Cheesesteak help from Philly DIS'ers

[lagunaseca]

We want to make Philly cheesesteak sandwiches on Sunday in honor of the Eagles. I KNOW that there are no TRUE Phiily cheesesteaks made outside of Philly but how can I come close to them? What kind of cut of meat is best? I've made french dips with deli roast beef but that's not going to cut it for a traditional cheesesteak. Any suggestions or tips would be much appreciated! (p.s. I know I probably put this topic in the cooking thread but not many visitors there)

 

[CRB#33]

Oh gosh, I've never made them, only ordered them

I have no idea, but I think what you're doing is pretty neat!

GO EAGLES!!!

 

[caitycaity]

that is a great idea!

 

[mulanrouge]

I have only seen the specials on the food network, and they said that they use Rib-Eye steaks.

 

[caitycaity]

you inspired me to search for recipes...

this one uses roast beef:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/230976

some of teh other ones i have seen said to use thinly sliced flank steak...

 

[dvcfamily41801]

Must have Cheese Wiz and onions.

 

[transparant]

Must have Cheese Wiz and onions.

That is a MUST! Mmmmmmm!!!! Now I'm craving one!

 

[JoenAdamnErinnSam]

My market has "sandwich steaks"(this is from the meat section-not frozen,i.e. steakumms)-not sure what cut of meat they are-but it is fairly lean-just a little marbling-and its almost shaved.I saute some butter-and carmelize some onions in the butter, then put the steak in with some onion salt and pepper-cook through(I let the meat brown).I top them with cheeze whiz on really good rolls-very simple and yummy

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

One time for a party I took a recipe for a broccoli ham ring and modified it to make a Philly cheesesteak ring. Turned out great!

EDIT: Whoops! Hit submit instead of preview. Anyway, if you'd like I can find the recipe and let you know how I modified it.

 

[Tiggeroo]

Alot of markets sell sandwich steak. You can also buy steak-ums. Not as good but not bad. The secret is the roll. You want a good italian roll, not the kind that come in a bag in the bread section. Half of philly uses cheese whiz, the other half uses american or provolone. Brown the steak, gril the onions, put the cheese on top (if not using whiz) and cover with a lid til it melts a bit. Scoop onto the roll. Yumm. DH and I also do mayo, tomatoes and lettuce on ours.

 

[Cantw8]

Go to the grocery store and ask for frozen chip steak...that is what you want. 1lb. of the meat should get you about four sandwiches. If they don't sell it in your grocery store, go to a meat market (OK, that sounds funny..you know what I mean.) Fry it up in an electric skillet with just a little bit of vegetable oil. Chop the meat up real fine. Add cheese (we prefer American). In a seperate pan on the stove, fry some onions and sweet peppers. Keep those seperate in case others do not care for them. I also add plain pasta sauce to the meat.

We just had these tonight and they were delicious. We will also be serving these on Sunday......GO EAGLES.

 

[Jennifer S]

Please do not ruin a cheesesteak with Cheez wiz. No offense to those that like it but for a first timer please try american or provalone.I can't stand cheese from a can. I also love marinara sauce with fried onions and mushrooms.

Can you get Amorossa rolls where you are? They are wonderful. Have fun!

Let's go EAGLES!!

 

[Blondy876]

As long as you have a good italian roll and cheese whiz you'll be fine. Now I'm hungry.

 

[j's m]

The meat isn't what's important. It's the bread. I think only PA/NJ have the right water to make the bread. You can't have the rubber rolls out of a bag, it has to be a cheesteak roll. They are special.

I think it's great that so many of you will celebrate with us.

GO EAGLES

 

[luv2nascar]

we don't use cheeze whiz yuck.
american cheese
actually we are doing our own version
sometimes the bread is just to filling for us
so we do it like a taco bar but its for cheesesteaks
I cook the meat & we use tortillas
we have couple kinds of cheese, lettuce, tomatoe, salsa
and everybody makes their own
they are delicious

 

[lagunaseca]

Thank you ALL for your suggestions. I am off to find the perfect rolls. Hope everyone has a SUPER Sunday!

 

[Blondie]

The meat isn't what's important. It's the bread. I think only PA/NJ have the right water to make the bread. You can't have the rubber rolls out of a bag, it has to be a cheesteak roll. They are special.

I think it's great that so many of you will celebrate with us.

GO EAGLES

That's right, it's all in the bread! Whenever we're in Philly visiting relatives, one of the things we bring back with us is a bag of Amoroso's rolls! You can duplicate the meat, the cheese, the onions, etc.

But you can't duplicate the rolls made in Philly!

 

[micki7337]

It's all about the roll. From what I've been told it's Philly water that makes these rolls so special. Also why our soft pretzels can't be duplicated anywhere else.

I was in St. Maarten a few years back and there was a steak and hoagie shop run by some displaced Philadelphians. They tried to duplicate the cheesesteak and hoagies but they were horrible! I will never, ever order a cs or hoagie anywhere but home!

GO EAGLES!!!!

 

[Dax]

Yes its all in the rolls...I agree with everyone...

Also NO CHEEZ WHIZ!!

When the Phillies come to clearwater to play for Spring Training, I believe they have the rolls shipped in from Philly to get the authentic taste...

 

[phillybeth]

Sorry to all the Whiz haters, but the true steak uses Cheez Whiz. We don't call them Philly steaks here, don't have to, everyone knows what you are talking about. And true steaks don't use peppers, mushrooms, sauce, or anything like that. Just steak, onion, cheese, and roll. Ketchup, mustard and mayo are acceptable toppings, if not exactly true to the original. And if you put lettuce and tomatoes on it you no longer have a steak, but a cheesesteak hoagie which is a travesty and unnatural. There are steaks and there are hoagies and the two should NEVER be combined in any form.

And I agree on the roll issue. Getting true steak rolls outside of Philly is like getting true bagels outside of NY. Some come close but it just can't be reproduced.