Super-Tender Philly Cheesesteak with Homemade Marinade (2024)

The only ingredients in an Authentic Philly cheesesteak are thinly sliced steak, fried onions, and cheese! This Philly cheesesteak recipe is true to the original Cheesesteak sandwich and is made with tender shavings of beef, sauteed onions, and cheese all tucked inside toasted long bread!

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The secret to a tenderPhilly Cheesesteak sandwichis marinating the beef shavings first! I was determined to figure out why the steak slices were so much more tender at Restaurants than simply seasoned beef and its true baking soda changes the chemistry on the surface of the meat, making the meat so much more tender. Tenderizing with a baking soda solution takes only 20 minutes and makes the Best Philly Cheesesteak meat ever!

Once you season the meat right you can add Philly cheesesteak filling to pasta stuffed shells, egg rolls, sloppy joes, steak Stuffed Peppers, easy homemade hot pockets, or make a Cheesesteak Pizza!

Watch How To MakePhilly Cheesesteak:

Philly Cheesesteak Recipe

I’m impressed how popular this Philly Cheesesteak bloomed on Pinterest! It’s a fairly new recipe but is becoming one of our most loved recipes! I don’t blame all the bold reviewers, because it is one of the most fascinating sandwich recipes if you love Philly fresh cheesesteaks!

One of our readers named Kimberly was born and raised an hour west of Philly and said, “the only ingredients in a Philly Cheesesteak are thinly sliced steak, fried onions, and cheese, that’s it!” So, whether you like a Cheez Whiz Philly Cheesesteak or grew up in the south of Philadelphia, the best Philly cheesesteak comes down to the beef. A steak and cheese sandwich is all about the tender shavings of meat and simple toppings like sauteed onions and cheese, which is enough for a Geno’s or Pat’s craving (one of the most popular Philly Cheesesteak Restaurants in Philadelphia!)

However, that doesn’t mean the best Philly cheesesteaks are limited to toppings! Our readers have made theseHomemade Philly cheesesteaks with jalapeno peppers, sauteed mushrooms, or green bell peppers! Matter of fact, Subway Restaurant offers a whole food bar of sandwich toppings to build your steak sandwich! So, what makes it one of the best cheesesteak recipes? The beef marinate! The sandwich toppings are completely your choice, but I’m sharing the Original Philly Cheesesteak variation that you can build from.

Philly Cheesesteak Ingredients:

The seasoning for these Philly Cheesesteaks is key! I combined the spices into the baking soda solution to tenderize the meat and flavor the steak.

• Long Bread Rolls-I used my Subway bread recipe to make footlong submarine-style bread. However, you can use any hoagie rolls easily available in your area like Italian hoagie rolls.
• Beef-choose a steak around a 2″ thickness for easier slicing.
• Cheese-I used provolone cheese for these cheesesteaks. If you want to use American cheese or Cheese Whiz follow my cooking instructions for Cheese Sauce Philly Cheesesteaks.
• Onions-use a firm sweet white onion.

Best Bread For A Philly Cheesesteak?

A Philly Cheesesteak is typically served in a long roll. It is said one of the first Philadelphianchopped steak sandwiches were served on an Italian roll in the early 1930s. An Italian hoagie roll or a hero roll is the top bread choice for cheesesteaks.

Don’t haveAmoroso Hoagie rolls? Make homemade Hoagie rolls from our Feather-light Hamburger Buns or make our Subway Bread Copycat for footlong submarine bread, they are both incredibly soft and way better than storebought rolls!

What Meat For Philly Cheesesteak?

The best choice of steak for Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches is a low-muscle cut like ribeye steak, sirloin steak, or boneless shoulder roast. The shoulder is leaner and more tender than a chuck roast and is easier to carve into slices. You want a cut of beef with lessmuscle and connective tissues, for a tender steak. Avoid bone-in cuts because that will make slicing, a pain, and always slice against the grain for consistent slices.

If using a bottom round roast or cut with less marbled fat, use some cooking oil for juicier meat.

What Cheese is on Philly Cheesesteak?

The top-rated cheese choices for a Philly Cheesesteak sandwich are either Cheez Whiz (a Velveeta-like processed cheese sauce), mild provolone cheese, or American cheese. You want a mildly flavored cheese with a good melting consistency. Provolone cheese is great for a gooey melted cheese pull and a melted cheese sauce is incredibly smooth and silky.

Provolone cheese is quick and easy to use and doesn’t require the extra step of heating or melting prior to use.

Expert Tips For Thinly Slicing Beef:

Firstly, it is important to start with thinly sliced steak, the best way to get evenly thin slices is to use a ham slicer or Mandoline slicer. The secret is to freeze the beef before running it through a meat slicer. Freeze the steak in its original package for about 40 minutes to one hour depending on how thick your steak is. If you’re starting with frozen beef, simply thaw it for about 1-2 hours until the edges soften and it is still partially frozen.

The key is to make it easy enough to slice, not make it rock solid or too soft because it will then get too rubbery when slicing. You can attempt to use a sharp knife, but slicing 2 pounds of frozen steak can get tiring so, invest in a mandoline slicer or ask the local butcher to use a deli slicer to cut your beef. Sometimes grocery stores have pre-sliced beef shavings available in the meat department.

How To Make Philly Cheesesteak:

Like any Steak Sandwich, you’ll want to season the beef. Seasoning and marinating the steak pieces before cooking it on a griddle will make the most tender beef, just don’t overdo it. When soaking the beef with a baking soda solution you don’t want to exceed 12 hours of marinating the meat because it is a lot stronger than a typical salt brine.

Using a griddle makes this a quick sandwich recipe as its capability not only cooks the meat but sautees the onions and toasts the bread all on one flat cooktop surface. Thankfully, I have a reversible cast-iron griddle as part of my stovetop but you can use a cast-iron griddle for an electric stove or an outdoor electric griddle that you can plug outside. Avoid the grill mark side of a griddle as that can tear the steak pieces apart and make the meat dry.

1. Preheat the griddle over High, while you prep the ingredients.
2. Slice the bread, dice the onion, and thinly slice the beef using a Mandoline.
3. Saute the onions first, then remove them using a long flat grill spatula.
4. Toast the bread facedown for 30 seconds or until charred. Set aside.
5. Drizzle oil onto the hot griddle and add the drained marinated beef slices. Cook until done.
6. Turn off the griddle and arrange the beef into 6 long portions and top with cheese. (You may need to do this in batches over low heat.)
7. Once the cheese melts scoop the filling into the bread and top with the reserved onions.
8. Serve with ketchup.

Note: Common additions to a Philadelphia Cheesesteak are sauteed onions, ketchup, hot sauce, salt, and black pepper. However, a cheesesteak sauce like horseradish sauce pairs nicely with beef too.

More Sandwich Recipes:

• Chicken Philly Cheesesteak Recipe-this s a chicken cheesesteak sandwich using chicken instead of beef.
• Reuben Sandwich Recipe (Little Georges Copycat)- another type of beef sandwich using pastrami meat.
• Popeyes Chicken Sandwich (Copycat Recipe)-picky eaters even love this restaurant copycatrecipe!
• EASY Cheeseburger Sliders– this casserole is a crowd-pleaser! (Hint: make Philly Cheesesteak sliders.)
• Freezer Breakfast Sandwiches (McDonald’s Egg McMuffin Copycat)
• Chicken Salad Sandwiches Recipe– perfect for lunch gatherings or on the go!
• Burgers-my go-to recipe every time I want to make classic burgers for dinner!

How To Make Philly Cheesesteak: