Like I said yesterday, it’s either a cheesesteak or it’s not. Anyone who calls it “Philly style” is either lying or just wrong. No one from Philly would ever call it that, so anyone who does say it doesn’t know what they’re talking about.
I don’t tell people they’re wrong “because I said so” very often. So give me this one, okay? I know cheesesteaks. And this one is closer to “right” than 99% of the ones I’ve tasted outside of Philly. And the next time will be even closer.
Ingredients
1½ pounds shaved sirloin steak
1 medium onion
kosher salt
white American cheese (or Provolone)
olive pomace oil
crusty Italian bread
Directions
A steak sandwich starts with steak.
Not shredded, compressed, re-formed “beef sandwich steaks”. Definitely not — and yes, someone in California served me this once — roast beef.
Ask the butcher to shave it for you. Extremely thin slices across the grain are the secret to tenderness. Also, the more surface area there is the more room there is for the Maillard reaction to work its magic.
Before you start cooking, peel and slice the onion.
Salt the steak before putting it in a pan, then on the other side once it’s in the pan. (High heat, a little olive pomace oil before you put the steak in.) Cook enough for one sandwich at a time.
With the edge of a metal spatula, chop the steak into smaller pieces as it starts to cook.
When the steak is browned on the first side, flip it over and add the onions. Add a few tablespoons of water to release those lovely brown bits from the pan.
Keep chopping the steak with the spatula and flipping it to make sure it’s all well browned, and the onion is browned and softened. As soon as the onions are done — if the steak was sliced thin enough it should be done before the onions — scoop everything into a pile about twice as wide as the roll you’re going to put it on.
If there’s too much there for one sandwich push the extra to the side. Unless you’re working in a restaurant you don’t have to worry about the exact amount in one sandwich.
Turn the heat down low. Put two slices of cheese on top of the steak. Slice the roll in half, leaving a hinge on the back side. Place the open roll on top of the steak and cheese.
Leave the roll on top for about 30 seconds to a minute. The steam will melt the cheese and soften the roll. Then, with a long spatula, scoop as much of the steak up as you can with a single lift. Fill the roll with the rest of the steak.
There are plenty of toppings you could add, from ketchup to sweet peppers to pizza sauce. But if you’ve used good ingredients and prepared it well, it’s ready to go right now.
And that’s it.
Want more like this? For more recipes like this, that you can hold right in your hands, and write on, take notes, tear pages out if you want (Gosh, you're tough on books, aren't you?) you might be interested in How To Cook Like Your Grandmother, 2nd edition, Illustrated. Or to learn your way around the kitchen, check out Starting From Scratch: The Owner's Manual for Your Kitchen.
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82 Comments
I would like one of those for breakfast.
I love how you used a link from the Exploratorium to explain the Maillard reaction. I grew up in San Francisco so we would go there for field trip every year.
And since I have never been to Philadelphia, I will go with your judgment. But it looks darn tasty.
Krisitin, dammit why’d you have to go and say that? I’ve use the last of the rolls, there’s no steak left, and the butcher isn’t open yet.
Stephanie, cool, I didn’t know about the Exploratorium. I just went looking for a page that explained it pretty well and that was the first good link I found. I’ll have to put it on the list of things to do when (if) we take the girls to the West Coast.
Thank you! Since leaving Philly, I’ve been uh-mazed by what people try to pass off as a cheesesteak.
Steak-um and Cheese-Wiz just don’t cut it when one is hankering for a good cheesesteak (please note that is what people try to SERVE me, not what I would deem as Philly-worthy).
A good Italian, though, is my favorite (that is a sausage sandwich for those that don’t know).
I always look forward to your recipes! But how many people does this serve? When I shop at the grocery does 1 and Half pounds steak equal 2,3, or 4 sandwiches?
I know my daughter will love this! Thanks again for your Blog, we love the photos too!
Amazing! I just made Cheesesteaks for dinner last night… with French fries (fried not baked). The most important note in your step-by-step is to make “individual” sandwiches! I did the onion first (steaming the rolls over), then I did all the meat… and then when I got to the cheese… oooops! They were still tasty but I had already made a note to myself to change my steps!
