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1
Pat the meat thoroughly dry. Season generously with salt and black pepper on all surfaces. Heat the fat in a heavy-based braising pot over high heat. Brown the meat on every surface — do not rush this stage. The crust must be deep mahogany, not merely coloured. Turn the piece only when each face releases cleanly from the pan.
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2
Remove the meat and reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic to the same pot. Cook in the rendered fat until softened and lightly coloured at the edges. Add the bay leaves and rosemary.
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3
Return the meat to the pot. Pour in the red wine — the liquid should cover the base of the pot by no more than 1–2 cm. Do not submerge the meat. This is the Italian principle: minimum liquid, maximum concentration. Bring to a gentle simmer, then cover tightly and transfer to an oven at 160 °C.
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4
Braise for 3–4 hours, checking occasionally that the liquid has not dried out entirely. The meat generates its own liquid during cooking; add only the smallest quantity of water if the pot threatens to catch. At hour 3, press a fork into the thickest part of the meat — this is where the dish lives or dies. The fork must slide in with no resistance, and the meat must begin to separate into fibres at the touch. If any resistance remains, return the pot to the oven and continue cooking until this test is passed.
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5
Once the fork test is satisfied, remove the lid, increase the oven temperature slightly or transfer the pot to a medium-high burner, and reduce the braising liquid for the final 30 minutes. The sauce is ready when it coats the back of a spoon in a thick, glossy layer and clings without running.
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6
Skim the fat from the surface of the sauce. Alternatively, allow the pot to cool and refrigerate overnight; the fat will solidify into a layer that can be lifted away cleanly before reheating. The finished sauce should be silky and intensely flavoured — the gelatin released from the collagen-rich cut gives it body.