CHICAGO-STYLE ITALIAN BEEF SANDWICHES

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Season the chuck roast liberally on all sides with the salt and pepper.  Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat and sear the meat well on all sides.  Remove to a plate.

Add the onions, garlic, and thyme bundle to the pan drippings and cook for 2-3 minutes until soft and fragrant.  Add the beef stock to the pan and deglaze, scraping any brown bits of the bottom of the pan.

Add the juices only from both the jars of pepperoncini and giardiniera to the pan along with the sun-dried tomatoes and Italian seasoning.  Bring to a boil and place the meat back in the pan.

Cover and place in the oven.  Cook for 3 ½ – 4 hours until the meat is falling apart.  Remove and shred the meat in the cooking liquid with 2 forks.

Cut the rolls in half, length-wise and spread butter on the cut sides.  Place, buttered side up on a foil lined baking sheet and toast for 4-5 minutes until golden.

Combine 1 cup each of the drained pepperoncini and giardiniera on a cutting board with 1 cup of the roasted red peppers and rough chop them together.

To assemble the sandwiches, place a heaping amount of beef on the bottom of each roll and top with the pepper mixture and 2 slices of provolone.  Place them (open-face) in the oven for another 4-5 minutes until the cheese is melted and the rolls are toasty.  Cover with the top roll and devour!