These look fantastic!
Here’s my problem. I buy my meat in bulk from a rancher every Spring. I have good cuts of steak, but they’re not sliced already. How do you recommend a home cook slice the steak if it’s not pre-sliced from the butcher?
Thanks!
KristenM
FoodRenegade,
If you freeze the meat for about 20 minutes, it will be firm enough to slice thinly with a sharp knife. That is how I do it.
Ah Drew….you certainly know how to make a girl salivate at 9:45 am. That cheesesteak looks fantastic! Too bad we’re going out of town this weekend, or I’d be making this for dinner tonight. I guess there’s always next week.
Yeah baby, I love a good cheesesteak. I don’t know if the places around here do it the Philly way, but I have seen at least one place do it just like that from what I could see from the counter. They have an open kitchen, so I had a decent view, but the place gets busy around lunch time. Now that I have a good recipe I’ll have to make them myself.
What about the chicken version? I guess that would be called only chicken cheese sandwich… This is one of the few ways I eat beef. I love the stuff!
Mr. Kime, you explicitly instruct using a metal spatula; was there a particular reason why?
I ask because I don’t own one, and generally don’t like the idea of using metal utensils in my metal cookware.
Drew, now that my kids are getting bigger (6 & 2) I'll probably be taking them to the Exploratorium next time we visit my folks.
Kristin, the best way I know to slice beef thin from a large piece is to freeze the meat. If it's fresh, freeze it for about an hour. You want it firm, but not rock like. If it's already frozen, thaw it to a similar firm not rock consistency. Make sure your knife is freshly sharpened & honed.
Wit wiz, please
Being from Philadelphia myself, I would say that sounds about right but you didn’t explain to the poor people what kind of roll to put it on…Amoroso rolls…the Steak sandwich will never perfect without the right roll
Great tutorial, I wouldn’t say that you’re ‘missing’ anything, except I love (and I was born n bred in Philly, lived here all my life) sautéed mushrooms along with my sautéed onions. i do it just a bit differently but I think the end result is the same, except your roll doesn’t get quite as much ‘love’ as mine does:
over med-low heat in a 10″ cast iron pan, I drizzle some olive oil then roll the pan around to evenly coat it, then i throw in the chopped onions and put the lid on (onions take the take the longest to sautée). I slice a few mushrooms, then I throw them and the steak slices in, put the lid back on and give it a few good shakes (two hands: one shaking the pan, one holding the lid firmly against the pan) to get everything coated with oil and stirred up.
While that’s frying I slice the roll, take the lid off, drag the onions/mushrooms/steak to one side then while pinching the steak/mushroom/onions against one wall of the pan, tilt the pan to drain all the excess oil/grease away from the food, roll the pan lightly so it evenly coats the remaining open pan, lay my sliced roll open-face down, briefly put my bacon press on top of the roll (to ensure it soaks up any remaining oil) and place sliced american cheese over the steak/mushroom/onions. remove the bacon press, put the lid on, walk across the kitchen, set the microwave timer to 2 minutes, turn the burner off when there’s 10-20 seconds still left on the timer (cast iron pans retain plenty of heat) then the roll is very soft, soft enough in fact that I have to slide the spatula under it to flip it out and over onto a plate (if you tried picking it up with your fingers you’d run the risk of tearing the roll) then with the steaming, slightly toasted roll open face up on the plate, slide the spatula under the steak/mushroom/onion mix with cheese perfectly melted on top, lift it out and flip it over onto the roll in one smooth motion, then go back and collect any steak/mushroom/onion that wasn’t on the spatula the first time. Then close the roll and press it down firmly to trap the heat inside while compressing it enough that the end of it will fit into your mouth without too much trouble.
Cheeze whiz isn’t even cheeze, I like American cheese which, if you ever leave the country, is known as ‘American cheddar.’
And as far as Amoroso rolls are concerned, they’re good, they’re fine, but not necessary. I get 6″ “Pennsylvania Dutch” rolls from my food store by the dozen and you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between them and Amoroso’s, but they’re cheaper.
i like to melt the cheese on the roll in the oven and use mushrooms and add adobo seasoning
Any real Philly dweller will tell you that it’s not a cheese steak unless it has Cheez Whiz on it.
