1. Bring 12 cups of water to a boil in a large soup pot or stockpot. Add the steak, halved onion, garlic, red bell pepper half, cilantro sprigs, and 1tablespoon of the salt and return to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium- low and simmer for 1 hour.

2. Strain the broth into a clean bowl. Set aside 2 cups for later and freeze the rest in a sealable plastic freezer bag to use at another time (the broth can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months). Set aside the meat to cool and discard the vegetables and cilantro. Once the meat is cool, use your fingers to shred it into long, thin strips. Set aside.

3. Heat the olive oil over high heat in a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven. Add the shredded meat to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until it has darkened and become slightly crisp around the edges, about 5 minutes. Add in the chopped onions, chopped red bell peppers, green bell peppers, shallots, garlic, ají dulce and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt, cooking, stirring occasionally, until the onions and peppers begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce, and add the reserved broth.

4. Increase the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes, reduce the heat to medium, and stir in the bay leaves and black pepper. Simmer until the liquid reduces by half, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaves and serve with white rice or arepas.