Philly Cheese Steak Recipe

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"The cheesesteak made its official debut in 1930. Pat Olivieri was a South Philadelphia hot dog vendor who one day decided to put some beef from the butcher on his grill. A taxicab driver noticed the alluring aroma and asked for his own steak sandwich. The next day, as the story goes, rumor of the delicious lunch had spread, and cabbies around the city came to Olivieri demanding steak sandwiches. Soon after, Olivieri opened up a shop on 9th Street and Passyunk Avenue, Pat’s King of Steaks, to sell his new creation. Eventually, according to legend, he added cheese to the recipe. Today, Pat’s grills are sizzling 24 hours a day, as are Geno’s, the rival shop across the street. For 40 years, the two shops have waged a friendly competition to win the title of best cheesesteak in town, with Geno’s founder, Joe Vento, claiming it was he, not Olivieri, who first added cheese to the cheesesteak." Quoted from, VISITPHILLY.COM

Regardless who added the cheese first the Philly cheese steak recipe, or cheesesteak recipe, was here to stay.

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Coat the roast with olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Place on a rack in a roasting pan and roast, uncovered, until an instant read thermometer registers 120° F / 50° C.

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Mise en place for the cheese steaks.

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Heat a large saute pan over medium heat.  Add enough olive oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pan. Add the onions, peppers and mushrooms to the pan and saute, tossing occasionally, until the onion is lightly caramelized.

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slice the roast making thin slices across the grain, about an eighth inch thick, about 3 mm.

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Slice bread lengthwise. Using a spatula, scoop 1/3 of the meat mixture and cheese and lay on bread with cheese on top.

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Variations of cheese steak recipes are now common in several fast food chains, cafeterias, food carts, bars and even some fine dining restaurants. In Philadelphia they are cheese steaks or cheesesteaks, outside of Philadelphia they are referred to as "Philly cheesesteaks".

The first time I had a cheese steak in Philadelphia I was with some friends. We were walking through the Reading Terminal Market, pronounced "Redding" for some reason. (I'm not certain but that may be part of the reason my friend, who grew up in Pennsylvania, always referred to it as Pennsyltucky.) We walked up to a cheese steak vendor and ordered, and there is a right way to order, "one whiz wit!" That gets a cheese steak with onions and cheese whiz. I didn't realize until later that I could have ordered it with provolone - the way I ordered them in NY.

I make my cheese steaks from eye of round roast and I roast the meat before slicing and frying it. I like my meat a little thicker than you get with shaved beef. So I roast it, cool it, then slice and chop it. When I fry the meat I only need to heat it through, since it is already cooked.

By any name, cheese steak, philly steak and cheese, cheese and steak, cheesesteak, or philly cheesesteak and whether or not you make it like I do or prefer the original method of partially freezing, slicing, and then frying the meat it is one absolutely delicious sandwich.

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"One Provolone Wit" Cheese Steak Recipe

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• Yield: 3 sandwiches
  Prep Time: 45 minutes
  Cook Time: 10 minutes

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Ingredients

• 1 - 2 to 3-pound / 1.5 kg roast, eye of round, rib eye, or sirloin tip roast
• Extra virgin olive oil, to coat the roast and saute the vegetables
• Kosher salt and cracked pepper, to taste
• 1 green pepper, julienned
• 1/2 yellow onion, julienned
• 6 to 7 mushrooms, sliced thin
• 6 slices provolone cheese
• 3 sandwich rolls

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My Method

1. Coat the roast with olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Place on a rack in a roasting pan and roast, uncovered, until an instant read thermometer registers 120° F / 50° C. Remove from oven and let rest at least 30 minutes, loosely covered with foil, or until ready to finish the sandwiches.
2. Heat a large saute pan over medium heat.  Add enough olive oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pan. Add the onions, peppers and mushrooms to the pan and saute, tossing occasionally, until the onion is lightly caramelized.
3. In the meantime, slice the roast making thin slices across the grain, about an eighth inch thick, about 3 mm. Stack the slices and cut into 1/4 inch / 6 mm slices. Essentially you are julienning the roast.
4. When the vegetables are ready add the meat to the pan and saute off for about a minute, stirring frequently. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Heap cooked meat mixture in a long length-wise pile across the frying pan, Lay cheese slices over meat until melted.
5. Slice bread lengthwise. Using a spatula, scoop 1/3 of the meat mixture and cheese and lay on bread with cheese on top.

Traditional Method

1. Unwrap and place the roast in your freezer until partially frozen, about 30 minutes. Using a sharp knife slice very thin slices of meat, across the grain.
2. Heat a large frying pan over high heat, add olive oil and lower heat to medium. Add the onions, peppers,  and mushrooms. Stir and cook until mushrooms darken and onions start to look transparent.
3. Add steak slices and cook for approximately 3 minutes or until meat is lightly browned. As the steak is cooking use the edge of a metal spatula to chop and tear the meat. Add salt and pepper to taste.
4. Heap cooked meat mixture in a long length-wise pile across the frying pan, Lay cheese slices over meat until melted.
5. Slice bread lengthwise. Using a spatula, scoop 1/3 the meat mixture and cheese and lay on the bread with cheese on top.
   

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Notes

• There are many cheese steak recipes out there, some use cheese whiz, some use american cheese, some with provolone, with or without mushrooms and peppers, but the unifying theme is beef cheese and onions.
  

Tags: cheese steak recipe, philly steak and cheese, cheese and steak, cheesesteak recipe

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