Fact.
It sounds good, but everyone from Philly knows that the only place you can make and enjoy a real cheese steak is… Philly. and everyone forgets about the roll, it has to be Amoroso’s. in short, don’t bother making your own, come to Philly and buy one yourself.
For God’s sake… so what if someone in Philly was the first one who supposedly made a Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich… People all over the world Im sure have their own Cheese Steak Sandwich and are just as good if not better. A Cheese Steak Sandwich can be anything that has some kind of sliced beef and chees and yes.. on a roll of some kind.. but in my business if someone came up to me and said.. “can I have mine on a biscuit” then you better believe that is what they would get it on. A Philly cheese steak is one thing.. a cheese steak is of many varities and all good.
Dr. Julie-Ann, I keep a box of Steak-Umm in the freezer for when I have a really bad craving. If you close your eyes and think really hard about a real cheesesteak, you can almost convince yourself … oh, who am I kidding.
Anon, that depends on what people you’re trying to feed.
Seriously though, the 1-1/2 pounds of steak I used filled two 9-inch rolls, with about enough left over for another 6-inch. My girls aren’t big bread eaters, so they just ate the steak with a fork. (Their fingers, actually.)
Barb, I thought about mentioning that you can do several at a time if you have a large electric skillet, but anyone who’s never seen someone do this at a real steak shop wouldn’t get it.
Kristen, put the steak in the freezer until it’s firm but not frozen. Then slice as thin as you possibly can. Ask your butcher, though. Mine loves special orders. Probably breaks up the boredom.
Charlene, I’ve always made girls salivate … oh wait, you were talking about the food. Never mind.
Bob, there are some places that make it right. But if they don’t have the rolls … well, check out this story for what Philly people do when they see a new cheesesteak place. (I’ve done exactly what the girl in that story does.)
Ben, believe it or not that would be called a chicken cheesesteak. It’s like how in Atlanta every soda is called a Coke, even if it’s a root beer.
Thor, because that’s how they do it in Philly … okay, it’s because it’s easier to chop the steak right on the grill that way. I always do this on uncoated stainless steel, because the meat browns up so much better. If all you have is non-stick, then obviously you don’t want to do like I did.
Anon, Wiz ain’t cheese. (And my mother could beat up your mother.
)
Anon, I mentioned that in the previous post where I made my own bread because I couldn’t get Amoroso’s.
Dave, that’s the advanced class. I was doing Cheesesteak 101.
William, when I still lived in (near) Philly I’d go with all the different flavors: pizza steak, green peppers, mushrooms … oh dear God sweet peppers, I wish I could find a local supplier for sweet peppers … sorry, where was I? But here, where it’s an occasional treat, I’m going with the basics.
Anon, Wiz ain’t cheese. How many times I gotta tell you people?
Anon the third, of course that’s the best answer. But that makes for a damn expensive cheesesteak if you’ve got to fly there first. Besides, there’s a guy opened a shop about a mile from here who’s from Philly, who gets the Amoroso’s shipped in twice a week. He’s only got provolone, not the white American I prefer, but it’s close enough.
Drew,
Where is this cheese steak place? We will be moving back (sadly) from Phillie to a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. I know when we lived there before we found it hard to find a good pizza, a good hoagie, a good cheese steak, chicken cheese steak and a good soft pretzel. Wow, if there is a place we can get cheese steaks that would make the move more tolerable! Please say it’s true!!!! If I could I would open my own cheese steak joint!
Unfortunately his shop didn’t last. I’ll be sure to post an update if I find anything new locally.
