Bring on the brine!

So the very first step of our cooking adventure is done - brining the meat for the sauerbraten.

We ended up going with an eye round of beef, since that's what the guy at the German store dad found recommended. I guess it has more fat in it than a higher end cut, like a top round. Apparently it also makes for a nicer, more traditional presentation.

The recipe we had from the cookbook called for larding the meat, which some research via Google revealed involves using a fairly complicated tool called a larder to shove pieces of fat into the meat. I consulted with my buddies at the Food Network (Emeril, Alton, Bobby, etc.) and none of their recipes online said to do this, so we didn't. Besides, our meat looked fatty enough anyway.

To make the brine, we basically brought the three cups of white vinegar, three cups of water, an onion (chopped obviously), a carrot (also chopped), two bay leaves, eight cloves, 1 tbsp. pickling spices and eight peppercorns to a boil and then let it simmer for five minutes. My dad was getting pretty excited when it started to emit its vinegary aroma. My eyes watered it was so potent.

Then we let it cool to about room temperature, poured it over the meat and stuck it in the fridge where it will live for the next three days and we will have to turn it periodically.

In the meantime, I'll be hitting up the National Chicken Wing Festival on Saturday!