The logistics of sauerbraten.
Sometime soon (probably next weekend) I’m going to make sauerbraten for Bonnie. [A friend gave me an excellent recipe for sauerbraten, which I have included after the fold.] However, there are quite a few logistical issues I have to work out first.
The most important issue is that cooking sauerbraten is an extremely pungent process; you’re cooking meat in simmering vinegar. Bonnie’s sister (who she lives with) has strong reactions to some odors. I certainly won’t be able to cook it inside her house. This leaves two options: my house or a grill outside. I’ve never tried using a dutch oven on a grill.
That still leaves the issue of transport: Bonnie lives in the Tampa area. I live close to Orlando. It’s a hundred miles, doorstep to doorstep, which translates to at least two hours of driving. I don’t want to risk food poisoning from having uncooked meat sit in an un-cooled trunk for two hours. If I cook it at my house, it’ll get cold by the time I get there, but there’s less risk of illness. On the other hand, it tends to get gelatinous and less than pleasant when it’s cold. On the other hand, I can put the entire thing, dutch oven and all, into one of the plastic tubs in my trunk and pack it with ice. This should keep it cool for a few hours, but it introduces the risk of having meltwater run into the dutch oven and contaminate the meat.
I could buy the ingredients down there, but since I have to marinate for three days, I don’t think the timing would work out. Marinating for more than three days results in something inedibly sour, and less than three days results in a bad-tasting pot roast.
Right now I’m leaning toward cooking it here and bringing the finished product with me, but there’s still some time to consider this problem.