Can’t remember if it’s Pat’s or not, but but one of the famous spots in Philly uses the “cheese whiz” type sauce. Not my preference, but can be very tasty. The big provolone fad came when non purists knew the cheese was white but knew nothing about white american. (Yellow american just has coloring added to it) Amoroso rolls are best because of the crust. It’s a little thicker than most “philly rolls” you buy at the supermarket and thus has a bit of a crunch to it. Anyway, if you want a great philly you need to adjust this recipe just a bit. —Put the onions in the pan with a touch of butter. Place the steak on top to allow the onion flavor to really cook in. Seasonings are light salt, medium pepper, medium oregano, and heavy in the garlic powder (garlic is a natural meat tenderizer as well). Flip it over and work the steak. Don’t chop it up, just separate the pieces. You don’t need to beat it up. You just want to make smaller slices. Top it with the white american. You need to toast the roll inside somehow. In the pan is best. If you don’t all those lovely juices in the steak will completely soak the roll and you’ll be left with mush. Again, this is why the Amoroso roll is so good. Put your steak on the roll cheese side to the inside. A metal spatula works est because some of the flavor comes from the very browned pieces of steak that you scrape from the pan that can be left behind by the plastic spats. I worked at a plave called Philly Junction for 8 years in Boulder, CO. The family who owned it came from Philly and we had the Amoroso rolls and all our meats and cheeses shipped from Philly every few weeks. They were authentic Philly steaks and they were awesome. The right meat is key, we used the end cut of the round, the seasonings gave it flavor, and the roll was perfect.
im from West Chester which is about 30 min from philly. the two biggest places to get a cheese steak is pats or genos. they are in south philly and they are right across the street from each other. I personally go to a place outside of chester in woodlyn called Michaels sandwich shop. If you live in the city you might go to Jims or tony lukes. you talk about wiz not being cheese, but “Wiz with” (wiz with onions) is the classic request for a cheese steak in Philly. I like mushrooms and onions on mine and I think Amaroso is good but I like Bruno Brothers or Sarcones better. For a steak recipe though you did a pretty bang up job i think anyone that follows this to the letter will be able to enjoy something that is close to what we enjoy every week. the true secret to a good cheese steak is the roll though.
Michael’s, on the corner of Jefferson and Fairview … that’s what I grew up on.
Sorry, I should add a couple of things. When you are working the steak, you want to flip the whole thing over one more time when there is just a bit of pink still in the meat. Then top it with the cheese. This allows the last bit of pink to cook off while the cheese melts and you can pull it off onto the roll without over cooking any of it. ENJOY!!
Mike, everyone here who’s mentioned the onions talks about putting them down first. Michael’s, the place around the corner where I grew up — which in Philly means it’s the standard against which all others will always be measured — put the onions in after the meat. I think the difference is that they used Vidalia, so they didn’t need to be cooked as long to sweeten up.
The point of adding onions later is to make sure the steak is on the pan, not the onions. It is very important to sear the steak hot and make it quite brown on at least one side. I prefer Mozzarella cheese to American, but Prov is good too. If you really want to get insane, put some onion rings under the cheese.
Dee-lish-ee-oh-so.
Sorry to break it to you: American cheese isn’t cheese. It is processed garbage and has just as much right to claim it is cheese as Cheez Wiz does.
Anon, thanks for explaining why you put the meat directly on the grill rather than on top of the onions.
Zim, why thank you, yes it was.
Anon, you’re partially right. There are lots of processed “cheese food” type products that are marketed under the broad term “American cheese”. But there’s really quite a bit of variety within that term. The kind you see above is the deli-sliced “American Cheese”, which is almost entirely made from cheese curd, with only a few percent emulsifiers. The plastic-wrapped singles are, as you point out, frequently not actually cheese.
I kept hoping “american cheese” might just be a regional thing, and that actual cheese was going onto these sandwiches.
Really wish I hadn’t checked it out on wikipedia.
“The individually wrapped cheese slices are typically the least like natural cheese. These “slices” are actually individually poured onto each plastic wrapper and then set to emulsify. ”
oh barf me out…
Skip, yeah I know. I had the same reaction. But I am definitely not using the individually wrapped singles. Ecch.
drew, i love you comments..
The two big-names in cheesesteaks in philly are Pat’s and Geno’s (less than a block from each other) and they typically serve their cheesesteaks with cheese-whiz. Pat’s recommends it, while Geno’s uses it because of the popularity. So if you’re lookin for an authentic cheesesteak get it “wit” and whiz
Sammy, I’m going to have to disagree with you. Pat’s and Geno’s are tourist traps now. “Geno’s uses it because of the popularity.” That’s all you need to know.
A real steak place knows whether they like wiz or not. Some do, and they’re wrong, but I respect their right to be wrong. Any place that does it just because that’s what the tourists have been told by the Food Network they’re supposed to order … they’ve sold out.
I would NEVER ARGUE with someone trying to encourage others to make a steak at home. The joy of a cheesesteak is visceral and sublime.
MUST AGREE with 12/12 Anonymous that the “missing” ingredient here is the roll. You can get away with alot of other “mis-steaks” in this venture but a lousy roll means FAIL.
Also, I’m a fan of Pat’s over Geno’s (“Speak English!”)(but the hot sandwiches at the Korean place half a block up puts both to shame) but must give a nod to Hershey’s Market in Chester County: they make their own meat, use real local cheese, and slightly toast the roll. Yum, and under five bucks…what time is it? Are they open yet?
Chris, like I said earlier, this all started because I couldn’t get Amoroso’s so I tried making my own. They weren’t right, but they were pretty good. And next time they’ll be closer.
In Philly isn’t Cheez Wiz the cheese of choice?
Let’s see if I can explain this. What if I asked, “In New York, aren’t the Mets the team of choice?” Sure … unless you ask a Yankees fan.
To those of us on the outside fans from both sides all look pretty much the same, they all sound the same, what’s the big deal? But Yankees fans and Mets fans seem to be able to spot each other from a block away. And they’re all absolutely convinced the ones on the other side are wrong.
On the surface it’s sort of like that in Philly when it comes to wiz. Except that this disagreement actually matters. And no real Philadelphian eats wiz.
Clear now?
that was definitely the most serious debate ever about a philly cheesesteak. wow. lol…
i’ve been through philly once. and i don’t know where i stopped but yeah, it was the most amazing cheesesteak ever. some food you just have to get in certain places. like the difference between sweet tea in georgia and up north. but if you know how to make it, then hey…awesome.
Nah, that was nothing. Nobody here even talked about the other guy’s mother.
Yum. I could eat one of those everyday if I wanted to.
Staci, I once had one every day for a week just to see if I’d get tired of them.
Nope, still wanted one the next day.
Yum Yum!!
How to eat like your Italian Grandfather.
Ha! Well to tell the truth my father — who isn’t actually Italian, I get that from my mother’s side — is the only grandfather in my immediate family. And he’s not allowed to eat like this any more. Mom watches his diet like a hawk. She doesn’t want him in the hospital for his heart or his diabetes again.
Yo Philly… yep, born and bread. Philadelphians use Cheese Wiz but they also use Provolone and a little red sauce(spaghetti sauce) This is called a pizza steak. I like mine with American Cheese,Fried onions, and lots of Hot sliced banana or cherry peppers.Mushrooms are offered too. and then there is the Cheese Steak Hoagie also very good. Hot or sweet peppers are always offered as a side to put on your Steak sandwich. And yes the rolls are key.
Anon, you’re teasing me again with the sweet peppers. That’s it, I’m going to find a recipe and make my own dammit.
These sandwiches are so good. If you make one for anyone you will instantly have something they will request over and over from you.
Anon, that’s true. But these are mostly because I wanted them.
I’m absolutely in love with how easy these are to make. I whipped up a few last night and it took maybe 10 minutes, 15 tops, to go from chopping the onions to chowing down.
Since I’m commenting I might as well mention how much I enjoy this blog. Cooking has recently become a new hobby of mine to help break up the monotony of high school’s daily routine, and this website has taught me so many new techniques, as well as some delicious recipes. Thanks a bunch, Drew.
Ben, I’m glad it’s working for you. You say cooking breaks up the routine of high school … as a teacher or student?
Student. This time of year this isn’t a whole lot going on for us, so it’s good to find something outside of class that I can learn about and become good at.
Okay. Hmmm. I’ve been a reader of yours for a while, and I’m drawing some conclusions all over the place, but had to comment here.
If you insist on doing this in one pan (which nobody in Philly does), then you have to put the onions on first, on medium heat. Yours look way too raw! Do them on medium with a little oil/butter, get them soft and a bit colored (not much) and then reserve them. Less optimally, do they in do separate pans.
Maillard reaction? Cute phrase to use, but it is not really about browning here at all — it is about tender, chopped, flavorful meat. Nobody eats a Philly cheesesteak and wonders where are the “beautiful brown bits are,” the way people do while eating a pulled pork sandwich, for example. So, just drop the reference to Maillard, deal?
Olive pomace oil? Gimme a break. Neither your grandmother nor mine had this — and if they did, we’re not calling it that now. Canola is fine.
Now the melty cheese. Are you serious about turning heat to low, adding cheese, and then the roll? No! No wonder your “melted cheese” looks as hard as viagra in the picture.
First off, add the cheese just before the onions and meat are done. Cover. THEN turn down the heat, til nice and almost melted. THEN uncover, add roll, recover, remove from heat, scoop and serve. Not that hard.
You see, I know I’m coming across like a jerk, but I’m beginning to wonder about a lot of your techniques here (not just on this post). I’ve actually tried several of your recipes and they were marginal. Sometimes, I haven’t bothered to try because the premise or the opinion was off-base or too “my way or the highway.”
You won’t try these suggestions, I’m sure. I wish you would, but I doubt you will.
But having read your blog for a while now, I feel compelled to start commenting more actively.
Thanks for the feedback. If you’re going to start commenting more, could I ask you to log in, or at least leave a name, so I can recognize you?
Hey Drew!
Thanks for the great lesson on cheesesteak! North of Boston, where there is/was a large Italian population, I’m specifically talking about the Lawrence/Methuen area, they make killer Steak & Cheese subs.
A long time ago when I was 16, I worked for a shop that sold Steak & Cheese subs. We took an uncooked roast beef, shaved it in the meat slicer and portioned it out for use. To cook/assemble you put a little oil on the flat grill (not sure what type of oil – I was 16 and didn’t care) placed the meat on the grill and cut/chopped it with the spatula and a knife. Close to the meat, we put the customer’s choice of onion, mushrooms, peppers, etc and cooked that until tender. When the meat was almost done, we incorporated the meat with the extras then placed squares of white American cheese on top of the mixture. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER use orange American cheese! Then, after the cheese started to get gooey with the meat and onions, we used a long spatula (maybe 8 or 9 inch), and slapped the whole thing on a sub roll which may have been toasted on the grill or just sliced open.
My favorite is steak & cheese w/extra cheese n’ mushrooms! yum!
Thanks for the fantastic reminder!
I think I have to thank you for this post – I couldn't quite place what I've been craving for except that it concerned a sort of bun and cheese and some sort of meat…
You see, I lived in the US as a child and that has been 20 years ago; it's really hard to get your hands on typical everyday American foods, my Japanese grandmother would never cook like your grandmother even if she was alive, and sadly, some memories just fade and you forget those things like… Macaroni & Cheese, Rice a Roni, Sloppy Joes, Steak-ums, …and Cheesesteaks.
I think I'll make myself one tonight. I think the meat meant for shabu-shabu or sukiyaki would just work wonderfully. I'd have to get something similar about the cheese and bread… There was such a debate over the ingredients and preparations that I'm afraid to say it!! But the ones I ate back then weren't even authentic anyway, so who cares.
Trisha, if you’re in Japan (that’s my guess from what you wrote) then I think you get some leeway on finding the “right” ingredients. On the plus side, there’s no danger you’ll be using Cheez Whiz.
i had one of these in boston bus station once and i loved it. very good snack on a stopover to portland. then i had one in florida from a chain place in a food mall and it was dire. my point is dont eat in florida. im from the uk btw
portland, maine, i hope. a bus from boston to portland, oregon would be silly.
I’m trying so hard not to make the snarky comment … oh forget it, here it comes: So, I’m supposed to take food tips from the country that brought us blood pudding and spotted dick?
Have to say, I love the debates that go on here. Anyone from outside of Philly would have no idea what to believe since one “true” Philadelphian is all about whiz, and another’s for provolone.
As for the Amoroso thing, I have to ask, since I currently don’t have time to make one, how close is your bread to the original? Right now, I’m living right in the suburbs of Philly, so I can get a great cheesesteak whenever I want, but I might be moving for college next year, and I certainly don’t want to lose this part of my life!
