Philly Cheesesteak

Choose your steak: Find yourself a high quality ribeye steak* that is about 1.5 pounds. It should be well marbled with fat, meaning you can see lines of white throughout the red part of the meat, not ONLY big groupings of white fat. See note for alternative cuts.

Ask your butcher to slice the steak. This is the most important step for a high quality cheesesteak, no lie. The guy at your grocery store deli has access to a machine that will slice meat VERY thin. It will slice your meat thinner than you could ever slice it at home. It is worth the price of having to talk to a stranger (I know you). Ask them to slice the raw ribeye steak as thin as possible, against the grain. This means they will be cutting it HORIZONTAL. You should end up with thin slices of raw ribeye that look exactly like sliced lunch meat. Each slice should be the same shape as the original steak. See photos.

OR: Slice your steak at home. Put 1.5 pounds of ribeye steak in the freezer for 1 hour. Set a timer!

Slice the frozen steak: The steak should be firm, but not hard as a rock. If you’ve let it freeze too long, let it sit out for a few minutes. Cut the steak into 3 pieces WITH the grain. (see photos) Set up one of the 3 pieces of the steak on it's side, so that it is taller than it is wide. (See photos!) Use a very sharp chef's knife to carefully slice it against the grain as thinly as possible. Lay out the thin pieces of steak individually onto a work surface to finish thawing, and to come to room temperature.

When all of the steak is sliced and laid out in individual pieces, sprinkle the steak with 1 and 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (use only 1 teaspoon salt if you are using table salt). Set aside to rest (this gives it a chance to absorb the seasoning.)

Caramelize the onions: Chop 2 large onions. Heat a large high-sided skillet (or a flat cooktop of griddle) over medium heat. When it is hot, add 2 tablespoons light olive oil. It should shimmer right away. Swirl to coat, then add all the chopped onions. Season with 2 teaspoons kosher salt and black pepper to taste. Top the onions with 2 tablespoons butter.

Saute the onions for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Lower the heat to medium low if the onions start to blacken on the edges. The onions are done when they are evenly golden and taste sweet. Remove the onions to a medium bowl and set aside. Don't wash the skillet.

Prepare the optional mushrooms and pepper: Remove the stems, then slice 16 ounces of mushrooms. Slice 1 green bell pepper, then halve each slice.

Cook the mushrooms. Add 1 tablespoon oil to the same skillet you caramelized the onion in, and set over over medium heat. Add 16 ounces sliced mushrooms. Season with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and black pepper to taste. Add 2 tablespoons butter to the mushrooms. Saute for about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Dump the sliced bell peppers on top of the cooking mushrooms. Season the bell peppers with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, then stir the peppers into the pan. Cook the mushrooms and pepper for another 6-8 minutes, until the mushrooms are quite brown and starting to stick to the pan. The bell peppers should be softened but still green (al dente).

Remove the bell peppers and mushrooms to the same bowl that the caramelized onions are in. Cover and keep warm.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Prep the garlic butter: Add 1/2 cup soft salted butter to a small bowl. Add 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic. (Heat it in the microwave on power level 2 for 30 seconds until it is spreadable, if necessary).

Prep the hoagie rolls: Slice 6 hoagie rolls almost in half lengthwise (leave the bread connected) with a serrated knife.

Spread the inside of each roll with the garlic butter. Lay the rolls butter side up on a sheet pan.

Bake the rolls in the 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes, until heated through and starting to crisp on the edges. Don't go so long that they get hardened. We want them to be soft and warm, with a gentle crisped edge. Keep warm under tin foil, or turn the oven off and leave them inside.

Cook the steak in batches: Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil to the same pan. Set over medium high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the steak in individual pieces to the pan. (If you dump it all in at once, your meat will not brown.) The steak must be cooked in at least 2 batches, 3 is better. It goes fast. As soon as the steak slices hit the pan they will sear in about 1-2 minutes. Flip each piece using tongs, then sear the other side for about 1 minute, until browned.

Remove the steak to a cutting board and let rest 3 minutes. Tent with tin foil to keep warm. When it is cooled enough to handle, use a chef's knife to chop the steak into bite size pieces, if necessary.

Continue cooking the rest of the steak in batches, adding more oil each time, then removing and chopping the steak as necessary.

Add all the chopped steak back to the pan, set over low heat. Add the onions (and the mushrooms and peppers, if you made them) to the steak and stir it all together.

Top the pan of meat with 8 slices of provolone cheese. Cover the pan with a lid and let sit for about 1-2 minutes, until the cheese is melted.

Assemble the sandwiches: Spread each toasty bun with mayonnaise, if you're feelin extra (you are). Scoop the hot steak, onion, and cheese mixture into the buns. Devour!!

Storage. If you have leftovers, store the cheesy meat mixture separately from the buns. When you reheat the meat mixture, some of the liquid fat will separate from the cheese, but since you're throwing it on a bun, it will just soak in without throwing off the overall experience.Freezing: You can freeze the cooked beef before you add the cheese. Store in a ziplock for 3-5 months. Let thaw and reheat gently, then add the cheese and scoop into buns.