Original video by @EthanChlebowski — all credit to the creator.
Philly Cheesesteak (Chuck Roast, Sweated Onions, American + Cheddar)
A home-cook cheesesteak built on hand-sliced chuck roast, slowly sweated onions, and a melty American-cheddar blend piled into a sesame hoagie roll. It hits the tenderness and sweetness of a Philly shop sandwich without the ribeye price tag.
Ingredients
For the sesame hoagie rolls (makes 4)
- 400 gbread flour
- 6 gyeast
- 8 gdiastatic malt powder · helps feed the yeast and improve browning
- 8 gsalt
- 10 ghoney or sugar
- 20 goil
- 260 gwater · 65% hydration
- —sesame seeds · for rolling the shaped rolls
- —cornmeal · for the parchment-lined baking sheet
For the cheesesteak (per sandwich)
- 1/2 lbprime chuck roast · hand-sliced as thin as possible; pre-shaved beef or thinly sliced ribeye also work
- —white onion · cut into large chunks
- —oil · for the onions
- —salt · for the onions
- 4-5 slicesAmerican cheese
- —sharp cheddar cheese · roughly 1 part cheddar to 3 parts American, to mimic Cooper Sharp
- 1sesame hoagie roll · homemade, or a store-bought hoagie roll or demi baguette
Steps
- 1
Make the roll dough: combine 400 g bread flour, 6 g yeast, 8 g diastatic malt powder, 8 g salt, 10 g honey, and 20 g oil in a mixing bowl and give it a rough mix by hand.
- 2
Transfer to a stand mixer, turn it on low, and pour in 260 g water. Mix about 6 minutes until it forms a dough that is soft to the touch.
- 3
Form the dough into a smooth ball, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled in size, about 75 minutes.
- 4
Divide the dough into equal portions of about 175 g each. Set up one baking sheet with sesame seeds and another with parchment paper dusted with cornmeal.
- 5
Roll each portion into a thin flat shape, roll it up tightly into a log, and pinch the seam closed on the bottom. Roll the log through the sesame seeds and transfer it to the cornmeal-dusted sheet. Repeat with the remaining portions.
- 6
Let the shaped rolls rise about another hour until plump, then score the tops with a knife or razor.
- 7
Bake at 425°F until golden brown and about 205°F in the center. Set aside.
- 8
Sweat the onions: cut the onions into big chunks and cook them low and slow with oil and salt for about 60 minutes, keeping them below the browning point so they stay pale, soft, and jammy. (If you are short on time, dice the onions smaller and cook about 10 minutes.)
- 9
Slice the beef: using the thinnest, sharpest knife you have, slowly slice the chuck roast into thin shavings, working from the easy-to-slice center section. This takes about 4 minutes.
- 10
Heat a griddle and lay the beef down. Break it apart with a metal spatula and spoon, continuing to chop and tenderize as it cooks through.
- 11
Once the beef is cooked, lay the American cheese and cheddar over the top and mix everything together until it forms a fatty, beefy, cheesy emulsion.
- 12
Add the sweated onions and mix them into the beef and cheese.
- 13
Place the roll over the pile and let it steam for 20 to 30 seconds, then scoop the filling into the roll, wrap it up, and serve.
Creator's notes
Ethan compared three builds: a 20-minute store-bought version (pre-shaved beef, Cheez Whiz, quick onions, $8.03/sandwich-ish, 7.1/10), a hybrid using hand-sliced chuck roast (7.9/10), and a high-end version with mandoline-shaved prime ribeye (8.1/10). His verdict: the chuck roast is the sweet spot — about half the cost of ribeye, easier to slice by hand, and nearly as tender. Slicing frozen ribeye on a mandoline is messy and wasteful, and he wouldn't do it again. The two upgrades that matter most are the sesame seed hoagie roll and 60-minute sweated onions (cooked below the browning point for clean, sweet flavor). If you use plain American cheese, add a little sharp cheddar for the Cooper Sharp-style kick.
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