potato dumplings, spaetzle, carrots, potato pancakes, or red cabbage.
Storage and Reheat
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in a pot on the stovetop over low heat or in the microwave at reduced power.
To freeze, first cool to room temperature. Then, add the rouladen and gravy to a sturdy freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat on the stovetop over low heat or in the microwave at reduced power.
More beef recipes
German Beef Rouladen
Ingredients
- 8 slices beef top round roast sliced very thin
- 1/4 cup spicy brown German mustard
- 8 slices bacon
- 2-3 dill pickles thinly sliced
- 1 small onion thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 1/4 cup low sodium beef broth
- 1/4 cup dill pickle juice
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2-3 pinches sugar to taste optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Spread out your beef steaks on a clean work surface. Coat each with a thin layer of German mustard. Lay a bacon slice on each one. Top with the pickles and onions, leaving the last couple of inches free of any.
- Start with the busy end (the one with the pickles and onions) and roll up tight, tucking the pickles and onions in as you go. Once completely rolled up, secure it with a toothpick. Repeat the procedure until all are rolled up.
- Heat the butter and vegetable oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Brown the rolls on all sides. Add 1 cup of beef broth and pickle juice.
- Cover the skillet with aluminum foil and bake for 1 1/2 -2 hours. Remove the rouladen from the skillet and plate.
- Place the skillet on the stovetop over medium heat. Scrap the bottom to remove any brown bits. Combine 1/4 cup beef broth and cornstarch. Whisk into the skillet and cook until thickened. Season with salt, pepper, and a pinch or two of sugar to taste. Add the rouladen back to the skillet and simmer. Spoon the gravy over the top and warm.
Notes
- This cut of meat is called breakfast steak at my grocery store. It is not always available so you might need to have your butcher cut a round roast lengthwise about 1/8 inch thick.
- These can be prepped up to 1 day ahead. Store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to cook.
- German mustard is ideal but honestly any spicy brown mustard will work.
- Cut your pickles and onions into long thin pieces.
- The rolls secure quite easily with one wooden toothpick per roll. You will have it down pat once you have secured a couple of them.
- Brown them thoroughly in a little vegetable oil and butter. You can use olive oil but I find many things brown better in vegetable oil.
- I like to cook these up in an ovenproof skillet so there is only one pan to clean. However if you don’t have one you can transfer the rolls to a covered baking dish. Then add the beef broth and pickle juice. Now bake about 90 minutes. Then transfer the juices to the skillet and make the gravy.
Nutrition
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Nancy
My mom was German and made this often. She chopped the bacon, onion and pickles up into little pieces and tied the rolls with string.
Sangeetha
Oh my goodness, this German Beef Rouladen recipe has my mouth watering! The combination of tender top round steak, spicy mustard, savory bacon, tangy pickles, and onions sounds absolutely delicious. And that mouthwatering beef gravy to top it all off? Pure perfection! I can see why it’s one of your absolute favorite German dishes 🍽️🇩🇪😋
Monti
Your recipe for German Beef Rouladen is absolutely mouthwatering! The way you described the flavors and cooking process made my taste buds tingle with excitement. I can’t wait to try it out and savor the deliciousness. Keep sharing these amazing recipes!
Beth Pierce
You got it, Monti! I will do just that!
Nikki Wayne
Wow! What a really delicious looking recipe that I need to try! My family would love this for sure
Megan
This was like a great new recipe to try on the family. My husband really enjoyed it. He loves to eat beef. I love that its different than what we normally fix.
Julie Shahin
I really appreciate the time and effort you put into creating this recipe. It’s clear that you have a passion for German food, and it shows in your work. I’m so glad I found your website, and I can’t wait to try more of your recipes
May
It already looks so good in the pan! And mustard and pickles? Mmmmmmm…..I can almost taste this beef!
Marysa
I’ve never heard of of this dish before. However my daughter is going to Germany this summer and it would be fun to make this dish for her to try!
Pedja
This was so delicious. I am not a fan of roasting…anything…but this was really good and tasty. My new favorite German dish.
Nyxie
This looks gorgeous! I’ve had something similar years ago while on vacation near the black forest in Germany. It was beautiful but have never been able to recreate it myself. My mother has even tried and she lived there for 4 years!
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Nyxie! It is delicious. You and your mother should give it a try!
Stephanie
I’ve never seen anything like this before, but my in-laws have when they were stationed in Germany many years ago. This isn’t something I would eat, but my husband would love everything about this! I’ll have to make it for him as a surprise one weekend.
Debbie
I had never heard of the German Beef Rouladen dish before. The recipe was amazing as I love steak and all the spicy brown mustard, bacon, pickles, and onion were so flavorful. Thanks for sharing.
April
What a great German recipe. We loved it. It is an odd combination of ingredients but we enjoyed it.
Maureen
We are always on the lookout for a new beef recipe that is easy and tasty! This recipe fits that bill. I love that this is something we haven’t tried before but easy enough to replicate. I can’t wait to get this dish on our menu!
Ivan Carlo Jose
That looks absolutely delicious! I can tell that it smells lovely just by looking at your photos. I’m quite intimidated by this dish just because I’m not too familiar with it. But I’m willing to give your recipe a try!
Nathan
I’ve never had Rouladen before, but after seeing this recipe I’m adding all of the ingredients to my shopping list immediately! Can’t wait to try it out, thanks so much for sharing!
Beth Pierce
Many thanks, Nathan. Enjoy!