Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Yo! Homemade Philly Cheesesteaks... You's Want it Wit or Witout?

Why am I posting a Philly cheesesteak video recipe while on holiday in Yosemite? Well, a new batch of videos I did just went live on About.com, and since the Super Bowl is right around the corner (Go Giants!) I thought I would post a technique for making this classic American sandwich. While it's not a true cheesesteak, since I'm using flank steak instead of top-round, it is a great home version. Besides, unless you have a large restaurant-style flattop grill, the real ones are very hard to duplicate at home.

As you'll hear in the video, when ordering a cheesesteak in Philly, you are asked if you want grilled onions or not. But, it's not pronounced "with," it's pronounced "wit." It's even spelled that way on many menus. So, not only can you now enjoy a cheesesteak in the privacy of your own home, but you can also do a Philly accent. Just say "Yo" a lot, throw in a few "wits," and be sure to talk about how the Eagles (pronounced "ig-els,") are going to do next year. Yo, Enjoy!
Click here for the transcript and ingredients.

17 comments:

Jairus said...

sweet. i've always had fantacies of being a vendor from philly and making authentic philly cheese steaks. now i can do this wit my friends all the way up in canada!

Anonymous said...

Wow, Chef John, I wouldn't say that... the oil and grease is what makes a philly cheesesteaks, I personally think your not adding enough greasiness into this sandwich...btw great recipe, I've always kept your recipes in the back of my mind when thinking about what to prepare for dinner

Anonymous said...

Don't forget Independence Hall! Anyways, great video. Have you ever even been to Philadelphia?

Chef John said...

First of all, no adopted son of mine is gonna be a cheesesteak vendor!

Secondly, yes, next time I will add more grease.

Lastly, no I never been to Philly, but I hear it's the Boston of Pennsylvania.

Anonymous said...

You forgot the copious amounts of cheesewiz!!

What happened to your youtube videos?

Anonymous said...

great recipe, but, of course you've never been to philly... provolone is for the tourists, cheese-whiz is for the locals! (good and good for you, somehow... vitamin aerosol!)

Chef John said...

using cheezwiz in CA is a felony. Also, check the "blog news" link in the categories for numerous post regarding About.com videos, youtube, etc. Thanks!

Chargeorge said...

While it looks solid mostly, and the meat looks better than pats or ginos, I know that roll brand, and it doesn't have the chewy inside or oh so slightly crisp outside to stand up to the glory of the philly cheese steak.

Other than that, a sandwich I can get behind.

And don't listen to the haters, provolone is for all, wiz wit is just a kraft marketing campaign.

Anonymous said...

the sandwich looks absolutely delicious, i havent tried a real philly cheesesteak but the way it looks here im gonna definitely try to make one of my own. it looks great!

Anonymous said...

> provolone is for the tourists,
> cheese-whiz is for the locals!
Maybe if you've never ventured north of Market or west of Broad :-)

Provolone and fried onions is the way to go.

Also, forget about Pat's and Geno's -- overrated tourist traps/drunk tanks. Unless you're in the area, wasted at 3:00AM, you're more likely to get a better steak at any corner deli, in any part of the city.

Connie T. said...

I think I will try this. It looks good. I have always wondered what you do with flank steak. Now I know.

Chef John said...

Yo!

Anonymous said...

hello chef John!!

How do I make sautayed onions?
Please understand, I am a Korean with very limited cooking experience and even less on western cooking.
I really wanted to try this Philly cheese steak. It looks so~~ good.
Thanks in advance.

Chef John said...

very simple. slice 1 large onion, put in pan with a few tablespoons of oil, pinch of salt, cook on medium heat until soft, sweet, and golden brown.

Anonymous said...

This is a great recipe. I had several people over this weekend. I had prepped the meat, and served the sandwiches as a lunch.

I have a question, one of the folks I had over doesn't eat beef, so I broiled some chicken breast so she would not be left out. Out of curiosity, I tried one, and it was lacking. Any suggestions on how a chicken version may not be a disappointment in the future?

Chef John said...

use chicken thighs or chicken/turkey sausage. Breast meat is way to lean for a CS.

ramona.designdeveloper said...

O M G!!! This is my favorite sandwich in the world! No kidding. I usually treat myself to this at a restaurant and deal with the grease. But now I can make it at home almost everyday (wit)out having to worry! Thank you thank you thank you!