Who makes the best Cheese-steak in the Country? I know there are many of you from Philly out there that have claimed the you make the best of the best, and you certainly do make a wonderful sandwich.
However this article is not a review on Cheese steaks, it's how to make a great cheese steak yourself.
Many years ago, I went on a search for a great steak and cheese sandwich, and although I found many, none were better than the one I made once I got back home.
Yes, I know I am a trained chef, but I promise this is not very difficult and the secret is in the simplicity.
The first thing I did was to go out and find a good cut of meat that would cook quick and would be very tender.
The obvious choice would be a filet Mignon, but that's a waste of money on a sandwich.
I wanted to make this sandwich affordable and yet very tasty.
I settled on flank steak.
Flank, has all the quality's I was looking for.
It's easy to cook and is very tender once cooked.
You can also slice flank steak very thin, which is perfect when layering on a sandwich.
Next, I needed to find a suitable bread.
Many purist of this sandwich will tell you that the bread is the key to a great steak and cheese.
Count me in as to one of those guys.
It is paramount that you find a roll that will be soft on the inside, but a little crusty on the outside.
This will allow the roll to soak up all of the juices from the meat and cheese, and still have a crispy crunchy exterior.
I decided on using a regular baguette from my local store.
You can find them in the bakery section of your market.
Now it was time to start making my steak and Cheese.
First, I seasoned my meat with salt, pepper, garlic and olive oil.
I let the meat rest for about 30 minutes.
While my meat was marinating I got my grill real hot and then proceeded to grill my meat.
I like my steak medium rare, so I cooked my meat for about 7 minutes on both sides getting a nice grilled color.
You can cook your steak longer if you wish.
I removed the meat and placed it on a cutting board and let it rest for 15 minutes.
This is a very important step, you must let your meat juices rest before slicing.
While my meat was resting, I sliced open a piece of my bread and brushed the inside with olive oil and some garlic powder.
I placed the bread on the grill for about 2 minutes.
It was now time to slice the meat.
I sliced it real thin on the bias.
It was beautiful.
I layered the meat into the bread and then added two thin slices of provolone cheese on top.
I placed the sandwich back on the grill and let the heat from the grill melt the cheese into the sandwich.
This was looking really good.
What I realized in making this sandwich was that simplicity is the trick.
You may want to add peppers, onions, mushrooms, cheese-wiz or whatever, but it's not necessary.
The flavor of the grilled steak alone is outstanding.
Remember, most of the time, less is more! Eat Well! Chef Brian