Daube of Beef in the Style of Gascony Recipe

Three or 4 days in advance, cut the chuck and bottom round into 12 or 16 pieces of approximately equal size. Place all the meat in a large bowl. Add the carrots, onions, garlic, celery root, bruised peppercorns and the quatre épices. Pour in the wine. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the meat marinate in refrigerator for up to 3 days, stirring once a day. A day before serving, preheat the oven to 250°F. Remove the meat from the marinade and dry with paper towels. Reserve the vegetables and the wine marinade together. Heat the duck fat in a large heavy skillet. Generously season the meat with salt and pepper. Deeply brown all the meat in batches in hot fat, about 5 minutes for each batch. Line a 6- or 8-quart enameled cast-iron casserole or daubière with the pork rind, fat side down. Place the browned meat on top of pork rind. Add the garlic from the marinade and the herb bouquet. Strain the marinating liquid through a fine strainer into a bowl. Press down to extract all juices from the vegetables. Add the vegetables to the skillet, cover and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Uncover and allow to brown over high heat for 5 minutes, stirring. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the vegetables to the casserole. Sprinkle the Armagnac over the meat and vegetables. Wipe out the skillet. Pour in 1 cup of the marinating liquid and bring to a boil, scraping up all the bits and pieces clinging to the bottom of the skillet. Skim carefully. Boil down to a glaze. Add another 1 cup marinating liquid and reduce to a glaze. Add the remaining marinade and simmer, skimming, for 5 minutes. Add 3 cups water and bring to a boil. Pour over the meat and vegetables. Cover the meat and liquid with a sheet of crumpled parchment paper and a cover. Transfer to the oven and cook for 6 hours. Carefully remove the meat to a large bowl. Puree one third of the vegetables and the marrow in a food processor. Press through a sieve over the meat in the bowl. The cooked pork rind and meat from the shin can be diced and added or discarded. Cover and refrigerate. Strain the cooking liquid and discard the remaining vegetables. Skim off as much fat as possible. Pour the liquid into a heavy saucepan, bring to a boil, and set half over the heat. Cook at a slow boil, skimming, for 10 minutes, or until reduced and very flavorful, about 2 cups. Let cool, then cover and refrigerate. On serving day, remove any additional fat that has surfaced. Place the meat and the sauce in a wide ovenproof serving casserole in a cold oven. Set the oven to 350°F and bake, uncovered, until bubbling and dark brown, about 30 minutes.