How to make a philly cheese steak sub

senior chef

Senior Member
Making a great Philly, mushroom cheese steak sub is very easy, BUT it does take the help of a good butcher.

Ingredients needed:
5 oz of super thin sliced rib-eye PER PERSON
Nice soft long sub roll.
Sliced fresh mushrooms
Sliced provolone cheese

NEEDED: large heavy frying pan. 2 heavy spatulas

Have your butcher take some rib-eye and using a slicing machine, slice it into 1/8 inch thick slices. IMPORTANT: Must be sliced AGAINST THE GRAIN. As I said you'll need aprox 5 oz/person.
Slice the sub rolls down the middle BUT not completely all the way through. Set aside.
Slice fresh mushrooms. I personally think crimini tastes best. But any will do.
Have sliced cheese ready to go. Set aside.

Heat a large heavy frying pan to medium heat. As meat cooks, use 2 spatulas and chop it up and flip it around. As soon as it is cooked, add mushrooms and cook for a minute or so.
cover with sliced cheese.Immediately cover the entire thing with a sub roll.
Heat for less than a minute.
Using spatula, Scoop up meat, mushrooms and cheese into the roll.
Serve immediately.
Repeat with more subs.
It's worth the small effort. Best sandwich you ever had. ")


eat. Add a splash of veg oil.
Cooking only one sub at time, add 5 oz of sliced rib-eye.
 

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In Philly, they do not use mushrooms.
Yeah, that's true. But, I think mine is much better. Also, in Philly they use cheese wiz. (yuck) IMO not anywhere near as good as Provolone.
Many different ways of creating any food. Want a real argument ? Bring a New Yorker and a a Chicagoan together and ask how to make the best pizza. In New York, their idea of a great pizza is a thin crust, while in Chicago it must be a thick crust.
 

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What about the grilled onions and green bell pepper? I like the mushrooms, I add those to the pepper and onions. I can go either way on the cheese but I have found a nice white american can be tasty as well!
 
What about the grilled onions and green bell pepper? I like the mushrooms, I add those to the pepper and onions. I can go either way on the cheese but I have found a nice white american can be tasty as well!
Personally, I don't add onions and/or peppers. To my taste, they overwhelm the mild flavor of the mushrooms.
 
Yeah, that's true. But, I think mine is much better. Also, in Philly they use cheese wiz. (yuck) IMO not anywhere near as good as Provolone.
Many different ways of creating any food. Want a real argument ? Bring a New Yorker and a a Chicagoan together and ask how to make the best pizza. In New York, their idea of a great pizza is a thin crust, while in Chicago it must be a thick crust.
Being born and raised in Chicago, I must beg to differ. I never in my life had a deep dish (thick crust) pizza until Pizzaria Uno' and Due came up with it. Everyone I know eats thin crust unless going out to a fancy pizza place that makes specialty pizzas. It may be a widespread belief that Chicago pizza is always deep dish, but it just ain't so!
 
I used to make "torpedo sandwiches" but you need bread that is crisp and hard on the outside and super soft on the inside.
Regular soft sub bread won't do.
Sure agree with you that you have to use provolone.
Thanks for the recipe!
 
Being born and raised in Chicago, I must beg to differ. I never in my life had a deep dish (thick crust) pizza until Pizzaria Uno' and Due came up with it. Everyone I know eats thin crust unless going out to a fancy pizza place that makes specialty pizzas. It may be a widespread belief that Chicago pizza is always deep dish, but it just ain't so!
QFT
 
Nothing wrong with Whiz on a cheesesteak if that's what you like.

When I used to go to South Street in Philly, Jim's was the cheesesteak place. With or without: onions and which cheese do you want? Provolone sometimes, sometimes Whiz but almost always with sauteed onions. Hold the green peppers, always, no green peppers on anything.

It was drippy good. Walked upstairs to the other eating room to get away from the long line of customers and the heat. The walls were covered in photos of well known customers upstairs and downstairs.
I think there was a fire there over the summer, so between that and covid, it may be a while before they reopen?

Genos and Pats are across the street from each other. Lots of competition.

iu


The three way tie between some of the worst cheesesteaks I ever had were all in New Jersey. Cranford diner served one thick piece of meat on a soft roll with a slice of cheese. Could not bite through it. Flemington diner used all the right ingredients, but it was so mushy and mixed that it felt like someone else had prechewed it for me. Another diner served Steakumms, remember those? Maybe not ordering a cheesesteak in a diner is the lesson there.
 
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Nothing wrong with Whiz on a cheesesteak if that's what you like.

