So how do I make one on par with something I would find in the city of Brotherly Love?
I don’t know this first hand but I have read about it. The way people in other parts of the country go wrong is to froo-froo up the ingredients out of some misguided gourmet sensibilities. I read that the cheese needs to be some type of Cheese Wiz from a can to make it real. People can correct me if that is wrong but that is the big tip that I know of.
This link supports that:
http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/North_America/United_States_of_America/Pennsylvania/Philadelphia-860659/Restaurants-Philadelphia-Philly_Cheese_Steaks-BR-1.html
Get a good quality hoagie style roll, you won’t find an “authentic” roll if you’re not near Philly, so just get one you like.
Thinly sliced beef. Get good beef, like a ribeye. Don’t get a rump roast or other cheap cut.
Fry up some chopped onion, they should be cooked through and soft, but not browned and crunchy.
Fry up the beef, quickly, it shouldn’t be cooked to death
Put the beef and onions on the roll, top with warm cheez whiz. Go light on the whiz, don’t drown it, the cheez will melt down through the whole sandwich.
Enjoy.
Some prefer provolone instead of Whiz. I would consider Whiz the original, but that doesn’t mean you’ll like it best.
I think I need to make a day trip down to Philly…
I dunno, I got one at Subway last week.
Damn, I suddenly wish I was back on the other coast. I concur with everything Cheesesteak said and I’d emphasize the importance of a quality roll. Also, like Shagnasty noted, an authentic Philly steak is very no-frills (although personally I like getting mushrooms on mine when I go to Jim’s.)
And yeah, cheez whiz is the popular choice, but I’m a “provy-with” kind of guy.
Paging Airman Doors.
Here’s another thread that covered the topic pretty well.
Now I’m hungry!
Oh, where to begin…
OK, first of all, my credentials. I have been making Philadelphia cheesesteaks for my entire adult life. After I failed out of college the first time (1995) I went to work for two men who came from the Philadelphia area, one from South Street and one from Levittown. As a part-time gig I am back making them for some cash on the side (and making a pretty good chunk of change doing it, too) for the same guys. You can take that for what it’s worth.
So, where do I begin… I know.
Where I work we use what is commonly known as blade meat (it’s actually rib meat). On occasion we use top round. We freeze it solid, then we put it on your average run-of-the-mill slicer, like you would find at any deli in the world. We slice it thin, like ham or turkey. That’s the first step. I’m sure if you ask you can get a deli to slice you some top round if you buy it there, and that’s good enough.
So now you have thinly sliced top round. Now you put it on a grill. By grill I mean a large, flat, gas fired cooking area (a commercial-style grill). Since you won’t have access to that I suggest going to Wal-Mart and getting a cast-iron griddle (something like this, with one side smooth and the other side ribbed, one that can go across two gas burners. If you’re doing this at home this is key. Use the smooth side.
Next step: heat it up until it’s really, really hot. Once it’s up to temperature put some oil on the surface. Use a 10% olive oil/90% vegetable oil blend so that the oil doesn’t overwhelm the meat. Next, put onions on the grill. Diced onions are preferable, although sliced onions (ring-style) will do in a pinch. The onions should all but burn immediately. That’s your cue.
Throw the meat on. It should immediately start to cook on the edges. Now you start to break it up. Ideally you should have a spatula like this. You should also have something resembling a putty knife. Yes, it sounds funny, but that’s exactly what you need. You take the spatula and you run it down the putty knife, chopping the meat up until it’s very fine. Once that is done (and the meat is browned the whole way through) you grab your roll. Again, ideally you want an Amoroso’s roll’ but barring that a good, solid steak roll will do.
Next, you cut the roll lengthwise. If you’re looking for true authenticity you want Cheez Whiz. As for me, I prefer American cheese, but that’s just my opinion. At this point you also want to mix the onions in with the meat.
Anyway, you now slather the roll with Cheez Whiz. Then you open the roll and place it at approximately a 45 degree angle to the meat, which you want to align at a 90 degree angle to you (straight line away from you). Now comes the tricky part, which takes a while to learn and 12 years to master: take the roll and push it towards the steak with a 45 degree rotation (you want it to lie on top of the steak). At the same time, push with the spatula. That forces the steak into the roll. Now that the steak is into the roll, take the spatula, put it under the roll, lift everything at once, flip the steak over, and pull the spatula towards you. At this point the steak is done. Put more Whiz on top. You now have what is known as “Cheez wit”, a steak with Cheez Whiz and onions. That, my friend, is as authentic as it gets.
Yes, it’s easier said than done. The guys at Pat’s and Geno’s are amateurs compared to me, so if you want to see how it’s really done come to the Harrisburg area. Otherwise, I guess I’ll have to get Robin to put a camera on me while I do it so I can demonstrate. Yeah, I guess I can do that. I’ll post the link here when it’s done.
Now, you can take this for what it’s worth because I’m not from Philadelphia, but given my experience and my teachers I think you can take my word for it. It’s your call. A lot of people call me an amateur, until they eat my steaks. Then the talk dies away.
I am not a native Philadelphian, but here’s what I’ve picked up in my travels. Any locals can correct me on the finer points:
The bread is pretty much the important part. Amoroso rolls are pretty much de riguer for an authentic cheesesteak, although I seem to recall another bakery in Philly that produces very good bread for the sandwiches.
The beef they use is generally either ribeye or top round. I know Pat’s uses ribeye and Jim’s uses top round. I personally prefer thinly sliced ribeye.
Acceptable cheese are provolone, Whiz, and American. I actually like mine with Whiz, but I can understand those who insist nothing but provolone belongs on a steak.
After that, you have the option of having it with or without grilled onions. That’s your basic cheesesteak set-up. Some places offer options like mushrooms, peppers, pizza sauce, etc.
And the most important part, you have to make at least a hundred batches and never, ever wash your cooking surface or implements. That’s where the flavour comes from.
Alton Brown advocates the use of “chain meat”, which comes off of the side of a beef tenderloin. I do not have a local butcher, so I have never tried this myself. Anyone know what he’s talking about, and have any opinions regarding its use in a cheesesteak?
I just found a bar near me that is owned and operated by Philly ex-pats. They fly Amoroso rolls in for their cheesesteaks (made with Cheese Whiz), and they have Tastycakes by the cash register.
Hmmm. I may have to go there tomorrow night. And I was trying to eat well for the new year.
Sweet!
Yum.
I make the trek into West Philly at least once a month from my home in the “western 'burbs” so I can go to Jim’s Steaks (over by St. Joe’s, a lesser-known “brand” but my personal preference), and my absolute favorite part, the thing that makes a Philly cheesesteak so good, is the flip at the end that Airman describes, when meat-meets-roll-meets-mess. Half the time, I don’t even let them wrap it up – I just take my sandwich on whatever plate they give me, find a corner, and chow down.
Oh, and I like American cheese on my cheesesteaks, unless I’m getting a pizza steak, in which case I go for Provolone (duh).
One of the better ones I’ve made was from leftover prime rib, onions, American cheese and a hunk of French bread.