One day a man in Philadelphia who was running a hotdog stand, decide he was going to make himself a sliced steak sandwich with onions. While he was eating it, a cab driver stopped and smelled the new creation and ordered one for himself. He was blown away and told the owner of the hot dog stand that he needs to stop selling hot dogs and start selling these sandwiches instead. In the Early 1930s that is exactly what brothers Pat and Harry Olivieri did. They opened Pat’s King of Steaks, which is still open to this day. The original sandwich only contained meat and onions, but it is said to have obtained cheese years down the road when another location added it to their sandwiches, and it became a big hit. Provolone cheese was the cheese of choice for the traditional Philadelphia Cheesesteak. However, the game quickly changed in the 1950s when processed cheese became extremely popular. Cheez Whiz was now the cheese of choice for most of the Philly Cheese steaks that were being made. With the creamy texture and gooey consistency, it melts beautifully between all the layers of beef and onions. And that is how they have been serving it for the past seventy years.

Our Original Philly Cheese Steak Recipe

As with every dish, there is always room to add your special twist or variation on it. So, here is my jazzed-up Philly steak and cheese sandwich recipe.

Makes 6 Philly Steak and Cheese Sandwiches:

  • 2# Slices Beef
  • 4 C. Chopped Onions
  • 2 C. Chopped Green Bell Peppers
  • 2 C. Baby Portobello Mushrooms
  • 2 tea. Lawry’s Seasoning Salt
  • ½ tea. Granulated Garlic
  • ½ tea. Paprika
  • ¼ tea. Black Pepper
  • Dijon Mustard
  • Creamy Horseradish
  • Cheez Whiz
  • Hoagie Rolls

Instructions:

  1. Preheat your American Steam Griddle to 350°.
  2. Using a little bit of oil, sauté the onions until they begin to turn light brown.
  3. Then add in the green peppers and cook them until they are soft.
  4. Lastly, add in your mushrooms and cook for one minute.
  5. Now add in the beef and using tongs or spatula, break up the beef as best as possible.
  6. While the beef is cooking, prepare the hoagie rolls by spreading Dijon on the bottom and creamy horseradish on top- not to much just a nice thin layer will suffice.
  7. Once the meat is cooked, disperse it evenly amongst the hoagie buns and top with Cheez Whiz.
  8. At this point I like to wrap them tightly in foil or deli paper and allow the contents to steam the bun and for the bread to absorb some juices. Also, wrapping it tightly will help the Cheez Whiz to work its way into the sandwich better.

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