When I used to go to South Street in Philly, Jim's was the cheesesteak place. With or without: onions and which cheese do you want? Provolone sometimes, sometimes Whiz but almost always with sauteed onions.

It was drippy good. Walked upstairs to the other eating room to get away from the long line of customers and the heat. The walls were covered in photos of well known customers upstairs and downstairs.
I think there was a fire there over the summer, so between that and covid, it may be a while before they reopen?

Genos and Pats are across the street from each other. Lots of competition.

iu


The three way tie between some of the worst cheesesteaks I ever had were all in New Jersey. Cranford diner served one thick piece of meat on a soft roll with a slice of cheese. Could not bite through it. [B/] Flemington diner used all the right ingredients, but it was so mushy and mixed that it felt like someone else had prechewed it for me. Another diner served Steakumms, remember those? Maybe not ordering a cheesesteak in a diner is the lesson there.

Wow! One thick piece of meat and they called it a Philly ? Won't stay in business long cooking like that.
 
Geno's, Pat's, Jim's, or DiNic's cheesesteaks? No. THE BEST cheesesteak in Philly comes from John's Roast Pork. Yep, you read that correctly... roast pork! 🐷He also makes beef cheesesteaks but the roast pork cheesesteaks are where it's at! 🐖

This place is very busy, if you visit, be prepared to wait!


The article below > https://www.eater.com/2013/7/10/642...hns-roast-pork-cheesesteak-in-philly#comments

"Open for more than fifty years, John's Roast Pork in Philadelphia has earned a reputation for its namesake sandwiches and its city's most iconic dish, the cheesesteak. The family-owned and operated business began serving cheesesteak sometime in the early 1960's, though they weren't the main focus. When current owner John Bucci, Jr. took over cheesesteak duties from his father in the early 1970s, he upped their cheesesteak game, choosing higher quality meat, using tastier ketchup, and cooking the steaks to order. Bucci thinks that with cheesesteaks, less is almost always more. "I follow my mom's golden rule: Anything with more than five ingredients is too many. Keep it simple."

Located in a relatively non-trafficked area of Philadelphia, John's Roast Pork has long served the area's dock and warehouse workers but it's only been in the last 10 years that the shop has gotten attention from tourists and the media. After critic Craig LaBan declared John's Roast Pork the best cheesesteak in Philadelphiain the Philadelphia Inquirer in 2002, the restaurant's star has continued to rise, and their cheesesteak has helped land John's Roast Pork a spot on the Eater Philly 38.

Eater Philly editor Collin Flatt explains the phenomenon: "With so many tourist traps promoting themselves as 'the' cheesesteak place in Philly, like Jim's on South Street and Geno's on 9th Street, John's Roast Pork represents best-of-breed in a shop that's just a little off the beaten path ... And, if the droves and droves of cheesesteak aficionados and critics can't convince you, maybe their big ol' James Beard Award hanging on the wall will do the trick." Says Bucci, "It's a simple sandwich, but people can really screw it up." Here are the elements of a John's Roast Pork cheesesteak:

1. The Roll​

The freshly baked Carangi Bakery Company sesame seeded roll the cheesesteak is served on is a point of pride for Bucci. Around 1990, the bakery John's had been buying from went out of business, and finding a new supplier was one of the first major decision Bucci's father let him make on his own. ("It was a big deal," Bucci says.) After tasting "so many" samples, Bucci went with local baker Lou Carangi's bread which is baked near the restaurant. Bucci chose Carangi's rolls for their structure and texture: Though extremely crusty, the roll is very soft inside and has a lightness that Bucci thinks all sandwich breads need to have. Bucci buys the handmade loaves whole, then cuts them in half. The rolls are then cut lengthwise ("on the hinge") before being "gutted." "Gutting," or removing the insides of the bread, allows Bucci to place more meat on the sandwich while also maintaining an even distribution of meat throughout the sandwich and the proper bread to meat ratio. A big sandwich requires a big roll, so Bucci uses an entire half-loaf for every cheesesteak.

2. The Steak​

One of the standout features of a John's Roast Pork cheesesteak is the steak itself which, unlike many cheesesteaks, is cooked to order. Bucci thinks cooking his cheesesteaks to order is the major reason his sandwich stands out in a city that prides itself on combining cheese and steak the right way. While many cheesesteaks are made with ribeye, Bucci prefers to use loin tails because they are well-marbled and don't have as much gristle. The restaurant has been buying their meat for the past 30 years from New Jersey butcher Nick Papanier of Nellie's Provisions. Bucci serves a generous 12 oz portion of steak (as opposed to the more usual 4-5 oz serving) and seasons it simply with salt and pepper before cooking it on the flat top with Spanish onions. After 2-3 minutes of cooking the meat on one side to get a sear, Bucci flips the meat and begins separating it before introducing the cheese. Because he slices the meat "paper thin," Bucci says he doesn't need to "chop it to death." He also adds that diners should be wary of a cheesesteak that's been too chopped, because the chopping might be a way of hiding poor meat quality. Because the meat isn't precooked, the sandwiches are made at a slower pace than new customers might expect, resulting in the long lines John's has also become known for.

