Ask the butcher for beef, sliced thin for Rouladen or beef rolls. The slices should be slightly less than 1/4. Place the meat slice on a cutting board. Using a flat meat mallet (or the bottom end of a wine bottle!), gently pound the meat thinner without tearing the meat. Repeat with the other meat slices.
Lay out the prepared onions, pickles, and bacon. I like to chop the pickles so there will be an even amount through the entire roll and you don't come up short on the ends using one pickle spear.
Place one meat slice on the cutting board flat. Place a dab of mustard on the meat (off center) and smooth out. Cover 1/3 of the meat.
Place 2 slices of bacon in the mustard area so they dont extend beyond the edge of the meat. Add to this, a palm full of the pickles (or 1 large spear) and a palm full of onion slices.
Wrap this up, starting with the meat filling end, and tucking the sides in as you go. Tie the roll off in the center with kitchen twine (preferred) or use a toothpick. Repeat this for the other 5 rolls. Season them all lightly with salt & pepper.
[Heat oven to 350 degrees]
Place an oven-proof pan with lid (or pot) on the stove and raise the heat to medium high. Add 2 remaining slices of bacon and oil. Heat for 2 minutes. Place all the beef rolls in the pan. If they don't all fit at once, do this in two steps. Sear for 1-2 minutes. Flip them over and sear for another 1-2 minutes.
Add the broth, but do not cover the rolls completely. Add the vegetables and thyme to the pan and cover. Place in heated oven and cook for 90 minutes.
After the meat is fork tender, remove them from the pan and place in a large bowl. Remove the strings or toothpicks from the rolls.
Strain the stock into a sauce pan and bring to a slight boil. Turn off heat. With the original oven pot on another burner, melt two tablespoons of butter over low-medium heat. Add the flour and mix with a spoon. Heat and continue to stir until it turns light brown to make a roux.
Add the heated stock to the roux and whisk until its smooth and begins to thicken. Return the Rouladen to the finished gravy pot and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Serve with egg noodles (Spaetzle) or mashed potatoes.
