Homemade Cheesesteaks

I decided to make my version of cheesesteaks for the office for no particular reason other than they are pretty good and you can't find a good steak sandwich in Tuscaloosa or anywhere that I know of for that matter (outside of Philadelphia).  We're still searching for a good name for this sandwich as it really isn't a traditional Philly Steak.
 

Step 1: Get Good Meat

I bought a whole New York Strip Loin for this endeavor.  I use the strip loin for a few reasons.  First, it is my favorite cut of beef for texture and taste.  Second, I've never heard it used for this purpose before, as the Ribeye gets most of the attention in Philly and I prefer to be unique in my creations when I can.  I got the whole loin as the butcher gives a big discount on buying the whole shebang.
 
 

Step 2: Preparation 

Since we bought a whole loin, I portioned out what I thought we needed.  Basically I cut it in half.
 

 
I trimmed the fat cap off of the half I used and some other parts of the fat.  There's really no need to leave it on, and I've found I prefer having the meat trimmed up.  There's enough marbling in the meat to make it tender and tasty anyway, and people don't have to worry about gristle when they're eating if it is trimmed well.
 
Before beginning to cook, I also cut up the onions and peppers and got the cheese sauce going.  Preheat the oven for the bread at this point too.
 

Step 3: Cook! 

 


I carved the meat as thin as I could given I only had a steak knife. This particular griddle is nice as it has a trough around the outer edge for excess grease and water to run into.  I was cooking for 7 so after this batch browned I lowered the heat on the back portion to warm and moved all the finished meat to the back and began round 2.
 
 
 
To complete the sandwiches, we sauteed some peppers and onions in a separate pan until tender.  For the cheese, I used a recipe for a provolone cheese sauce courtesy of Bobby Flay from his Throwdown show.  That episode was actually the inspiration for me to try doing my own version.  The first time I tried it, I used gouda which was also very good. 
 
 
 

Step 4: Assembly 

I like to use Pepperidge Farm heat and serve french rolls for the cheesesteak to mouth conveyance.   They get a good crust on the outside, stay soft on the inside and hold up to the sauce very well.  I always hate it when foods served in sandwich form disintegrate the bread and you end up needing a fork.  Cut the roll in half to open it up, apply any condiments you like to the bread (in this case I used mayo), add a generous portion of the meat, top with onions and peppers, then dress it with the cheese sauce.
 
 
 
And another pic for good measure:
 
 
 
Consume until full and then consume some more.  Served with kettle cooked potato chips.