By the way, as someone born and [partially-] raised in Philly I’d have to say my preference is American cheese and fried onions, but certainly not from Pat’s or Geno’s! There are only eight thousand other places to get a cheesesteak from..
Since the time I made these, I got some bread flour. With that the rolls are pretty close to Amorosos. Not exact, but good enough.
Just curious to know why specifically "olive pomace oil". (As opposed to just "olive oil".)
William, olive oil has a relatively low smoke point. Pomace has been refined, removing most of the solids that actually burn. It also doesn't add any flavor to what you're cooking. You could probably use pure or even extra virgin, and just cook on a lower temperature, but you'd be adding more flavor, too. That might not be a bad thing, but probably not what you were expecting.
Sometimes your choice in ingredients seem at odds with the name of the blog (unusual ingredients (olive pomace oil?) don't seem very grandmotherly).
Canola oil works just fine, and your last few steps could be improved. When I made this stuff in a restaurant (in MI so I'm in no way claiming to be an authority on cheesesteak) I started with sautéing the onions first and then on to when you get to the point to add the cheese, leave the heat on high, toss a little water in the pan to get it steaming, put the cheese on the meat, put a lid on the pan for a few seconds (count to about ten, if there's enough heat and steam that should be plenty of time), then on to the roll over the cheese and steak (don't have to leave it as long of course) etc.
Granted part of the difference in method is in a restaurant you don't mess with the heat much (tends to stay on high), but this way the onion is cooked better (you have to admit in the picture it looks undercooked) and the cheese is nice and gooey.
And it's probably sacrilege to some of the cheesesteak purists out there, but I always liked eating mine with just steak sauce on it.
Anon, if your grandmother were Italian there's a good chance she used pomace. But if I really wanted to go traditional, I'd be calling for lard anyway.
The technique you described for the steam and cheese, and flipping it into the bun, works a lot better on a flat grill with a long spatula. In a frying pan with a "normal" size spatula, it's just too hard to get the flip right. I've tried plenty of times, and usually end up dropping half of it back into the pan.
Drew, I saw this while I was browsing and thought you might be interested. It's a comparison of which place in Philly has the best cheesesteak.
http://miniandmicro.blogspot.com/2009/09/philly-cheesesteak-classic-pats-or.html
Melissa, I think the comments on it nailed it. Pat's and Geno's are both tourist traps. There are plenty of places to get a much better steak.
And Wiz is the devil.
I was born in California, but i’ve always been obsessed with finding and/or making the perfect cheesesteak, thanks for sharing!
My absolute favorite food!!!!
Hey Drew,
This looks wonderful…… But, my only problem is that i live in north east Thailand and Sirloin is few and far between!
(the natives do eat dog…… but nah don’t think so!)
I did try this recipe with ground chicken and it was heavenly!!
Thanks again.
Mr. Coconut
I know that there’s no theoretical difference between eating cat & dog, and eating beef and pork … but I think I’ll stick with steak on this one.
This is remarkable in its simplicity and deliciousness. Try it with Bison sirloin sometime to cut the cals/fat……you can hardly even tell the diff!
Ted, I just made these again last week, and my steak was a little too lean. I need to find a slightly fattier cut next time.
Try ribeye…much better for cheesesteak
Just wondering why the Pomace oil? Regular EVOO would be better, or regular canola would be better.
Pomace has a higher smoke point and less flavor than EVOO, making it better for frying.
As for canola, you can read more than you really care to know about canola oil right here. Short version is that canola is really unhealthy for you even if you don’t scorch it. But if you heat it even a little past its smoke point it can go rancid quickly.
Ah. I’ve read that Pomace is really bad for you also. That’s just from cursory internet research, but there you have it. I generally use OO or plain old Wesson – sometimes peanut for frying. MY grandmother always fried in Crisco.
Anyway, thanks for the Cheesesteak directions, I’m going to make this tonight. I’ll probably use veg oil and a maybe little butter for cooking the meat. Cheers!
Goota have provalone and miracle whip for me… and a chewy roll. I dig steakumm too.