Transcript: How to Make a Philly Cheesesteak
Hi, I'm Chef John Mitzewich for About.com, today we're going to do a home version of the famous Philly Cheesesteak.
Philly Cheesesteak Beef
For this version we're going to use a whole beef flank steak, a beautiful cut of meat. We're going to salt and pepper both sides. Now, in Philadelphia they are using a top-round roast beef, they freeze it and slice it really thin and cook it raw right on the grill. But at home we're going to use a little different method I think comes out a lot better.
Sear the Steak
We're going to take that whole flank steak and in a hot pan with a little bit of oil ( 1 1/2 tbsp) and we're going to sear it for 5 minutes per side. We're trying to get this a nice medium rare. What we're going to do is after the 5 minutes per side is take some heavy-duty aluminum foil and put the hot flank steak right on top and quickly wrap it up, trapping in the heat. That's going to finish cooking right on the cutting board. We're going to leave that for 20-30 minutes and it should be a perfect med-rare.
Chill the Steak
Now, we're going to put that in the fridge and chill it completely.
Prepare the Philly Cheesesteak Garnishes
In the meantime we can get the traditional garnishes ready; sautéed onions, and sweet and/or hot peppers. Once the flank steak is completely cool, we're going to slice it 3 sections lengthwise, that's with the grain. Look and the beautiful marbling, that's what's going to make this so juicy. And then we're going to take a sharp knife and cut it in really thin slices against the grain. Then this will be warmed up in a hot pan and because it's already cooked, it's going to keep most of the juices and it's going to be really tender and delicious.
Heat the Steak and Onions
So, in a hot sauté pan (no oil needed) with a little extra salt, we're going to add the onion to the meat. Now, let me teach you some Philadelphian, it's not "with onions" it's "wit onions." It's even printed on the menus like that. So I'm going to have mine "wit" onions. We'll put some pepper on later. Remember this is already cooked, so we're going to just warm this through.
Philly Cheesesteak Rolls
For the roll we're going to use a nice soft French roll. You don't want anything hard and crunchy otherwise you'll have projectile cheesesteak flying out of both ends. Slice that, but not all the way through.
Philly Cheesesteak: Cooking Method 1
Place the provolone cheese, the traditional cheesesteak cheese, on the roll and melt it for a few minutes in the oven before topping with the meat. This works great if you are doing it for lots of people because you can do lots at a time. Don't forget the pepper. That's method one.
Philly Cheesesteak: Cooking Method 2
This is the authentic Philly version. We're going to heat the onions and peppers and steak in the pan, you top it with the cheese and then throw the roll on top. The roll traps the cheese and helps it melt and warms the roll a bit. Then you scoop it up with a spatula and smush it into the roll and cut it in half. So that is the authentic Philly version.
Philly Cheesesteak: Finito
There it is, one of America's great sandwiches. There's the full frontal view.
Unbelievably delicious, and this version is better than what you get in Philadelphia. That's right, it tastes better and way less oil than they use at the cheesesteak shops. I realize there's a large angry mod forming in Philadelphia right now, with pitchforks and torches, because of what I just said. But, I don't care... they still have the Liberty Bell and that statue of Rocky. Anyway, I hope you give it a try. Enjoy.
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How To Make A Philly Cheesesteak
