Rinderbraten facts for kids
Cooked round steak cured and spiced with salt, red pepper, brown sugar, allspice, and cloves
|
|
| Alternative names | marinierter rinderbraten,spice round, spiced round, nashville spice round |
|---|---|
| Course | Main course |
| Place of origin | Germany |
| Serving temperature | Hot |
| Main ingredients | Round of beef, pork fat |
Rinderbraten is a yummy German dish. Its name means "beef roast." It's made from a big piece of beef, often a "round of beef." This beef is stuffed with pork fat that has been mixed with spices like salt, red pepper, brown sugar, allspice, and cloves. The beef then soaks in a salty water mix called "brine" for a long time, sometimes up to six weeks! After that, it's cooked by boiling and then simmering. Before serving, the dark outer layer is taken off, and a little cinnamon is sprinkled on top.
Spice Round: A Nashville Twist
A special version of Rinderbraten is called Spice Round or Spiced Round. This dish was once a popular holiday meal in Nashville, Tennessee, in the United States.
How Spice Round Started
After the American Civil War, Nashville became a big center for packing meat. Many people from Switzerland and Germany moved there. They started meat-packing companies along the Cumberland River, which was a major way to ship goods.
One important person was Mr. William Jacobs. He started the Jacobs Packing Company in 1865. Mr. Jacobs was from Wittenberg, Germany. He knew that Rinderbraten was made with brine to keep the meat fresh through the winter. So, he started making it for people in Nashville.
In 1865, he convinced the fancy Maxwell House Hotel to put Spice Round on their winter menu. From then on, it became very popular! Other meat-packing companies in Nashville started making their own versions too.
Spice Round Differences
At one point, there were over 30 butchers and meat-packers in Nashville. Almost all of them made Spice Round. Each one had their own secret recipe!
Nashville's Spice Round was different from the German Rinderbraten. Instead of stuffing the beef, they used special needles to push spiced pork fat all through the meat. This made the Nashville version much spicier. Because it was already so spicy, most families in Nashville didn't sprinkle extra cinnamon on it before eating.
You can still find Spice Round in some grocery stores in Nashville during the holiday season today.
