My husband is from Germany, so he is all about sauces. He also does not like "Wild." I made this dish, when I was lucky enough to get some venison from my step-son-in-law. My husband raved..."Now, this is a German meal!" I have made this dish with pork. I have added Chanterelles and Morels. This recipe is a keeper. The more woodsy you can make it only enhances the flavors. Ruth Ward, bless her, came up with a real winner! I make home made spaetzle with this and I cook down 3 big onions in Ganse Schmaltz. They are the garnish for the spaetzle. I also buy a jar of Lingonberry preserves to set on the plate, for a touch of sweet and sour. A really great meal!

These ABSOLUTELY rock!! I cut the bacon content back to one half pound and the beef back to 1/2 pound. The butter beans are what make this dish. I did not drain any of the beans. And, I only had light brown sugar, so that is what I used. I used navy beans, butter beans and Campbell's baked beans. Relatively inexpensive and a snap to make.

As I read the other reviews, I was certain that those who said they had too much sauce left over might have needed to cook the sauce down until it became a ragu of veggies. In my mind's eye, I knew the final product I wanted and went for that. For my taste, the wine needs to cook down and mellow completely. In my opinion, if the sauce is watery and has a red wine color, it has not been reduced enough by simmering. I made this recipe exactly as written. Cooking time was 3.5 hours to get the stew-like consistency of the sauce and vegetables. I used white rice as the accompaniment. Excellent.