3. The Cheese​

Though it might be "classic," Bucci says he will never use Cheez Whiz in the John's Roast Pork cheesesteak. Bucci's reasoning for bucking tradition is convincing and blunt: "It's fake, it's not cheese ... It's just gross and it's very expensive." Instead, Bucci offers customers a choice of American, mild provolone, and sharp provolone. He offers customers a choice both because he believes everyone has a distinct taste when it comes to sandwiches and also because he has a variety of cheeses in house for his other sandwiches anyway. While he says both the domestic mild provolone and the imported sharp provolone make for a great cheesesteak, Bucci prefers American because it is "so creamy" and adds five slices to his sandwich. In order to get the cheese perfectly melted, Bucci uses a unique cooking method that basically steams the cheese. While it's on the flat top, Bucci adds the cheese on top of the steak and then folds the corners of the steak to create a "pocket." This pocket acts like a "steam trap," and then he continues to fold, incorporating the melting cheese with the steak until the two are well bonded. Bucci cites the pocket and folding technique as a distinguishing feature of his cheesesteak methodology. This pocket technique also ensures that there is cheese in every bite of the cheesesteak.

4. The Vegetables​

In the most basic version of his cheesesteak, Bucci only uses Spanish onions. The onions are placed raw on the flat top with a squirt of vegetable oil. As they start to cook, Bucci adds the steak so the two ingredients cook together. Bucci uses Spanish onions because he finds that other varieties can be too bitter, where Spanish onions are very sweet after cooking. Though onions are the only vegetable that come standard with the cheesesteak, Bucci says many customers now choose to add hot peppers since that's how Adam Richman ate his cheesesteak on Best Sandwich in America (the cheesesteak earned a wild card win). John's uses Italian long hot peppers, which Bucci's wife fries.

5. The Condiments​

Though the sandwich is served plain, Bucci finds that ketchup enhances the cheesesteak's flavor. For guests who want ketchup, Bucci will add the ketchup to the roll before adding the meat so that it doesn't fall off the sandwich. Bucci uses Heinz ketchup, an upgrade he convinced his ketchup-wary father to spring for many years ago, despite the expense. Bucci has also noticed condiments playing a larger role in the way customers order their sandwiches. Things got so unwieldy on the line that Bucci actually added condiment trays outside so that customers can add their own pickles, hot sauce, and peppers."

Bella ✌️
 
Recipe sounds very good! I had a Philly Cheesesteak sub last week at a local
restaurant called Applebees, loaded with mushrooms it was fabulous actually :)
Funny you should mention Applebee's ...we have them here where I live.
It came to mind for another place where us girls can get together for lunch.

We're always trying to decide where???
 
@Bella Ahhh, that was a good write up. Point 2 is so true. That guy knows his sandwiches. I wanted to go to get one of these pork cheesesteaks but never did. I do, however, make my own with mild provolone. Probably not as good as his, but very good in their own way. 🤤
 
When I was a teenager, there was a place that took quite a long drive to get to but was always worth it.. the sandwiches were on kaiser rolls (not the egg-based kind like in this area, and they had poppy seeds on top).. the meat was similar to what was later sold in grocery stores called Steak-Umms.. it also included fried onions (real onions that were fried, not those snack things).. and white American cheese. Oh did I love those sandwiches!!!!
 
Yeah, that's true. But, I think mine is much better. Also, in Philly they use cheese wiz. (yuck) IMO not anywhere near as good as Provolone.
Many different ways of creating any food. Want a real argument ? Bring a New Yorker and a a Chicagoan together and ask how to make the best pizza. In New York, their idea of a great pizza is a thin crust, while in Chicago it must be a thick crust.
Heh.. bring a New Yorker and a Chicagoan together and there's much more to argue about than pizza! :ROFLMAO:

But yes, "if it doesn't fold, it's not pizza!"
As opposed to my first try at Chicago style- it's not "pizza pie" it's "pizza cake!" Wasn't bad at all, but it wasn't pizza.

On a side note- does anybody remember older generations calling them pizza pies??
 


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