Lorene Mutschler Nilles's Sauerbraten

Ingredients
Meat
Amount	Ingredients
3 or 4 lb	Chuck Roast or other beef meat
1 Med	Onion
Marinate
1 ½ cups	MILD cider vinegar
½ cup	Water
1 TBSP	Whole pickling spice
1	Bay leaf
1 TBSP (Heaping)	White Sugar
1 TBSP	Salt
Gravy
½ cup	Brown sugar
2 TBSP (Heaping)	Flour
Directions
Preparation
Two to four days ahead of time place meat in shallow pan. Peel and cut onion in 4 pieces. Place in dish. Mix Marinate well and pour over meat and onion. Place in refrigerator. Each day turn meat over on other side.
Cooking for Oven		Cooking for Slow Cooker
Place meat with marinate in roasting pan and cover. Place in oven for 1 hour at 350 ° F.		Place meat and marinate in cooker. Place on medium for several hours until meat is tender. This I have not done so you will have to test it out.
Cooking for Stove top
Place meat and marinate in heavy pot with lid. Cook on high until marinate comes to a boil. Turn in on low and cook for about one to two hours on low. You will have check to see when the meat is cooked completely.
Gravy Making
In all three cases when meat is done, remove it and an onion to separate bowl. Clean off as many of the spices that cling to the meat as possible. Chop up the onion and put it in a separate little bowl. Strain all the spices out of the marinade. The marinade will be the basis for your gravy. Place two heaping tables spoons of flour or corn starch in a half cup of cold water and stir. Set it aside for the moment. In a deep skillet place about 1/2 cup of brown sugar and 2 to 3 tablespoons of marinate. Melt the brown sugar in the skillet and stir it constantly until it caramelizes. Caramelizes means it begins to turn brown. Be careful not to burn. Pour marinade and onion into the skillet and bring to a boil. Stir the flour/cornstarch up and slowly pour it into the mixture until the mixture reaches the thickness you want. Remove from heat. You have your gravy.