I love me a good Philly cheesesteak sandwich and when I want a decent one fast I usually go to Firehouse Subs. Yeah….sadly that’s as good as it gets around here.

When making them at home I thought I was making it the authentic way by squirting on my cheez whiz but an elderly man by the name of Floyd Banks( who I swear is pushing 90 and still got some swag) nearly cussed me out for claiming to have a recipe for authentic Philly cheesesteaks when in fact I didn’t! (lol I love senior citizens who aren’t afraid to cuss somebody out)

Floyd was born and raised in Philadelphia and this is his recipe for a true, authentic, back in the day, Philly cheese steak sandwich.
I’m talking waaaaay back in the day because according to him “these youngins these days don’t know nothing bout making a true Philly cheesesteak sandwich!”
I tweaked it a bit by toasting my bread in the oven but that’s just because I love that oven toasted crunch. This sandwich is the BEST cheesesteak I’ve ever had and I’ve had a lot of them!
Just be sure to serve them immediately when they are nice and hot because as the old rule goes “You should NEVER reheat a Philly cheesesteak sandwich” and now I know why, they are gross reheated!
Thank you, Floyd, for “putting me in line” when it comes to making a truly authentic Philly cheese steak sandwich!

Authentic Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich
Recipe Type: sandwich
Author: Divas Can Cook
Serves: serves 2
Ingredients
  • Extra Virgin Olive oil (to grease griddle)
  • 1 loaf of French bread
  • 1 green bell pepper (sliced thin)
  • 1 small onion (sliced thin)
  • 1 6 oz of deli roast beef (rare) ( I cheat by using the Hormel organic roast beef lunch meat which is already fully cooked.)
  • 1 6 oz package of provolone cheese
  • 2-3 t. minced garlic
  • salt & pepper
  • mayonnaise, mustard, pickle & marinara sauce (optional)
Instructions
  1. Slice bell pepper and onion into thin slices
  2. Drizzle olive oil onto griddle and heat to medium-high.
  3. When griddle is heated add bell peppers and onions and saute until caramelized (about 6 minutes)
  4. Meanwhile, slice roast beef into strips. (set aside)
  5. Cut the French roll in half (I’m only making half in this tutorial so that’s why it look so small)
  6. Mash the bread down in the center of each roll to create an indention, This will help the filling stay in better. Add a few slices of butter. Set aside.
  7. Once onions and bell peppers are tender add in 2 t. of minced garlic, a few shakes of black pepper and a sprinkling of salt. Cook for another minute.
  8. Push bell pepper and onion mixture to the side of the griddle and add the roast beef. Cook until no longer pink. (or if using packaged roast beef lunch meat just cook until heated)
  9. Meanwhile set the oven on BROIL and place your bread in for about 1-2 minutes per side. Remove from the oven when edges are golden brown. Watch it carefully, it will brown quickly. (be sure to brown both sides)
  10. Mix beef, onions & peppers all together and divide into two servings. Place about 3-4 slices of provolone cheese on each serving & melt.
  11. When cheese is melted, use a spatula to flip it onto the toasted bread *note* now Floyd says that you shouldn’t toast the bread just put it on the griddle, use two spatulas to lift the mixture onto the bread and then let the bread brown in the yummy oils on the griddle which will flavor the bread* Well my griddle is not big enough for all that. <g class=”gr_ gr_90 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_disable_anim_appear Punctuation only-ins replaceWithoutSep” id=”90″ data-gr-id=”90″>Sorry</g> Floyd.
  12. Squeeze on some mayo & mustard, add a small bowl of marinara sauce on the side for dipping along with a dill pickle and you will be in Philly Cheesesteak heaven!!
Notes
OHHHH yall!!! Let me tell you how to bring these baby’s to the next level!! ok I made the bell pepper, onion, & roast beef mixture last night. Placed it in the refrigerator overnight. The next day I just heated it on the griddle and added the <g class=”gr_ gr_96 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_disable_anim_appear Grammar multiReplace” id=”96″ data-gr-id=”96″>slice</g> cheese and toasted my bread. The flavors had a chance to mingle and it was PHENOMENAL!!!