Suure Mocke (Swiss Braised Beef)

Suure Mocke, braised beef with a slightly sweet and tangy sauce, is the Swiss version of Sauerbraten, sour roast, where the sour part comes from a long soak in vinegar and red wine. Making your own Suure Mocke takes a little bit of planning, but it isn’t too complicated.

Directions

Prepare the Marinade

1. In a large pot, add the wine, vinegar, carrot, onion, and seasonings. Bring to a boil and let simmer for a few minutes, then take off the heat. Let cool.

2. Place the meat in a large bowl and add the cooled marinade.

3. Cover, place in the fridge or a very cold cellar, and let marinate for a minimum of four days and up to a week, turning the meat every day or so.

When You Are Ready To Braise

1. Preheat oven to 150 degrees Celsius / 300 degrees Fahrenheit / gas mark 2.

2. Remove the meat from the marinade, pat it dry, and set aside.

3. Strain the liquid into a pot, discard the bay leaf, peppercorns, and cloves and set the vegetables aside for later. Bring the marinade to a boil. There will be some white/grey foam, just skim this off. Set aside.

4. In a large dutch oven, heat the olive oil over high heat. Salt and pepper the meat, then brown well in the pot until it forms a nice crust (around five to eight minutes). Remove from the the pot and set aside.

5. Add the vegetables to the pan and brown them, then add the tomato paste and sugar. Add about a third of the marinade back to the pot and scrape the bottom well. Pour in the rest of the marinade, bring to a boil, then remove from heat.

6. Place the meat in the dutch oven, cover and place in the oven.

7. Cook for about three hours, turning the meat two to three times during cooking.

8. Remove the dutch oven, take out the meat, cover it and let it rest on a cutting board.

To Make The Sauce

1. Strain the marinade into a small pot.

2. (Optional step: I used an immersion blender to puree the marinade with the remaining vegetables, then strained it—you can do this, or simply strain and discard the veg without pureeing.)

3. Using a flat spoon, skim the fat off the top of the marinade (you can also do this with a gravy separator). Then bring to a boil over medium high heat.

4. In a small bowl, mix together the cornstarch and cold water (no lumps), then slowly whisk it into the simmering marinade. Keep whisking while it thickens, then remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.

5. Slice the meat, pour over the warm sauce and serve immediately.