Zuurvlees: vinegar in, sweetness out
The vinegar does its work overnight in the fridge. Then the meat braises gently for hours until gingerbread and syrup thicken the sauce and turn the sourness into something deeper. Taste it and you look for the sour, but mostly find sweetness.
Editorial team Holland Magazine ·
Zuurvlees, zoervleisj in the Limburg dialect, is a classic Limburg regional dish according to Visit Zuid-Limburg. The meat marinates in vinegar for a day and then braises in a sweet-and-sour sauce with fruit syrup, thickened with gingerbread (ontbijtkoek). Visit Zuid-Limburg uses foal or horse meat, or diced beef. This home version uses braising beef and is our own adaptation, not one fixed traditional recipe.
Times are guidelines; preheat during preparation where possible. Allow extra time to cool food before storing it.
Equipment
Glass or earthenware bowl with a lid or cling film, colander, casserole with a lid.
Ingredients
- 800 g braising beef (shin or chuck), in 4 cm chunks
- 150 ml white spirit vinegar (natuurazijn)
- 150 ml water for the marinade
- 250 g peeled onion
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 whole cloves
- 20 g unsalted butter
- 15 ml sunflower oil
- 300 ml water for braising
- 100 g Dutch spiced gingerbread (ontbijtkoek), about 4 slices
- 40 g Limburg apple and pear syrup
- 15 g soft light brown sugar
- 4 g salt
- 1 g ground black pepper
Method
- Slice the onion into half rings. Put the meat, onion, bay leaves and cloves in a bowl that holds everything snugly and pour over the vinegar and 150 ml water. If the meat is not fully covered, turn it halfway through marinating. Cover and marinate in the fridge at 4 °C for 12–24 hours.
- Drain the meat over a bowl and keep the marinade with the onion and spices. Pat the chunks dry with kitchen paper and season with salt and pepper.
- Heat the butter and oil in the casserole. Brown the meat on all sides in three batches, 3–4 minutes each, and lift it out. Then fry the drained onion for 5 minutes over medium heat.
- Return the meat to the pan. Add the marinade with the spices and 300 ml water and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down, cover and braise gently for 2 hours, stirring now and then.
- Crumble the gingerbread into the pan and stir in the syrup and brown sugar. Braise uncovered for another 30–45 minutes, until the meat falls apart with a fork and the sauce has thickened. Stir regularly across the bottom to stop it catching.
- Remove the bay leaves and cloves. Taste and add a little more salt if needed. Serve hot, for example with chips or mashed potato.
Storage
Cool leftovers within 2 hours and refrigerate covered at 4 °C. Eat within 2 days. Reheat once until steaming hot throughout.
Allergens
Wheat/gluten and possibly rye (gingerbread) and milk (butter). Check the gingerbread label.
Our own adaptation for home cooking, not kitchen-tested. Times are guidelines; check the result described in the method.