Sear a 4- to 6- pound of shoulder beef in a hissing hot pan, add one cupful of hot water, season with salt and pepper and place just where it will keep below the boiling point; do not let the water boil entirely away, but add only enough to keep it from burning; cover very closely. Cook until very tender, but do not let it break. Serve with a gravy.
Source: The Malleable Range cookbook, 1907.
