Tafelspitz

Name: Tafelspitz
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 150 min
Total time: 170 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Austrian
Ingredients: 2 lb beef top sirloin cap, tied up; 12 cups cold water; 2 medium carrots, peeled, halved; 1 medium leek, washed, halved; 1 medium yellow onion, peeled, halved; 8 oz celery root (celeriac), peeled, chunked; 2 bay leaves; 1 tsp black peppercorns; 2 tsp kosher salt; 1 medium tart apple, peeled, grated; 2 tbsp prepared horseradish; 1 tsp granulated sugar; 2 tsp fresh lemon juice; 1/4 cup sour cream; 2 tbsp fresh chives, snipped

Tafelspitz is the Viennese classic of tender boiled beef, simmered slowly with root vegetables and served in its own broth with sharp apple horseradish. It is the traditional Sunday dinner of the Austrian capital.

170 minEasyServes 4430 cal/serving

AustrianDinnerStovetopStandardGluten-Free

Cook this free in the appFree. No download, no account. The screen stays awake and each step can run its own timer.

Ingredients

2 lb beef top sirloin cap, tied up
12 cups cold water
2 medium carrots, peeled, halved
1 medium leek, washed, halved
1 medium yellow onion, peeled, halved
8 oz celery root (celeriac), peeled, chunked
2 bay leaves
1 tsp black peppercorns
2 tsp kosher salt
1 medium tart apple, peeled, grated
2 tbsp prepared horseradish
1 tsp granulated sugar
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tbsp fresh chives, snipped

Instructions

1

Put 2 lb tied up beef top sirloin cap in a large heavy pot and cover it with 12 cups cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then skim off the foam.
2

Add 2 medium peeled, halved carrots, 1 medium washed, halved leek, 1 medium peeled, halved yellow onion, 8 oz peeled, chunked celery root (celeriac), 2 bay leaves, 1 tsp black peppercorns, and 2 tsp kosher salt. Lower the heat so the liquid barely simmers.
3

Simmer partly covered for about 2 hours, skimming now and then, until the beef top sirloin cap is fork tender.
4

Check the thickest part of the beef top sirloin cap with an instant-read thermometer. It should read about 195°F, and a fork should slide in easily.
5

Meanwhile, stir 1 medium peeled, grated tart apple with 2 tbsp prepared horseradish, 1 tsp granulated sugar, and 2 tsp fresh lemon juice. Fold in 1/4 cup sour cream and set the apple horseradish aside.
6

Lift out the beef top sirloin cap and vegetables. Strain the broth into a clean pot and keep it warm.
7

Slice the beef top sirloin cap across the grain. Arrange it on warm plates with the vegetables, ladle over some broth, and sprinkle with 2 tbsp snipped fresh chives. Serve with the apple horseradish.

Cook this free in the appCooking it now? The app keeps the screen awake and times each step. Free, nothing to install.

Keep this recipe

Prints the ingredients and method only.

Questions

How long does Tafelspitz take?

As written, 170 minutes: 20 of prep and 150 of cooking. The longest single stretch is step 3 (2 hours): "Simmer partly covered for about 2 hours, skimming now and then, until the beef top sirloin cap is fork tender."

What temperature does Tafelspitz cook at?

Step 4 reads: "It should read about 195°F, and a fork should slide in easily." That is about 90 C.

What can I use instead of leeks in Tafelspitz?

The entry for Tafelspitz calls for 1 medium leek, washed, halved. In its place: Yellow onion or the white parts of scallions, cooked gently. Use a little less by volume.

Is Tafelspitz spicy?

Only mildly. The heat in Tafelspitz comes from 2 tbsp prepared horseradish. For a milder plate, start with half the horseradish and add more to taste at the end; nothing else in the method changes. For more, add it at the table rather than in the pot, so everyone sets their own level.

Can I make Tafelspitz dairy-free?

Yes. The dairy in Tafelspitz is 1/4 cup sour cream. Swap the sour cream for thick coconut yogurt with a squeeze of lemon. The richness shifts slightly, but the method does not change.

Serve it with

Cook this free in the app

Textual Chef is 4,695 plain-text recipes, free to read and free to cook from. No account, no paywall, no ads, no life stories. Open this one in the app and each quantity sits inside the step that uses it, so you read once and cook.

Every recipe is curated or public-domain sourced, written to one template and checked before it publishes. Nothing here is a scraped blog post.

Cook this free in the appNo download needed. It opens in your browser. The kitchen tools (planner, shopping list, pantry, import) are $5.33 a month billed annually; the first 30 days are free.