Homemade Philly Cheesesteak

 

Having parents who both were born and grew up in Pennsylvania, steak and cheese have been bred into me. When we would go back "home" to visit the grandparents, we stopped for a steak and cheese (and a side of fried pierogies) at a local eatery called Feasta Pizza. We would usually follow this up with a round of mini golf at Oasis.

However, the majority of the year, we lived quite far away from here, and as such, making steak and cheese at home became a necessity. But not just any steak and cheese. Rather, legit Philly cheesesteaks.

INGREDIENTS

2 Pounds Thin Sliced Ribeye
Italian Sub Rolls
1 Onion
Cheese Whiz / Provolone / American Cheese (pick one)

To make it legit Philly style, there's some things to keep in mind. First and foremost, the meat. It has to be thin sliced ribeye steak. Quality. Don't bring that cheap stuff, and throw the Steak-Um's in the trash!

Good bread is a necessity. A high quality Italian sub roll with a good crisp on the outside, and soft interior is the best pillow to lay your steak and cheese upon.

Start by dicing up your onion, and heating up a skillet, grill top, or pan. I'm using an electric skillet to keep it simple and easy.

To this, I'm adding a dollop of oil. I'm talking just a splash. You're not looking to coat the pan, just the onions you're about to throw on top of it. A good steak and cheese is juicy, not greasy. Let the small amount of oil start your cooking, and the fat from the meat finish it.

Give it a good stir, and let the onions fry up a bit, hitting them with a little salt and pepper to season them.

You want your onions to brown a bit, and start to turn slightly translucent. The key is to not overcook them. You want them to have a nice crunch to them.

Even though your steak is already thin sliced, you're not going to just throw this in the pan.

Instead, slice it up into strips, and get ready to give your arms a workout.

You want to slice it up as much as possible, getting to an almost "ground beef" size. This is honestly easier to do if you get it down to small bits, and then use your spoon or spatula to keep slicing it as the meat cooks up.

Speaking of cooking it up, you want to ensure a couple things happen here. First, season your meat good with salt and pepper. Crucial though is the low and slow method. You're not quick frying meat here. You're making a steak and cheese.

I'm cooking mine on low heat, letting the meat take its time. I'm also not cooking it all the way to full well done. While it's still a little pink, I'm layering it with my cheese.

The steam that gets trapped from this will not only melt the cheese nicely, but cook the meat the rest of the way, ensuring it's just right. Not undercooked, but also not overcooked.

I really wanted Cheese Whiz, but couldn't find it at the store, and quite frankly, got tired of looking. So instead, Provolone was selected. Cheese Whiz, Provolone or American are the only acceptable cheeses for use on a true Philly cheesesteak.

When all the cheese is melted, use your spatula to portion off a bun size helping, and scoop it into your roll.

It's simple, it's delicious! You know what's up. Get you one, and get to digging in!

No knives or forks allowed. No condiments needed, and certainly no lettuce or tomato. The only thing that would have made this better would have been a schmear of Whiz!

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