Question??-Philly Cheese Steak

oldbill said:

I'd bet that thinly sliced tri-tip would be good for cheese steaks as well!

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it is very good sliced and made into cheese steaks.

Cheez Whiz is an abomination and it's inventor should be relegated to the 9th circle...

Definitely Ribeye and CheezWhiz. It is worth sacrificing a Ribeye for a cheesesteak, they are so good.

BV

I bet hangar steak would work great for this. Its soooo tender

I am going to give it a try!!

I use grilled onions and provolone

I know its not traditional, but its how I like it

Put your rib eyes in the freezer until it's about frozen and then slice it thin, it's worth the extra work in the end.

Cheese wiz is just an option. No more traditional than provolone or American. In fact, I've lived here my whole life and don't know one person that gets wiz on their steak sammiches.

Schmoke said:

A 'proper' cheesesteak uses Cheez Whiz. Provolone may make it a much better sammitch (and it does for many), but Cheez Whiz is needed for authenticity. Similarly, if you don't use that Amoroso bread, it's not authentic.

The original poster requested "authentic". If he meant 'best tasting', this thread is most helpful.

Similar to the oft-debated Chicago style pizza -- cornmeal in the dough or not? NO, if you want authentic. YES, if you want something that many believe improves on the original.

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The topic of cheese on an "authentic" Philly cheesesteak gets argued about, a lot. I personally agree with aawa that there are at least two, possibly three "authentic" cheeses. My family ate cheesesteaks with provolone. I don't remember EVER eating one with Cheese Whiz.

CD

Big M1ke said:

Cheese wiz is just an option. No more traditional than provolone or American. In fact, I've lived here my whole life and don't know one person that gets wiz on their steak sammiches.

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Ah, I posted before reading to the bottom. :doh:

As a kid in the Philly burbs, I don't recall anyone I knew eating a cheesesteak with Whiz, either.

CD

Chopped brisket, provolone cheese with diced jalapeno peppers on a steak roll simply redefined the sandwich for me.

Authentic or not, you can have a good cheesesteak without murdering a ribeye. We have a butcher in the local farmers market who sells thin cut steak meat by the lb. I wish I knew what cut it is, I'll have to ask him next time, it's definitely not ribeye though and it's still makes for a good steak.

I like mine with American cheese, sauce and onions, I like to call them suburban cheesesteaks since that's what most of us in the burbs are used to. When I'm in the city though, it's Wiz Wit for sure.

Here's some semi-authentic inspiration I entered in a TD a while back, I lost to a farking Aussie if you can believe that! :tsk:

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=145815

BTW, if you haven't had a Schmitter, you might want to look into that too. :grin:

One Wit Wiz ! They are the best !

Big M1ke said:

Pats is far from the best in Philly.

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+1! I was born and raised in Philly. The tourists flock there, and they are tasty after midnight when you are drunk, but on ther than that I stay away. Gino's across the street isn't much better!

Tony Luke, Jim's at 4th and South, and Johns rost pork sandwiches are better places to go IMHO.


Thin sliced ribeye is what most use.

The roll does make the cheesesteak. i know you cant get Amaroso outside of philly, but if you use the freshest roll you can that is only hours old, it's hard to go wrong no matter where you live. Crusty on the outside with a soft inside is what you want. White House subs in ATlantic City is the place to go in south jersey, and thier rolls are delivered one shopping bag at a time every 20 minutes or so from the bakery across the street. The fresh roll is what makes that makes the sub.

Pats started using cheese Whiz to speed up production, since you dont have to wait for it to melt. Pats also has a pile of pre fired onions and a pile of pre cooked beef on the corner of thier cook top to speed up production, so the flavors don't blend properly and it can get a little dry.


Put a little oil on the hot plate and add some onions to let the soften for a minute or two. Then put the steak on top for a short while then shred it with two spatulas so it cooks evenly. Salt and pepper , Then put cooper white American cheese on it (IMHO, Cooperimelts the best and tastes the best) and put the roll on top to help melt the cheese. Then slide the spatula under the steak and pick it up and turn it all over so that the roll is on the bottom.

Put whatever you want on it. All this crap you hear that it has to be made a certain way and you have to stand funny to eat it is for the tourists. They will put whatever you want on a cheesesteak.

