It uses a layer of aluminum foil right on top of the meat and its cooking liquid. Turning up the edges of the foil makes the condensation from the inside of the pot lid collect in the foil instead of diluting the ever-concentrating sauce. I also use cheesecloth under the meat as it cooks, the better to lift it out intact when it is exceedingly tender. The recipe for the shoulder of lamb couldn't be simpler. All it really takes is patience and a butcher who can bone and tie the shoulder, the only tricky step.
Flavor comes from blanched bacon, onions, garlic, thyme and red wine.
Cooking the gelatin-rich second and third joints from chicken wings along with the meat adds body to the sauce as it cooks. You need not brown the meat, because it will caramelize nicely during its seven-hour sojourn in a 275 degree F oven. The red wine to match with this dish should have rich concentration to hold its own against the layers of flavor in the food. Of all the reds we tried, only Pinot Noir did not improve. But the biggest miracle belonged to Paolo Scavino Barbera d'Alba 1992, by itself a lightish wine with a nice core of appealing cherry flavor.