Dirndl Kitchen

0 To create the marinade, in a medium-sized pot, let powdered sugar melt and caramelize until light brown. Add in the red wine and bring to a boil over high heat. Let cool completely. Place the beef shoulder in a large container (I used a gallon size freezer bag), pour the wine marinade onto it, and let marinate in your fridge for 3 to 6 days.
1 Peel the vegetables and cut them into chunks. Remove the meat from the marinade and pat dry.
2 Pour the marinade into a pot and reduce it to a third of the liquid, removing any foam with a skimmer.
3 Add oil in a large pot over medium heat, brown the beef from all sides, then remove it from the pot (mine sprayed hot oil a lot, so make sure to use a splatter guard).
4 Add the tomato paste to the oil and let brown for 30 seconds to a minute while stirring, then add the cognac, the reduced marinade, and chicken broth.
5 Return the beef to the liquid and add the chopped-up vegetables. Cover with a lid and let roast on the stovetop for 3 to 4 hours at just below boiling (medium simmer), until the meat is tender.
6 20 minutes before the end of cooking time, add in the allspice, pepper, anise, cinnamon, juniper berries, bay leaf, garlic, ginger, lemon peel, and orange peel.
7 At the end of the 20 minutes, remove the beef and strain the roasting liquid, maybe returning it to the pot to let reduce some more if still too thin.
8 In a small skillet, caramelize the powdered sugar over medium-high heat, then pour vinegar into the skillet and let boil down until the mixture has a syrup-like consistency.
9 Add butter to the reduced roasting liquid and season to taste with the just-made vinegar mixture, salt, cayenne pepper, and sugar.
11 If still too thin, thicken by removing a few tablespoons of the sauce, whisking in a little bit (½ tablespoon at a time) of cornstarch, then removing to the sauce and bringing to a boil. Repeat if necessary.
10 Cut the beef into slices and cover in sauce. Serve with potato dumplings to soak up more of that yummy sauce and braised, red cabbage. Guten Appetit!