Italian Beef Sandwiches, Pot Roast-Style

Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat oven to 300°.

In a Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high. Liberally sprinkle roast all over with salt and pepper. Brown roast on all sides in hot oil until golden and caramelized, 7 to 8 minutes per side. Reduce heat if the fat begins to smoke. Transfer roast to a plate. Reduce heat to medium.

Add onion to Dutch oven. Cook, stirring occasionally, until just beginning to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic, Italian seasoning and crushed red pepper; cook and stir 30 seconds. Add wine, stirring to loosen any browned bits from bottom of pot. Simmer until reduced by half. Stir in beef stock and thyme; return to a simmer.

Return roast to the Dutch oven along with any accumulated juices. Place in oven. Roast, uncovered, until very tender, 31/2 to 4 hours, turning roast every 30 minutes.

Transfer roast to a cutting board and tent with foil. Strain the jus in pot through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Skim and discard any fat. Return jus to the pot. Bring to a simmer and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Keep the jus at a very low simmer over low.

When the roast has cooled enough to handle, pull it into smaller chunks. Return the meat to the jus and give it a quick toss.

Place some beef on each roll and top with some Roasted Sweet Peppers and some Homemade Real Giardiniera. Quickly dunk whole sandwiches in the hot jus. Wrap sandwiches in parchment and let stand at least 1 minute to "settle." Serve sandwiches with small bowls of jus on the side for dipping.