The curious may wish to view my comparison of sauerbraten recipes, which I used extensively to develop a recipe of my own.

Marinade
1 white onion, medium (½ inch) dice
1 carrot, medium dice
1 celery, medium dice
1 cup white wine vinegar
½ cup cider vinegar
½ cup (dry) pinot noir
2 bay leaves
12 tellicherry black peppercorns
8 madagascar cloves
7 juniper berries
¼ tsp yellow mustard seed
7 allspice berries
⅓ stick ceylon cinnamon
salt
4 lbs beef rump roast

Combine all ingredients, except for the beef and salt, in a medium saucepan. Bring the contents to a brief boil, then simmer for 5 minutes. Cool the mixture to room temperature. Rub the beef with salt. Transfer the beef and the marinade to a sturdy plastic bag. (Optional: place the bag in a plastic container. Now if the bloody thing springs a leak, your fridge won’t smell like vinegar.) Allow the meat to marinate for three days, turning once every day to ensure even marinating.

Other Ingredients
4 slices bacon
2 Tbsp butter
1.7 lbs marrow bones
4 cups water
½ white onion, medium dice
1 carrot, medium dice
1 celery stick, medium dice
5 Tbsp all purpose flour
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
4-8 gingersnaps, finely ground
½ cup golden raisins

1. Remove the roast from the marinade. Pat the exterior surface dry. This step is important because the beef won't sear well if it's sopping wet.
2. Pour the marinade through a fine sieve, reserving the liquid. Press out any additional liquid from the solids and discard the solids.
3. In a dutch oven over low heat, fry the bacon in the butter. Once the bacon is crisp, remove the bacon from the pan, preheat the remaining fat over medium heat, and sear the exposed marrow on the bones. Thirty to sixty seconds on each side (top and bottom) should be sufficient. Remove the marrow bones from the pan and reserve. Note: the marrow won't color all that much, so don't look for browning.
4. Sear the roast on all sides, about thirty to sixty seconds a side. Use butcher's twine or a handy set of tongs to maneuver the roast up on its ends. Leave the roast in the pot and immediately proceed to the next step.
5. Turn the heat down to low. Place the reserved liquid (Step 2) and the marrow bones in the dutch oven with the beef. Add about four cups of water. Cover the dutch oven. Simmer very slowly for three to four hours, turning the meat at the halfway point. Note: if you're actually using a dutch oven, low heat should be sufficient for a slow simmer so long as you cover the pot.
6. About an hour before the beef's done, add the mirepoix (onion, carrot, celery) to the pot. You could also add a sachet (bay leaf, thyme, parsley stems, garlic), but I didn't and it's not absolutely necessary.
7. The beef is now finished. Remove the beef from the dutch oven and allow the roast to rest. Strain the remaining contents, reserving the liquid. (Optional: scoop out the marrow immediately and add to the hot marinade through a fine sieve. If the marrow does not dissolve, return the marinade and the marrow to a pan over medium heat until the solids are completely gone.) Quickly chill the cooking liquid until a layer of fat solidifies on the surface. Remove the fat to a separate container, but save both the fat and the liquid.
8. Using 4 Tbsp of reserved fat, the flour, and the sugar, create a roux. Cook until the roux turns to the color of caramel or peanut butter. Then slowly add the reserved liquid (from the previous step) in batches. Note: lumps are more easily formed if you just dump the liquid in all at once.
9. Add the raisins and the ground gingersnaps to the gravy. Cover the pan and turn off the heat. After 5-10 minutes, you can serve the gravy with the sauerbraten.

For the braised red cabbage, use this recipe from Food Network, with a few modifications.

Ingredients for the Braised Cabbage
4 slices of bacon, diced
1 yellow onion, cut into thin strips 1-1½ inches long *
1 ceylon cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
kosher salt to taste
2 small heads of red cabbage
½ large granny smith apple, small julienne *
2 to 3 cups white beef stock
¼ cup white wine vinegar
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
2 Tbsp (dry) pinot noir
2 Tbsp Splenda
freshly ground peppercorns, to taste
1½ tsp arrowroot

* You would normally apply a larger cut to these, considering the amount of time the ingredients will cook. However, Tyler and I didn’t really want any additional contribution of texture—only flavor.

The directions are pretty much the same, except for that little line at the end in bold.

1. Cook the bacon until crisp, over medium heat in a large Dutch, that has a lid, about 4 minutes. Add the onions, cinnamon, bay leaves, and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is tender.
2. Increase the heat to medium-high, add the cabbage and cook, stirring, until wilted, about 8 minutes. Add the apple, stock, white wine vinegar, cider vinegar, pinot noir, Splenda, the remaining salt, and pepper, and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is tender, about 1 hour.
3. Remove the cover; bring to a boil and cook for about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the mixture to cool, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Create a slurry using the arrowroot and an equal amount of water. Add the slurry to the cabbage mixture and stir. Transfer to a serving dish and serve.

Critical commentary may be found at Christmas 2009 in Review.