Chris

fingerlickin' said:

When I'm in the city though, it's Wiz Wit for sure.

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Yeah, but you hate seafood of all kinds so your judgement is suspect to begin wit.

Been eating cheese steaks all my life and worked in a sub shop for many years so here's how we did it...

Crazy thin sliced rib eye and plenty of it. Nothing worse then a skimpy cheese steak.
Get your griddle nice and hot
Add a little Olive oil and toss on some diced onions and get them cooking.
About half way done, add some mushrooms if you like. I do.
Put the meat over the onions and mushrooms and get 2 spatulas and chop/tear the meat and while it cooks. The meat should never be left whole.
Once the meat is done, line it up the length of your roll and layer on your cheese. I prefer Provolone. American in a pinch. NEVER Whiz. I have never seen anyone eat Whiz on a cheese steak. Ever.
Once the cheese is down, lay your roll on top and give it a few seconds to let the cheese melt.
Put one hand on the roll, and get your spatula in the other under the meat and do a quick turn of the meat and roll together.

Where I worked we made huge 14 inch long sandwiches. I got burned more then once with molten hot cheese sticking to my arm as I did the flip.

As for rolls, I like a softer roll, not a crispy outside roll. Amarosa's are good, but Buono's is the best. http://www.buonobrosbakery.com/

Enjoy!

Doing a search on Philly Cheese Steak I found this thread. I have two questions.

1.) What make the magical PA Italian Hoagie roll, whomever you choose as the bakery and several were mentioned, so good? What's the magic? Most of these places don't ship and freshness seems to be a crucial key. I have access to some great hoagie rolls here and can get them fresh that day. What's the consensus on that? I was thinking 7"-8" rolls.

2.) When slicing the rib-eye I'm assuming across the grain and remove all of the outside fat before trimming. I would think a good marbled rib-eye would work fine. So am I on track with the trimming? Also I thought about 3/4 lb of meat per sammie.

I want to do these for a Packer tailgate party of about 25 people. I have (2) Weber Q200 gas grills and was thinking of putting a Lodge cast iron griddle on them to cook the sandwiches. Let me know your thoughts.

Thanks,
Jon

Dang, I thought I killed this thread!

Cheez Whiz, grilled onions, ribeye, soft roll and a birch beer on the side. May be my death row meal.

Bluesman said:

Doing a search on Philly Cheese Steak I found this thread. I have two questions.

1.) What make the magical PA Italian Hoagie roll, whomever you choose as the bakery and several were mentioned, so good? What's the magic? Most of these places don't ship and freshness seems to be a crucial key. I have access to some great hoagie rolls here and can get them fresh that day. What's the consensus on that? I was thinking 7"-8" rolls.

2.) When slicing the rib-eye I'm assuming across the grain and remove all of the outside fat before trimming. I would think a good marbled rib-eye would work fine. So am I on track with the trimming? Also I thought about 3/4 lb of meat per sammie.

I want to do these for a Packer tailgate party of about 25 people. I have (2) Weber Q200 gas grills and was thinking of putting a Lodge cast iron griddle on them to cook the sandwiches. Let me know your thoughts.

Thanks,
Jon

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Bump for spring and because that spring training thread got me thinking about cheesesteaks again. Not to mention we all ignored Bluesman. :grin:

1. I don't know what exactly makes the bread so good here. I've heard it's the water, also the altitude of some places just isn't conducive to good bread.

I don't travel much so I've never had a cheesesteak anywhere else but from what I hear from people that have, most do suck.

I find it hard to believe that no where other than Philly can make a good enough bread. Sometimes it's just hard to top the original I guess.

2. Sounds about right to me. Very thin slices is the key.

I hope your steaks came out well for you.

J'ville Grill said:

I believe it's thin sliced rib eye. Cheese take your pic.

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rib eye :thumb:





provolone, caramelized onions, green pepper slices & mushrooms:



I could of cooked the onions longer.. my bf bought the bread--could of done better.

I like mayo on mine.

EDIT: Btw, I never heard of cheese whiz on a philly. Provolone I thought was traditional. White American seems most common ( I guess cause it is cheap).