Sunday Lunch: Perfect Homemade Svíčková (Czech Beef Sirloin in Creamy Vegetable Sauce)

Step-by-step method

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At a glance

This beloved Czech classic takes about five and a half hours from start to finish, but most of that is hands-off roasting time. The trickiest part is larding the beef with frozen bacon strips to keep it juicy and flavorful, then you'll sauté vegetables, build a rich sauce with vinegar and mustard, and roast everything together until the meat is tender enough to slice thin. Homemade dumplings and a smooth, creamy sauce finish off this Sunday showstopper.

  1. Freeze the bacon strips

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    Freeze the bacon strips

    Cut the bacon into strips about 1 cm thick, running the full length of the piece. Put the bacon strips in the freezer for two hours — they'll firm up and become much easier to work with.


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  2. Lard the meat with bacon

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    Lard the meat with bacon

    I happened to have bacon the same length as my meat, so I was able to thread it all the way through in one go. If your bacon strips are shorter, insert them from both ends instead. Use a sharp, narrow knife to make a hole through the meat, then push a strip of bacon into it.


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  3. Tie it up

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    Tie it up

    Tie the meat firmly with kitchen string.

Sunday Lunch: Perfect Homemade Svíčková (Czech Beef Sirloin in Creamy Vegetable Sauce)

bohynekuchyne
Active time total 2 h 58 min
Prep 10 min Cook 2 h 48 min
Plus 2 h of resting (not counted in active time)

15 Ingredients

12 Steps

Hard Difficulty

Ingredients — what you'll need

You only need 15 ingredients

Adjust servings

About this recipe

Svíčková is one of those dishes that instantly brings back childhood memories for me. My grandmother made an incredibly good svíčková, and after years of experimenting, I've come back to her tried-and-true recipe. My sauce is beautifully dark, thanks to the carrots and the juices from the meat. The dumplings are homemade, and the meat turns out beautifully tender and juicy.

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