Servings: 6

3 pounds’ beef rump roast or venison or tri tip 3 pounds’ beef rump roast or venison or tri tip
3 tablespoons vegetable oil 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 small onion chopped ½ small onion chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 1/2 tablespoons pickling spices (store bought or homemade-see below) 1 ½ tablespoons pickling spices (store bought or homemade-see below)
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar ¾ cup apple cider vinegar
2 1/4 cups water 2 ¼ cups water
6 tablespoons packed brown sugar 6 tablespoons packed brown sugar
9 (or so) ginger snaps finely crushed 9 (or so) ginger snaps finely crushed

Brown roast on all sides in oil in a heavy kettle. Remove and place in stew pot on stove or slow cooker. Add next 6 ingredients. On stove, simmer 3 to 4 hours or in crockpot for 6 to 8 hours on low.  Remove meat.  Keep warm.  Strain juices.  Measure 4 cups into a saucepan.  Add crushed gingersnaps. Whisk until gingersnaps dissolved and gravy is thickened
**Whole cookies can be soaked in a small amount of marinade until soft, then whisked until smooth to make a slurry, then added to the hot marinade and brought to a boil to make gravy.

PICKLING SPICE RECIPE  PICKLING SPICE RECIPE
2 cinnamon sticks, broken  2 cinnamon sticks, broken
1 tablespoon mustard seeds  1 tablespoon mustard seeds
2 teaspoons black peppercorns  2 teaspoons black peppercorns
1 teaspoon whole cloves  1 teaspoon whole cloves
1 teaspoon whole allspice  1 teaspoon whole allspice
1 teaspoon juniper berries  1 teaspoon juniper berries
1 teaspoon crumbled whole mace  1 teaspoon crumbled whole mace
1 teaspoon dill seeds  1 teaspoon dill seeds
4 dried bay leaves  4 dried bay leaves
1 small piece dried ginger  1 small piece dried ginger
Mix together all the ingredients. Do not grind. Chunks are good in this. Store in a small, airtight jar up to 2 months. Makes about 1/4 cup.  Mix together all the ingredients. Do not grind. Chunks are good in this. Store in a small, airtight jar up to 2 months. Makes about ¼ cup.