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1
The marinade - 48 to 72 hours in advance: Place the peppercorns, juniper and allspice into a mortar or small plastic bag, or fold up a piece of waxed paper.
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2
Crush with the pestle if using the mortar or a rolling pin or hammer if using the bag or paper.
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3
Transfer the crushed spices to a small saucepan.
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4
Add the bay leaves, cloves, salt, vinegar, wine, and onion slices and bring to a boil.
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5
Transfer the marinade to a large bowl and let cool to room temperature.
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6
(I prefer a glass or stainless steel bowl.
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Whatever you use, don't use plastic: the acidic marinade will absorb flavors from plastic.)
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8
Tying and marinating the meat: Using kitchen string, tie the beef into a neat, compact shape.
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9
As soon as the marinade is cool, add the beef to the bowl and roll in the marinade to coat all sides.
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10
Cover, refrigerate and marinate for 2 to 3 days, turning the meat once or twice a day.
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11
(There is no special timing here for turning the beef in the marinade.
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12
You just want to make sure that over the course of the 48 or 72 hours, the meat is turned 3 or 4 times so it marinates evenly.)
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13
Heat the oven to 300 degrees F.
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14
Browning the meat: With tongs, lift the meat out of the marinade, scraping any onion slices or spices that stick to the meat back into the marinade, and transfer it to a plate.
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15
Reserve the marinade.
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16
Pat the meat thoroughly dry all over with paper towels.
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17
Heat the butter and oil in a large Dutch oven or other braising pot over medium heat.
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Add the meat to the pot and brown well on all sides, 20 to 25 minutes total.
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(You may need 2 implements to turn the meat: try tongs and a large metal spatula.
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Lift the meat from the pan with the spatula, grab with the tongs, and turn.)
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21
Transfer the meat back to the plate.
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22
Pour off all the fat from the pan, and deglaze the pan with the reserved marinade, scraping any browned bits to loosen.
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23
Bring the marinade to a simmer and add the meat.
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24
Cover with parchment paper, pressing down so it nearly touches the meat and the edges of the paper hang over the sides of the pot by about 1-inch.
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25
Set the lid firmly in place, and transfer to the lower third of the oven.
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26
The braise: Braise the meat at a gentle simmer for 1 1/2 hours.
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27
Check after about the first 10 minutes to see that the liquid is not simmering too energetically; if it is, lower the oven by 10 to 15 degrees.
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28
After 1 1/2 hours, turn the meat over, using the tongs, and metal spatula, and continue braising gently for another 1 1/2 hours, or until fork-tender.
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29
The finish: With the tongs and metal spatula, transfer the meat to a cutting board with a moat and cover loosely with foil to keep warm.
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30
Strain the cooking juices into a saucepan and let sit for a minute.
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31
Gently tilt the pan and skim off the fat with a large spoon.
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32
Whisk in the gingersnap crumbs and sugar, place the pan over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil.
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33
Gently boil the sauce for 5 minutes, whisking often, to reduce and thicken it slightly.
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34
Lower the heat to low and whisk in the sour cream until smooth.
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35
Heat through, but do not let the sauce boil, or the sour cream will curdle.
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36
Taste the sauce for salt.
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Serving: Remove the strings from the meat, and pour any accumulated juices into the sauce.
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38
Carve the beef into thick slices.
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39
If the slices crumble, which they sometimes will, just cut into irregular pieces and arrange on a platter.
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40
Spoon the sauce over the beef and serve.
