The roulade is a classic way to serve both sweet and savory dishes. All you have to do is wrap up all of the ingredients into a tasty roll, and you’ve got a dish that’s convenient to both slice and serve! One of our favorite roulades is the savory German version of the dish, the beef roulade. Layers of meat, mustard, and pickles get wrapped up and cooked on the stovetop along with some delicious gravy. It’s a comfort food classic that we love for the colder months. But we decided we couldn’t wait that long, so we modified this German classic for the grill! In this summertime version, the roulade gets skewered, slathered in a homemade marinade, and grilled to perfection. It’s a meat lover’s dream come true!
Yield: 8 skewers
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Inactive Time: 2½ hours
Difficulty Level: Moderate
You’ll Need:
For the beef roulade:
- 2 lbs beef (single cut)
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1 lb ground beef
- ½ cup BBQ sauce
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- 8–10 strips of bacon
- 3–4 onions, sliced
- vegetable oil for frying
- 1–2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1–2 tbsp whole grain mustard
- 5–6 mini dill pickles
For the marinade:
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 2–3 tbsp honey
- 1 cup dark beer
Here’s How:
1. For the beef roulade, place the 2 lb cut of beef (we suggest using beef tenderloin) on a large piece of plastic wrap, butterfly the beef, and place a second piece of plastic wrap on top. Use a meat tenderizer to flatten the butterflied beef and season with salt & pepper.
2. For the filling, stir together the ground beef, BBQ sauce, cayenne pepper, minced garlic, and chopped parsley, then season with salt & pepper. Spread the ground beef mixture evenly over the flattened cut of beef, leaving some uncovered space at the top and bottom.
3. Place a layer of bacon on top of the layer of ground beef.
4. Heat a skillet with some vegetable oil and caramelize the sliced onions. Once the onions start to sizzle, add in the brown sugar and continue to cook on low heat until the onions are tender and golden brown. Stir in the whole grain mustard, remove the skillet from the heat, and let the caramelized onions cool.
5. Spoon the cooled caramelized onions on top of the layer of bacon and spread them evenly over the roulade. Place a horizontal row of mini dill pickles near the bottom of the beef and use the plastic wrap to help roll everything up into a snug log. Transfer the roulade to the refrigerator and chill for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight. Soak 8 wooden skewers in water so that they don’t burn when the roulade is on the grill.
6. Once the roulade has chilled, take it out of the refrigerator and light the grill. Insert the soaked skewers into the roulade so that they’re spaced out evenly, and cut the roll into 8 even segments, making sure there’s 1 skewer in each slice.
7. For the marinade, stir together the vegetable oil, dark beer, and honey, and brush the mixture over the surface of each skewered slice of roulade.
8. Grill the roulade skewers for 10–15 minutes on each side on indirect heat.
Who knew that a winter classic like beef roulade could taste even better cooked on the grill?! From the triple layer of meat to the BBQ sauce and homemade marinade, this German beef roulade was born to be grilled!