The Ideal Cut Of Meat For Making Philly Cheesesteaks

It may only have a small number of simple ingredients — steak, cheese, onions, and bread — but the Philly cheesesteak is a genuinely iconic sandwich. With so few components, there's nowhere to hide, so quality is key. That starts with choosing the best cut of steak for the job. And for a cheesesteak, ribeye is king.

Along with entrecôte, côte de boeuf, and tomahawk, ribeye is one of the best rib cuts — and Anthony Bourdain's preferred cut of steak — thanks to the combination of fat and lean meat, which produces an incredibly rich flavor. It's best cooked fast at a high temperature, which is ideal for making the meal in a pinch. Alternatively, you could use skirt, sirloin, or strip steak.

However, it's not just the cut of beef itself that matters when creating this rich sandwich — it's also how it's cut. Thin is key if you want the best results, and that's hard to do at home without specialized equipment like a deli slicer. You can sometimes find pre-sliced steak or shaved beef in stores, which works well and makes things much easier. It might be a different cut than ribeye, but if you choose pre-sliced steak with plenty of marbling, you'll still get a good result. Alternatively, you could ask your butcher to slice steak thinly into slivers for you. Or if you fancy having a go at it yourself, you'll just need to follow a few key steps.

If you prefer to prepare the beef at home for your Philly cheesesteak, use Ina Garten's trick for ultra-thin meat slices. This involves freezing the steak briefly before slicing it, as room temperature meat is too soft and tricky to handle. Before doing so, cut the steak into sections about 3 inches across, then put the meat in the freezer for around 30 minutes to an hour. You want it to firm up, but not become frozen solid so it's impossible to cut.

Using a sharp knife, slice the meat against the grain, as this will make it more tender — which is essential for a satisfying cheesesteak. Slice it as thin as you can, then roughly chop it a few times to get the right texture for the sandwich.

While you'll want to cook the slivers of steak and the chopped onions together in the same skillet or griddle, a good tip is to start cooking the onions first since they take longer. Go for a temperature of around 400 to 425 degrees Fahrenheit, which will give the meat a nicely browned color and lots of flavor. 

Whether you prefer the cheese to be sharp and salty like provolone, melty like American, or just want to use Cheez Whiz, it's up to you — but if you're using slices, place them over the meat mix, and then cover with a lid. Similar to how Bobby Flay perfectly melts the cheese on his burgers, it guarantees a gorgeously gooey result.