BWW Cooks: Stalking the Philly Cheesesteak

With the recent release of the popular ROCKY sequel of sorts, CREED, perhaps we should take a look at a Philadelphia food icon that goes with the Philadelphia movie icon.

You have a long roll. It's got meat on it. It's got cheese on it. Is it a cheesesteak? Unless you're from Philadelphia, the chances are no. The City of Brotherly Love has donated a few special dishes to American cuisine, from the heights of snapper soup at the late, lamented Bookbinder's to the summer day fun of hot soft pretzels, but the most iconic of its foods may be the Philadelphia cheese steak.

What defines a Philly cheese steak? Three things: the roll, which should be long and crusty. The meat, which should be thinly sliced or shaved ribeye. The cheese, which is a subject of debate in Philly itself - and in Philly, all traditional foods are subjects of vehement debate. The preferred cheese is Kraft Cheez Whiz. Unless it's American cheese. Unless it's provolone. This writer's vote is for Cheez Whiz, if it matters - and lots of Cheez Whiz at that. These three things, melded together, are the cheese steak, and anything else is an addition.

Some additions are traditional. Fried onions go well in a cheese steak. There's a debate (of course): chopped and fried along with the meat, or added after the steak sandwich - in Philly it's just called "a steak" - is crafted. Since the proper way to cook the meat is by tossing it on a grill until well-cooked, while chopping it and moving it about, adding the onion at this time is popular. Sauteed green peppers, sautéed mushrooms, fried onions - any or all may go on top. You may have thought that "pepper steak" was a Chinese restaurant dish, but in Philly it's a steak with sautéed peppers on top. Geno's Steaks, one of the classic steak purveyors in Philly, also serves a "Steak Milano" with fried red tomatoes (not sauce) on it.

What about tomato sauce? Oh, dear. First of all, if you're from South Philly, that's "tomato gravy." Second, that's not really a cheese steak, but a pizza steak. And you'll do better with sliced cheese than with Whiz on a pizza steak, as you don't want that sandwich too wet. (That's part of the reason for that crusty roll - a soft roll will soak up too much of the meat juices and other wetness and collapse immediately. A steak needs a sturdy foundation.)

Be clear that you can't make a steak by laying neat strips or layers of fried-from-frozen sliced beef on a roll. Whether you use freshly shaved ribeye or a frozen product, there are certain things required for a Philly steak to be a Philly steak. One is that the beef has been sliced or shaved, but never ground; another is that even if you've descended to frozen steaks, pre-formed minute steaks are unacceptable. There are preferences for thinner or more thickly sliced ribeye, and for the meat being more or less finely chopped while frying it, but it started as whole meat and is now at least partly chopped.

If you prefer a variation of the cheesesteak with more toppings, there's the cheese steak hoagie, with cold onions, lettuce, and tomato stacked on, and, classically, an oil and vinegar or Italian dressing, and perhaps hot red pepper relish. In Philly, it's a hoagie, not a sub, or a grinder, or any of those other strange terms, and asking for mayonnaise or ketchup is proof in some quarters that you're a tourist.

Philly legend says that Pat, founder of the legendary Pat's King of Steaks, invented the steak sandwich in 1930 from his hot dog cart. The restaurant itself came later, and is now open twenty-four hours to accommodate the city's need for steaks. Directly across the street is Geno's. Although the establishment was opened in the 1960's, there are rumors, mostly from Geno's lovers, that the Geno's family were the true creators of the cheese steak. Geno's is also open twenty-four hours to provide competition. Others are fans of Jim's Steaks, which opened its first shop in 1939 and which is known for shipping Philly steaks to the desperate by air. And then came Tony Luke's, home of a famous cheese steak but even more so of the best Italian roast pork sandwich in Philly. (Tony Luke's is also the local home of that cult sandwich, the Texas hot weiner.) If you have the opportunity to eat at any of these fine establishments should you visit Philly, you'll have the chance to rate your own steak sandwich against the pros. The vote here is to visit Jim's on South Street. With onions, with Whiz. Otherwise, have Jim's ship to you so you can experience one of the originals against your own.

One thing to note: If you go to any of the original cheesesteak parlors other than Tony Luke's, there's a sandwich you definitely will not find: the chicken cheesesteak sandwich. Some other restaurants and delis have added these to their menus, but these are not traditional and aren't as massively popular as the originals. Many Philadelphians will stare as if you have two heads if you ask for one; despite the sandwich often being called a Philly chicken cheesesteak, it's not that. That doesn't prohibit you from making one, although you'll probably lose the delicious fattiness that is really part of the point of a steak. In that respect, you're closer with a vegetarian cheesesteak: while some use seitan to make them, one of the best fillings is chopped and fried mushrooms that are then covered with the cheese and onions. Allow the fat, allow the beef if you're a meat eater - this is not intended to be a diet sandwich. It's intended to be massively delicious.

Certainly, there are all kinds of things you can do to a steak sandwich in general. You can add avocado. You can put on pepper jack, guacamole and salsa and call it Southwestern. You can serve it as a wrap, slather the beef with teriyaki sauce, or add bacon. Those are fine things to do with steak sandwiches in general. But please, don't call them Philly cheese steaks. The only variation Philly allows is at McNally's Tavern in Chestnut Hill, where the steaks are on round rolls with grilled salami, grilled tomatoes, and a special sauce on it - and it's still given another name, The Schmitter. That's not obscene - what, you're not a Phillies fan? It's named, as all true Philadelphians know, for Mike Schmidt.

Change up the cheese - why not blue cheese sauce on beef with sautéed mushrooms? It would be fabulous. Change up the bread, or use bison. Sandwiches are versatile. Just remember, if it ain't a hoagie roll, ribeye, and people getting black eyes over the cheese question (Whiz! Whiz!), it ain't South Philly. Just ask Rocky.

Photo credit: Wiki Creative Commons

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