Beef Rolls with Cucumber and Bacon in Dark Gravy

Have ready a heavy pot with a well-fitting lid, a capacity of about 5 l and a flat base about 26 cm in diameter, along with a meat mallet, cutting board and undyed cotton kitchen twine suitable for cooking. From the 240 g peeled onions, weigh out 80 g and cut into thin slivers for the filling; finely dice the remaining 160 g for the gravy. Drain the pickles from their brine, pat dry, weigh out 160 g and cut into sticks about 8–9 cm long. Cut the bacon into thin strips of a similar length; divide the pickles, bacon and filling onions into eight equal portions, each with about 20 g pickle, 15 g bacon and 10 g onion.

Cut the beef across the grain into eight wide slices, each weighing about 125 g and about 1 cm thick. Place each slice between two sheets of parchment paper and gently pound from the center toward the edges until about 4–5 mm thick and about 18 × 14 cm in size. Keep the meat intact, with no holes, so the filling cannot escape during braising. Season both sides of all the slices with a total of 5 g salt and 1 g pepper.

Spread one side of each slice with 5 g mustard, using all 40 g. Arrange one portion of pickle, bacon and onion in a short log near the bottom edge, leaving about 2 cm of bare meat on each side. Fold the sides inward over the ends of the filling, cover them with the bottom edge and roll into a compact cylinder about 9–10 cm long and about 4–5 cm thick. Tie each roll with twine in two or three places, holding the closed ends and seam in place without cutting into the meat; set the rolls seam-side down.

Heat 15 ml oil in the pot for about 2 minutes over medium-high heat; the oil should be hot but should not smoke. Add four rolls with space between them, seam-side down first, and sear for about 8–10 minutes in total, turning until the sides are well browned. Remove to a plate, add the remaining 15 ml oil and sear the second batch of four in the same way; allow about 20–25 minutes for heating the oil and searing both batches. The fond on the bottom should stay brown, with no black spots or burned smell; reduce the heat if it darkens too quickly.

After removing the meat, reduce the heat to medium-low, leave all the fat in the pot and add 160 g diced onions and 1 g salt. Cook for about 12–15 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions soften and turn a deep golden color. Halfway through, add 50 ml from the measured 700 ml of water for the gravy and stir with a wooden spatula to dissolve the brown fond on the bottom. Then let the water evaporate and finish browning the onions. Adjust the heat so the onions and loosened fond stay brown, not black.

Arrange all eight rolls over the onions in two loose layers of four, without forcing them into place. Add 2 bay leaves, 4 allspice berries and the remaining 1 g pepper, then pour in the remaining 650 ml water from the gravy allocation. The liquid should reach roughly halfway up the rolls in the bottom layer; it does not need to cover the top layer, which will cook in the steam under the lid. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, cover and reduce the heat to low so that only a few gentle bubbles appear around the edges.

Braise under the well-fitting lid for about 2–2.5 hours, maintaining a very gentle simmer. About every 30 minutes, carefully turn the rolls and swap those in the top and bottom layers so they all come into regular contact with the gravy, then immediately replace the lid. The liquid should always reach roughly halfway up the bottom layer; as it reduces, top up with about 50 ml at a time from the measured 200 ml reserve water, adding only as much as needed and keeping any unused reserve out of the dish. Start checking the meat after 2 hours: a fork should enter the beef near the edge of a roll without noticeable resistance. If it is still tough after 2.5 hours, continue braising, checking every 20–30 minutes and keeping the heat low and the lid tightly closed.

Remove the tender rolls to a plate and cover with an inverted plate, then fish both bay leaves and all four allspice berries out of the gravy. Mix 30 g flour with the last 100 ml cold water to make a smooth slurry and pour it in a thin stream into the gently simmering gravy, stirring constantly. Cook uncovered over low heat for about 8–10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the raw flour flavor is gone and the gravy coats the back of a spoon while remaining pourable; meanwhile, cut and remove all the twine from the rolls. Return the meat without twine to the gravy and heat for another 2–3 minutes over low heat, turning carefully so the rolls do not fall apart.

Divide the rolls into four servings, with two per person, and share all the hot gravy among the plates. You can cut one roll in each serving open to reveal the cucumber, bacon and onion filling. Serve immediately while the meat is tender and the gravy is hot.