How to make Christmas beef at home?

Prepare a mirepoix of celery, onion and carrots by cutting them into chunks with a knife. Place the piece of meat in a bowl and add the freshly cut vegetables, ground peppercorns, bay leaves and red wine. Then, cover everything with cling film and leave to marinate in the refrigerator for 8 hours.

Remove the meat from the marinade and let it rest for 5 minutes on a tray. Meanwhile, pour the marinade into a saucepan, bring it to a boil and cook for 15 minutes over low heat. Pat the meat dry with paper towels.

Flour the piece of meat on all sides and remove the excess flour. Take the ham tail, remove the rind and cut it into chunks. Then, chop it very finely.

In a casserole put a couple of knobs of butter and the chopped ham and over low heat begin to fry. As soon as it is golden, add the meat and let it brown over high heat, turning it on all sides and being careful not to pierce it.

Add a couple of ladles of the marinade liquid, pass it through a sieve and cook the meat for 3 hours on low heat with the lid half open, turning it from time to time and adding some more wine if the cooking liquid is too dry.

Once the braised meat is cooked, remove it from the saucepan and set it aside on a plate. Transfer the cooking juices into a saucepan, add the remaining knob of butter and put on the heat. Also, add half a teaspoon of cornstarch and over low heat mix with a whisk until it reaches the right density.

Slice the meat, arrange it on plates and pour the hot sauce over it. Your beef is ready. Enjoy!