subject: Grilled Steak And Cheese [print this page] Who makes the best Cheese-steak in the Country? I know there are many of you from Philly out there that have claimed the you make the best of the best, and you certainly do make a wonderful sandwich. However this article is not a review on Cheese steaks, it's how to make a great cheese steak yourself. Many years ago, I went on a search for a great steak and cheese sandwich, and although I found many, none were better than the one I made once I got back home. Yes, I know I am a trained chef, but I promise this is not very difficult and the secret is in the simplicity.
The first thing I did was to go out and find a good cut of meat that would cook quick and would be very tender. The obvious choice would be a filet Mignon, but thats a waste of money on a sandwich. I wanted to make this sandwich affordable and yet very tasty. I settled on flank steak. Flank, has all the qualitys I was looking for. It's easy to cook and is very tender once cooked. You can also slice flank steak very thin, which is perfect when layering on a sandwich.
Next, I needed to find a suitable bread. Many purist of this sandwich will tell you that the bread is the key to a great steak and cheese. Count me in as to one of those guys. It is paramount that you find a roll that will be soft on the inside, but a little crusty on the outside. This will allow the roll to soak up all of the juices from the meat and cheese, and still have a crispy crunchy exterior. I decided on using a regular baguette from my local store. You can find them in the bakery section of your market.
Now it was time to start making my steak and Cheese. First, I seasoned my meat with salt, pepper, garlic and olive oil. I let the meat rest for about 30 minutes. While my meat was marinating I got my grill real hot and then proceeded to grill my meat. I like my steak medium rare, so I cooked my meat for about 7 minutes on both sides getting a nice grilled color. You can cook your steak longer if you wish. I removed the meat and placed it on a cutting board and let it rest for 15 minutes. This is a very important step, you must let your meat juices rest before slicing.
While my meat was resting, I sliced open a piece of my bread and brushed the inside with olive oil and some garlic powder. I placed the bread on the grill for about 2 minutes. It was now time to slice the meat. I sliced it real thin on the bias. It was beautiful. I layered the meat into the bread and then added two thin slices of provolone cheese on top. I placed the sandwich back on the grill and let the heat from the grill melt the cheese into the sandwich. This was looking really good.
What I realized in making this sandwich was that simplicity is the trick. You may want to add peppers, onions, mushrooms, cheese-wiz or whatever, but it's not necessary. The flavor of the grilled steak alone is outstanding. Remember, most of the time, less is more!
