Philly Cheesesteak Sliders

Perfect for the Labor Day weekend, delight your friends with these unexpected, but familiar, crowd pleasers. Wind down your summer properly-with a steak, onion, and cheese sandwich in your hand.

FOR THE CHEESESTEAKS:

• 2 Pounds Ribeye or Strip Steak
• 2 Large, or 3 Medium Yellow Onions
• 1 Green Pepper
• 6 Slices of Provolone and American Cheese (12 total)
• 6 Deli Rolls
• 1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 3 Teaspoons Vegetable Oil
• 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
• 1/2 Tablespoon Fresh Ground Black Pepper
• 4 Tablespoons Melted Unsalted Butter

1. Begin by placing your steak(s) in the freezer. Depending on their thickness, you’ll want to freeze them for 15-30 minutes. This freezing method allows you to cut the steak into the wafer thin slices characteristic of a Philly Cheesesteak. Check your steak at the 15 minute mark. It should be firm around the edges, but not frozen solid by any means. If not yet hard around the edges, place back into the freezer for an additional 15 minutes (30 minutes total). After your steaks have frozen, remove them from the freezer and begin to slice the steaks into the thinest possible strips. Place these strips into a Ziplock bag. Add the Worcestershire, Soy, and 1/2 tablespoon of salt, reserving the other half. Marinade the steak in the fridge for 2 hours, or up to 24 hours.
2. When ready to begin, take your largest skillet, and heat 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil over high heat. While your pan heats, remove your steak from the fridge. Continue to heat your empty pan, and oil, until you begin to see the first wisps of smoke coming from the oil; this a sign that that your pan is up to temperature, and you’ll be able to achieve a restaurant quality sear. Carefully place all of your beef in a single layer into your skillet. Resist the temptation to move the beef around. Allow the meat to remain in one spot for 2-3 minutes, undisturbed. After 2-3 minutes, carefully lift a piece of cooking steak up to check the underside; you want crisp and deeply colored markings on your steak. If your steak did not turn a dark color, continue to cook, on high heat, for 1-2 more minutes. Flip each piece of steak so that it colors on its second side for another 2-3 minutes.
3. Remove your steak from the pan with tongs and allow to rest, covered on a plate. Immediately add your final teaspoon of vegetable oil to the pan. With the heat still on high, add your onions and peppers sliced into thin strips. Sprinkle your remaining 1/2 tablespoon of salt and 1/2 tablespoon of black pepper. Stir to combine. Allow to cook over high heat for 7-9 minutes. After 7-9 minutes, move your vegetables around to stir, and rotate them. Adjust the heat as needed, turning it down if your vegetables are cooking too quickly, but you’ll find that your vegetables released a fair amount of liquid into the pan, deglazing any fond/bits of steak that remained stuck. Use your tongs to scrape up any bits of fond that accumulated from the steak, and incorporate this into your vegetables. Continue to cook your vegetables, stirring occasionally, until your onions and peppers have caramelized, all moisture has been driven off, and your vegetables have achieved good browning on all sides (15-20 minutes total). Turn your heat to off, and add your steak, and any accumulated juices, back to your pan with the onions and peppers. Combine your cooked steak and vegetables together with your tongs. Cover your steak and vegetables with layers of American and Provolone Cheese and place under the broiler for 2-4 minutes. Once your cheese has melted, take your pan out of the oven, and brush your rolls with the 4 tablespoons of melted butter. Place the buns under the broiler for 1-2 minutes until toasted. Remove the rolls from the oven and, using a wide spatula, portion out your Philly Cheesesteak mixture into your prepared rolls. To create the sliders, cut each roll into 3rds and serve.

GET CHEFFY TIP!– Because we can’t get enough of our grill, we made our Philly Cheesesteaks on an open charcoal grill. With our largest cast iron pan, heavy duty oven mitts, and 2 large wooden cutting boards (to have a safe spot to place our hot skillet when it was done cooking), we headed outside. The open charcoal grill imparted a smokey, toasted aroma to our steak, vegetables, and rolls. Weather permitting, try this recipe outside!

GET CHEFFY TIP!– Bump up the flavor on that melted butter and add 1 teaspoon of minced garlic and 1 teaspoon of garlic powder. Food snobs scoff at dried herbs/spices sometimes, but the dehydrating process used to create garlic/onion powder actually brings out sweet, toasted notes not present in raw garlic/onion; don’t be a food snob!