Philly Cheese Steak Burger
The combination of thinly sliced beef, caramelized onions and ooey-gooey melted cheese makes for a truly unforgettable burger. One bite of this Philly cheese steak and you will be in food heaven! The recipe I am sharing is soft, juicy and super easy to prepare for weeknight dinners.
Ingredients
Let’s talk about the the 3 key ingredients for this recipe:
1) Beef
It is important to use a cut of beef that does not require a long cooking time. The most common choice is ribeye, although it can be expensive. I mostly use sirloin and the results have never disappointed. To get that tender, melt-in-the-mouth texture there are 2 secrets!!
Secret #1: Cut the beef as thinly as possible into strips (which can be difficult). To make it easy, place the steak in the freezer for 30-40 minutes or if it was in the freezer do not let it thaw. Using a sharp knife, cut out super thin slices and then further cut each slice into thin strips as shown in the picture below.
Secret #2: Marinate the beef strips in baking soda! Yes, you read it right! Just 15 minutes and this magic ingredient will result in the most tender beef you will ever have. Even the next day, the cooked beef strips will be ever so soft! This is a secret ingredient used in most Chinese cuisine.
2) Cheese
Many people prefer provolone cheese, but feel free to use whatever cheese is available. The most important thing is to choose a cheese that is relatively mild in flavor and melts easily.
3) Onions
White or yellow onions are caramelized and then mixed in the meat giving a subtle hint of sweetness in the bold meaty flavor. While caramelizing onions, I add a very small amount of sugar. This speeds up the caramelization process but in no way makes it overly sweet. You can totally skip it out! Just make sure that the onions are sliced very thinly.
Besides these three ingredients, I love to add thinly sliced mushrooms and bell peppers (green and colored).
What can be served with Philly cheesesteak?
Anything you want! French fries, coleslaw or potato salad; but this sandwich is so filling, it will be the star of the show.
What about leftover meat?
Keep the COOKED meat mixture in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. It will not be chewy or hard thanks to the baking soda!
The meat mixture can also be frozen into a Ziplock bag. It should keep about a month in the freezer.
To thaw, just heat on the stovetop or in the microwave.
Variations
The beauty of the Philly Cheese Steak lies in its versatility. Here are some variations:
- Make steak pizza by adding the cooked beef strips to a flatbread instead of buns. Add marinara sauce and top it with mozzarella cheese.
- Don’t like beef? Swap it with thinly sliced chicken!
Philly Cheese Steak Burger
Ingredients
- 450 grams beef (Ribeye or Sirloin)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon soya sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 bell peppers thinly sliced
- 3/4 cup mushrooms finely diced
- 2 large onions finely sliced
- 8-10 tablespoons oil
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- 2 cups shredded cheese
- 6 buns
Instructions
- Before starting, place the beef in the freezer for 30 minutes. This will make it easy to slice as thin strips.
- To marinade the beef, in a bowl add beef strips and the following spices- salt, black pepper, worcestershire sauce, soya sauce, garlic powder and baking soda. With your hand, mix very well to ensure every beef slice is well coated.
- Marinate for 20 MINUTES only.
- While the beef is marinating, start caramelizing the onions.
- In a frying pan on medium-high heat, add 3-4 tablespoons of oil and add the onions immediately. Stir well to ensure the onions are coated with oil.
- Add 1/4 teaspoon of sugar to it and keep stirring till it turns golden brown. Can take up to 8-10 minutes.
- Once done, transfer to a dish.
- In the same frying pan on medium-high heat, add 2-3 tablespoons of oil and add the bell peppers. Saute till they soften around 2-3 minutes.
- Then add in the mushrooms and saute for 1 minute.
- Transfer the vegetables (along with any juices if any) to the same dish with caramelized onions.
- To the frying pan on medium-high heat, add 3-4 tablespoons of oil and add the beef strips. DO NOT overcrowd the frying pan.
- Keep stirring the beef. You will notice that it will release some water and as it continues cooking the water will evaporate (takes up to 6-8 minutes). At this point the beef is done! You can check for doneness by using a spoon to break one of the beef strips and it should easily break.
- At this stage, return the vegetables (onions, bell peppers, mushrooms) back into the frying pan.
- Mix it well with the beef and then reduce the heat immediately to medium (or the mixture will dry out).
- Spread cheese all over the beef and vegetable mixture and immediately cover the frying pan. The heat will start melting the cheese.
- After 2 minutes, switch off the heat. Give it a gentle mix so that the melted cheese gets mixed into the beef and vegetable mixture. This will help hold the mixture together.
- Divide the Philly cheese steak mixture among the buns.
- Enjoy it while it is hot.
