Homemade Italian Beef

Ingredients

• 3 pounds beef necks, or other meaty beef bones like beef shin
• 2 pounds oxtails
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 medium carrot, chopped
• 4 medium cloves garlic, peeled and left whole
• 2 bay leaves
• 10 black peppercorns
• 4 cloves
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 green bell peppers
• 8 Italian rolls
• 2 pounds thinly sliced roast beef

Directions

1. Set a rack in the lower-middle of the oven and heat it to 450 degrees F. While the oven warms, cut away as much meat as you reasonably can from the beef neck bones and oxtails. Cut any larger chunks into thin strips, about 1/4-inch-wide. Put the meat and bones in a large, heavy-bottomed roasting pan, and use tongs to toss everything together. Slide the pan into the oven and roast, stirring about every 10 minutes, until the meat and bones are deeply browned, about 45 minutes total. Take the pan out carefully, then move the meat and bones into a large pot.
2. Leave 1 tablespoon of fat in the roasting pan and pour off the rest. Add the onion, carrot, and garlic, and give everything a good stir. Set the pan across 2 burners over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until the onion begins to take on color, 3 to 5 minutes, lowering the heat if things look like they might burn. Pour in 1 cup of water, then use a wooden spoon to loosen the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Turn off the heat and carefully scrape the pan contents into the pot with the meat.
3. Pour in enough water to nearly cover the meat and bones, approximately 8 cups. Add the bay leaves, peppercorns, and cloves. Bring the pot to a simmer over medium-high heat, then lower the heat so it barely bubbles. Skim off any foam that collects on top with a spoon. Let it cook until the liquid has reduced to 4 cups, 4 to 5 hours.
4. While the broth cooks, roast the green peppers. Put the peppers in a cast-iron skillet or a medium-sized roasting pan. Place them in the 450 degrees F oven and cook until they are lightly charred all over, turning them every 10 minutes, about 40 minutes total. Remove them carefully and let them sit until you can handle them. Peel off the skins, pull out the stems and seeds, then cut the peppers into 1/4-inch thick strips. Set them aside.
5. Strain the beef broth into a medium-sized saucepan, discarding the meat, bones, and vegetables, or saving the meat for another use. Warm the broth over medium-low heat until a thermometer reads 140 degrees F, checking the temperature constantly. Adjust the flame as needed to hold it there. Season the liquid with salt, about 1/2 to 1 teaspoon, plus a few extra grinds of black pepper.
6. Wrap the rolls in aluminum foil and put them in the 450 degrees F oven. Heat until warmed through, 8 to 10 minutes. Take the rolls out of the oven, but leave them wrapped.
7. Measure out 1/4-pound of roast beef. Add the slices to the broth one at a time. Gently stir them with a fork until they are warm, about 30 seconds. Unwrap one roll and slice it horizontally almost all the way through, keeping the top and bottom connected. Lift the beef from the broth with a fork and tuck it into the roll. Add some giardiniera and roasted peppers on top. Do the same with the remaining beef and bread.
8. For a dipped sandwich, grab it with tongs and lower the finished sandwich back into the broth. Eat right away, with plenty of napkins nearby.