Addressing the Icon!
Want to separate an Authentic Philly Cheesesteak from the also rans, the fakes, the me-toos, the inedible and the downright despicable? Read on.
For me the cheesesteak’s claim to true greatness has always been its ability to withstand all efforts to gentrify it. It is a trencherman’s lunch, a cabbie’s midnight sustenance and a ditch diggers 9 AM breakfast. It has never been on the menu at the Union League or the KnickerbockerClub, though in light of its present unbridled lionization, I’m not so sure.
Given the carpetbaggers, the usurpers and the quasi-cheesesteak experts that lurk behind every corner of the culinary demi-monde today, I think its time to put forth a set of “what to look fors” to preserve the true identity of this great culinary phenomenon. This has been a hard fought reputation bravely won and it needs to be protected.
One, if the bread boxes in a putative “great” steak shop has any French writing on it, leave. French baguette, batard and ficelle are great pieces of bread but none belong in a place purporting to serve an “authentic” Philadelphia steak, ( what all we native Philadelphians call a steak sandwich, even if it does have cheese). This brings up the second most important ingredient next to the beef, the bread. Amoroso’s over many decades has inarguably established the paradigm for the “perfect” roll. No part of it is crispy, it is soft but durable. Though the inside of a good steak roll is soft, it has a remarkable ability to withstand the weight and heat of the meat and all its attendant juices. It never comes apart. There are small bakeries thatBproduce a good roll, many in Philadelphia.
If anyone brags about a shop using Kobe, Wagyu, Black Angus, Charolais, Pampas, Chianina or even grass fed beef, do not go. The key to a great steak sandwich is of course, excellent beef that is affordable. Remember that this sandwich was invented to feed blue collar Philadelphia, and that means a good piece of Choice beef from a reputable seller. And it needs to be steer. If the fat is yellow, it is cow and not to be used. Ideally and being faithful to tradition, it should be from the top round, though bottom round is acceptable but not as flavorful as the top. And not just any piece from these cuts, ideally the “knuckle”, a football shaped piece from the middle of the round that that needs to be trimmed of some fat and silver skin on the outside. The other piece from lower on the round is the “flat”, similar to a brisket needing little trimming as it is lean. You don’t need the added expense of buying ribeye. Thats for the neophytes.
Temper the beef to 34F degrees so it holds its shape and will yield great slices from a sharp slicer, a very sharp slicer. The ideal thickness should be 1/8 inch but never thicker and is the perfect thickness for a tender piece of beef. Fat to fry should not be avocado oil, olive oil, hazelnut oil, walnut oil or any expensive oil other than soy.
Remember, this is a blue collar sandwich bought with blue collar wages. The genius of the authentic Philadelphia steak/cheesesteak, is achieving such greatness with pedestrian ingredients. This was first and foremost a sandwich to feed Philadelphia’s great population of laborers and blue collar trenchermen. Anybody can buy the “best” ingredients but thats not the point.
Despite a recent trend to overstuff a sandwich with so much beef that one cannot close the sandwich resulting in a mess of beef on a plate made of bread requiring a fork and knife. Amazing how the public left to its devices can so ridiculously miss the point. Some of these sandwiches have as much as 2 pounds of beef , many one pound. But the discerning ratio for great taste is 6 to 9 ounces for an average steak roll. Proportion is everything.
Soy oil is the accepted fat for making a steak sandwich the authentic way and bear in mind that 60 or so years ago, it was lard or beef tallow. Some Philistines use water , but we wont countenance that abomination.
Onions can also be an issue. No white, green or purple, no Walla Walla or Videlia no color but yellow, a Spanish onion ideally from Texas, chopped in 1/2 inch dice. It has the perfect sweetness but not so sweet as the Videlia.
The original choice of cheese for a steak, not surprisingly was provolone, but Jim Perlingi, the Jim of Jims introduced Cheez Whiz for its tangy taste and convenience in being able to pre-cheese a roll rather than melting cheese slices to order. The other choice is American cheese, these three comprise the trifecta of cheese choices for an authentic Philly steak. Lately a fourth choice has been added, Coopers Sharp, an excellent American style cheese.
Wagyu beef on brioche cooked with clairified Plugra butter with melted French Gruyere no doubt will make a delicious sandwich, but it ain’t a Philly cheesesteak.