Philly Cheesesteak!!!

I believe the Philly Cheesesteak sandwich has to be on the list of World’s Most Perfect Sandwiches: delicious beef, sautéed onions, and thick cheese sauce – what’s not to love? I am a fan of Rachel Ray’s version, utilizing sliced tenderloin and provolone cheese. But I decided to try something a little different, with delicious results…

2.5 lbs beef brisket

1-2 bell peppers (I like the orange or red ones for this)

1/2 a large, sweet onion

6 hoagie rolls

cheese sauce (recipe to follow)

Brisket, it turns out, is super easy to cook in a crockpot. When I imagined this meal in my mind, it involved microwavable brisket, like the way you can buy pulled pork. But the grocery store I was at didn’t have any (that I could find) and I wasn’t going to another store – I have a new baby, there’s no time or energy for that. So I found the real thing and figured I could make it work in the slow cooker.

And I can! I found a recipe for a meat rub and instructions on how to cook brisket in a crockpot.

2 tsp salt

2 tsp dry mustard

2 tsp paprika

1/8 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

Trim fat. rub in seasoning. place meat with fat side up. cover, coon on low for apx. 6 hours.

 

All you do is put the brisket in the slow cooker on high for 6 or so hours, with the layer of fat on top. Mine turned out perfectly tender. And it was just as easy as microwaving – I just had to start it earlier.

I sautéed the peppers and onions, after cutting them in strips, in some olive oil, a la Rachel Ray. Then I piled them with the meat onto the hoagie roll.

This is the fun part: the cheese sauce.

The basic recipe comes from Fannie Farmer, the recipe for White Sauce. I have used it over and over for any number of things. It is quite versatile. It goes a little something like this:

2 Tbls butter

2 Tbls flour

1 and 1/4 cups milk, heated

salt and pepper to taste.

Melt the butter in a saucepan. When it is melted, add the flour and let it bubble (but not brown) for a minute. Then add the milk. Make sure to stir it so you don’t get clumps on the bottom. And I leave the temperature around medium. After a few minutes the milk will start to bubble and thicken. This is when you’d season with salt and pepper and have a white sauce. For the cheese sauce, this is when you add your cheese. I added a little of whatever I had on hand: some Monterey Jack, mozzarella, and parmesan – 1/4- 1/2 cup of each. You’ll end up with quite a cheesy sauce.

I top my meat and peppers with a liberal amount of sauce and enjoy!