PHILLY CHEESESTEAK - RECIPE
- 1 poundRibeye Steak (trimmed and thinly sliced)
- ½ teaspoonSea Salt (or to taste)
- ½ teaspoonBlack Pepper (or to taste)
- 1Sweet Onion (large, diced)
- 8 slicesProvolone Cheese (mild, not aged provolone)
- 4Hoagie Rolls (sliced 3/4 through)
- 2 tablespoonsUnsalted Butter (softened)
- 1Garlic Clove (pressed)
- 4-tablespoonMayonnaise (or to taste)
- Take hoagie rolls, split them lengthwise.
- Take a working bowl, add butter and garlic to it and mix. Spread the mix in the rolls.
- Set an air fryer basket in an instant pot. Place rolls in it. Close the lid and bake at 400F for 3 minutes.
- Dish out the rolls and set them aside.
- Now, add melted butter, diced onions to a clean Instant Pot. Saute at high for 5 minutes. Stir it a bit.
- Add ribeye steak, salt, black pepper, and chili flakes to it. Keep stirring until meat changes its color.
- Finally, add the shredded provolone cheese to it. Mix it up and wait until the cheese melts.
- Dish out the cheesy steaks, divide them over baked buns, and serve it with the dip you love!
Meat
The meat traditionally used is thinly sliced Rib-Eye or top round, although other cuts of beef are also used. On a lightly oiled griddle at medium temperature, the steak slices are quickly browned and then scrambled into smaller pieces with a flat spatula. Slices of cheese are then placed over the meat, letting it melt, and then the roll is placed on top of the cheese. The mixture is then scooped up with a spatula and pressed into the roll, which is then cut in half.
Bread
In Philadelphia, cheesesteaks are invariably served on hoagie rolls. Among several brands, perhaps the most famous are Amoroso rolls; these rolls are long, soft, and slightly salted. One source writes that "a proper cheesesteak consists of provolone or Cheez Whiz slathered on an Amoroso roll and stuffed with thinly shaved grilled meat," while a reader's letter to an Indianapolis magazine, lamenting the unavailability of good cheesesteaks, wrote that "the mention of the Amoroso roll brought tears to my eyes." After commenting on the debates over types of cheese and "chopped steak or sliced", Risk and Insurance magazine declared, "The only thing nearly everybody can agree on is that it all has to be piled onto a fresh, locally baked Amoroso roll.
Cheese
American cheese, provolone, and Cheez Whiz are the most commonly used cheeses or cheese products put on to the Philly cheesesteak.
White American cheese, along with provolone cheese, are the favorites due to their mild flavor and medium consistency. Some establishments melt the American cheese to achieve the creamy consistency, while others place slices over the meat, letting them melt slightly under the heat. Philadelphia Inquirer restaurant critic Craig LaBan says, "Provolone is for aficionados, extra-sharp for the most discriminating among them," although LaBan was at the time new to the Philadelphia area, and sharp provolone is rarely found in cheesesteak shops, while mild provolone is common. Geno's owner, Joey Vento, said, "We always recommend the Provolone. That's the real cheese."
Cheez Whiz, first marketed in 1952, was not yet available for the original 1930 version, but has spread in popularity. A 1986 New York Times article called Cheez Whiz "the sine qua non of cheesesteak connoisseurs." In a 1985 interview, Pat Olivieri's nephew Frank Olivieri said that he uses "the processed cheese spread familiar to millions of parents who prize speed and ease in fixing the children's lunch for the same reason, because it is fast." Cheez Whiz is "overwhelmingly the favorite" at Pat's, outselling runner-up American by a ratio of eight or ten to one, while Geno's claims to go through eight to ten cases of Cheez Whiz a day.
