Wingin’ It: Philadelphia Eagles at Buffalo Bills, of course Cheesesteak

Being a fan can be the kind of hard work that builds an appetite. That’s why Buffalo Rumblings brings you a recipe every week to pair with the Buffalo Bills’ upcoming opponent, featuring a custom wing sauce to make it more “Buffalo.” Our opponent this week: the Philadelphia Eagles.

Philadelphia is a rare city where there really wasn’t any difficulty coming up with a signature food. As happens with our wings, many a CBS broadcast has featured a greasy spoon in the process of creating this icon. I’m also assuming that if you ask for a “Philly” Cheesesteak they know you’re from out of town.

Playing around with integrating the sauce I elected to keep the sandwich pure and make a dipping sauce. And because the Buffalo Bills have been on fire, so is the sauce. Please note, before I get someone in the comments saying “it’s not that hot,” this is the hottest recipe in this series. It is not the hottest I know how to make. There’s plenty of weapons-grade peppers you can add to things if you need more spice.

Philly Cheesesteak

Serves: 3-4
Active Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

Wing sauce:

• ¹⁄₂ cup hot sauce*
• 1 pinch of cinnamon
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1 tsp red pepper powder
• ¹⁄₂ tsp garlic powder
• 2 Tbsp butter, unsalted

Cheesesteak:

• 1 lb top round cutlets, thinly sliced (about 1/2” x 1”)**
• ¹⁄₂ tsp celery salt
• ¹⁄₂ tsp salt
• Black pepper, garlic power, and onion powder to taste
• 2 Tbsp olive oil, separated
• 1 medium or ¹⁄₂ large onion, chopped
• 5 slices provolone cheese
• 3-4 Hoagie rolls

Directions

1. Prepare wing sauce: Add hot sauce, cinnamon, vinegar, honey, red pepper, and garlic powder to small sauce pot on LOW; stir. Continue simmering, occasionally stirring while you prepare remainder of recipe.
2. Prepare cheesesteak: In a small mixing bowl, gently toss celery salt, salt, pepper, garlic, and onion powder with sliced beef; set aside.
3. Add 1 Tbsp olive oil to large saute pan on MED-HIGH for 20-30 seconds.
4. Add chopped onions to pan; stir into oil and cook, stirring for 5-6 min, or until onions start to appear “milky” or translucent. Continue stirring occasionally.
5. Add remaining olive oil and seasoned sliced beef to pan; cook, stirring occasionally***, 6-10 min.
6. Place cheese over ingredients in pan; allow it to melt and combine well.
7. Remove sauce pot from heat when cheesesteak is nearly done; add butter and stir until combined.
8. Plate it: Serve on hoagie**** with more provolone and dip in hot sauce as desired.

Wingin’ It Tips

*If you know the brand to make an authentic Buffalo sauce, go with their “Xtra” hot. It retains the flavor while adding extra kick

**You can go with a decent variety of cuts for the steak, but top round cutlets are usually available and cut down on a lot of slicing time without impacting quality

***There will be some liquid from both the beef and onion. You can drain this off and go to the next step (the healthy option), or you can continue to cook a little longer to evaporate water, resulting in a thick gravy (the flavor option).

****For even more flavor, you can prepare the hoagie with garlic butter and bake in 350 degree preheated oven while preparing the cheesesteak.