Smoked Sauerbraten – Hey Grill, Hey

August 4, 2026

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Tender beef roast slowly soaked in a red wine marinade before being seasoned with my signature Beef Rub and braised, this Smoked Sauerbraten is German food at its finest. It’s all finished off with a rich gravy to bring Oktoberfest to your own backyard!

Smoked Sauerbraten

If you know Taste Test Todd, you know he loves German food. That means we come back to the sauerbraten recipe often. This recipe comes from my friend Sophie Sadler of Dirndl Kitchen with some flavors from my mom’s kitchen. We’re talking slow-marinated, perfectly seasoned beef roast smoked in a braise to fall-apart tenderness. Drizzle on a little homemade gravy made right from the braising liquid, and you’ve got a German-style pot roast that will be the envy of any neighborhood potluck or family gathering. If you’re ready to make this deeply comforting dish, let’s jump in.

Ingredients for Smoked Sauerbraten

This recipe has 4 parts: the marinade, the beef, the braise, and the gravy. Don’t let the ingredient list scare you off. Most of this stuff is likely in your pantry already, and the rest is easy to find:

Beef chuck roast: You’ll want a large 2 to 3 pound roast with a lot of fat marbling and connective tissue to hold up during a long marinade. I’ve done this recipe with brisket point before as well, and it turned out amazing.
Beef Rub: I season the roast with my Beef Rub after the marinade, but before it hits the smoker. It’s a great all-purpose salt and pepper base that pairs perfectly with the marinade flavors.

Marinade:

Red wine and red wine vinegar: This duo is the backbone of the marinade. The vinegar brings the sour bite that gives this dish its name.
Brown sugar: This brings sweetness to balance the acidity.
Carrots, onion, celery: The classic aromatics soften into the marinade and add depth of flavor.
Allspice berries, juniper berries, cloves, peppercorns, bay leaves: This spice blend combines the traditional sauerbraten flavors with some stuff from my own family growing up.
Garlic, dried thyme, ground ginger: These round out the marinade’s savory side.

Braise:

Reserved marinade: Strain out the veggies.
Tomato paste: This adds a richness to the braise.
Ginger snap cookies: They dissolve into the braise and thicken it while adding a deep, spiced sweetness. Don’t skip these, trust me.
Beef broth: Forms the braising liquid alongside the strained marinade.
Raisins (seedless): This is traditional sauerbraten addition that provides a little burst of sweetness.

Gravy:

Reserved braise
Cornstarch: This thickens everything up into a gravy for drizzling.
Salt and pepper: Season to taste.

How to Smoke Sauerbraten

Marinate the beef. Place the beef roast in a gallon-size zip-top bag, then add the red wine, red wine vinegar, berries, and the rest of the marinade ingredients. Submerge the beef fully and refrigerate for 3 to 5 days, turning once a day if possible. Check out the original recipe from Dirndl Kitchen for a tip on speeding up the process (a little).
Preheat the smoker. Set your smoker to an overall temperature of 275 degrees F with your favorite wood. You can also do this on your grill over indirect heat using the two-zone method.
Season and smoke the beef. Remove the beef from the marinade, reserving the liquid. Pat the beef dry and season generously with Beef Rub, then place directly on the smoker grates. Close the lid and smoke for about 3 hours.
Make the braising liquid. Bring the reserved marinade liquid to a boil for 20 to 25 minutes in a saucepan, then strain out the vegetables. Stir in the tomato paste and beef broth, then add the ginger snap cookies and raisins. Bring to a boil again, then remove from heat.
Braise the beef. Transfer the beef to an aluminum pan, pour the braising liquid over it, and cover with foil. Return to the smoker and continue cooking until the beef reaches 210 degrees F internal temperature and is fork tender. Check periodically and add more beef broth if the pan looks dry.
Make the gravy. Remove the roast to a cutting board to rest. Add the braising liquid to a large saucepan over medium heat, then whisk in the cornstarch with a little water. Simmer until thickened into gravy, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
Slice and serve. Slice (or shred) the beef, serve topped with the gravy, and enjoy!

Susie’s Smoked Sauerbraten Pro Tips

I’ve got a couple pro tips so you can nail this sauerbraten, no matter how much time you’ve got:

Don’t rush the marinade. This long marinating period is the traditional method. 3 days is the minimum for real flavor and tenderness, but 5 is even better.
Do rush the marinade. I get that you might not have 5 full days to marinate your beef roast. Luckily, Sophie provided an awesome tip to speed up the process by a couple days. Heating the marinade in a saucepan before adding it to the beef helps kickstart the tenderizing process.
Keep it moist. If the braise starts to look dry, add more beef broth rather than water so those flavors keep building.

More Smoked Beef Recipes

If you’re looking for even more low-and-slow beef recipes, check out my full Beef recipe collection or the Hey Grill Hey App. For now, check out these popular smoked beef recipes:

Simple Smoked Sauerbraten Recipe

Bring a little bit of biergarten to your backyard with this Smoked Sauerbraten recipe, then come back and drop a comment and a rating so you can tell me how yours turned out! Make sure you’re following me on Instagram and Facebook, and that you’re subscribed to my YouTube channel. That way you can tag @heygrillhey so I can cheer you on when you post your sauerbraten!

Marinate the beef. Place the beef roast in a gallon-size zip-top bag, then add the red wine, red wine vinegar, brown sugar, carrots, onion, celery stalks, allspice berries, juniper berries, whole cloves, black peppercorns, garlic, bay leaves, dried thyme, and ground ginger. Submerge the beef fully and refrigerate for 3 to 5 days, turning once a day if possible.

3 pounds beef chuck roast, 2 cups red wine, 2 cups red wine vinegar, ¼ cup brown sugar, 2 medium carrots, 1 large yellow onion, 2 stalks celery, 4 whole allspice berries, 6 whole juniper berries, 8 whole black peppercorns, 2 cloves garlic, 2 bay leaves, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 1 teaspoon ground ginger
Preheat the smoker. Set your smoker or grill up for indirect heat at an overall temperature of 275 degrees F.
Season and smoke the beef. Remove the beef from the marinade, reserving the liquid. Pat the beef dry and season generously Beef Rub. Place the seasoned beef directly on the smoker grates, close the lid, and smoke for about 3 hours.

3 Tablespoons Hey Grill Hey Beef Rub
Make the braising liquid. Bring the reserved marinade liquid to a boil for 20 to 25 minutes, then strain out the vegetables and spices. Stir in the tomato paste, and beef broth, then add the ginger snap cookies and seedless raisins. Bring to a boil again, then remove from heat.

reserved marinade liquid, 1 Tablespoon tomato paste, 6 ginger snap cookies, 4 cups beef broth, ¼ cup seedless raisins
Braise the beef. Transfer the beef to an aluminum pan, pour the braising liquid over it, and cover with foil. Return to the smoker and continue cooking until the beef reaches 210 degrees F internal temperature and is fork tender. Check periodically and add more beef broth if the pan looks dry.
Make the gravy. Remove the roast to a cutting board to rest. Add the braising liquid to a large saucepan over medium heat, then whisk in the cornstarch with a little water. Simmer until thickened into gravy, then season with salt and pepper to taste.

1 teaspoon cornstarch, salt and pepper
Slice and serve. Slice (or shred) the beef, serve topped with the gravy, and enjoy!