Passyunk Avenue’s – Philly Cheesesteak DIY

While strictly not a cheeseburger, the Philly Cheesesteak sandwich is a delicious cousin.  After all, both have chopped up meat that is fried, covered in cheese and served on a bun.   However, it is a much rarer cousin. While Britain has embraced burger culture over the last decade, and is now embracing proper BBQ, the cheesesteak has proved elusive.   So, when the opportunity to try out Passyunk Avenue’s DIY kit arose, we jumped at it, and are very glad we did! Read on to see why we liked them so much…

The Bun: 18/20

The hoagie rolls come partially baked and cryo-vaced.  You then rub with water (to help them steam) and finish them in the oven.   They only take a few minutes.  I would say these were close to perfect.  Taste and texture were fantastic.  I was tempted try buttering and frying them but stuck to the instruction this round.  They soaked up the juices from the meat and cheese and held their form, a perfect complement.  The only deduction was for being a little odd shaped.  While all 8 were almost exactly the same length, there was some variation in shape/thickness so we had to take some out of the oven before the others, and a couple were thick in the middle and a little thin on the ends so ends and middles ended up with slightly different degrees of doneness inside.  To be fair, packing and delivery may have done some of the shape altering as well.  I am sure when I get a chance to visit the restaurant they will be more consistent then we got them.

The Toppings: 8/10

The onions come pre-chopped and there are lots.   But they are the right onion for a cheesesteak, flavourful without being overpowering.   Lets call them medium strong.  A traditional Philly Cheesesteak has just onions mixed in, but sweet peppers have become a staple in the sandwiches in the rest of North America, and I recently read that 40% of orders in Philly now ask for them; although that includes tourists who don’t know better of course.  We did mix chopped and fried peppers in with half the sandwiches and I think they go very, very well with the provolone.  Not a bad complement for the Wiz either, but more like competing rather than enhancing flavours.  Although I did like having the whole lot (Wiz, provolone, onions and peppers) probably the best.

The Condiments: 5/10

Ok, controversy ahead as I needed to fill in our scoring system for condiments yet none are really needed for a good cheesesteak.  The fried beef and onion mix creates its own sort of gravy and the melted cheese takes care of the rest.  I’ve seen people add mayo or ketchup, but personally I really don’t think they help the same way here.  Maybe there is room for a dash of some hot sauce if you are so inclined.  Anyways, I figured 50% was a reasonable compromise.  

The Cheese: 19/20

You have three options in the kit, American, provolone and Wiz (their version of Kraft’s Cheese Whiz, a processed cheese spread.  I grew up eating Cheez Whiz pretty regularly and its not readily available in the UK so had to try that.  But I have also looked for good provolone to make a cheesesteak at home, or a South American style “provoleta” side dish (if you see it on a menu, order it!) and haven’t had a lot of luck as what I had found was not aged enough and so had a sharper taste than I prefer.  So, we opted for provolone and wiz, and both were ideal.   Only mark off is for a few of the provolone slices being a little too thin.  And maybe could have used one more per sandwich. But the taste and texture were perfect.  Provolone melts different than other cheeses (some day I will find out why) and takes on an incredibly rich, creamy texture flavour when melted over the beef on the griddle.  The Wiz sauce is melted in a pan separately and poured over the meat in the bun so is a little easier to prep.  It seems to magically coat all of the meat and not make the bun soft.    We had lots leftover and so it did go on one of the provolone sandwiches too and I think the combo is the winner.  A 1+1=3 sort of thing. We have actually reviewed another “cheesesteak” you should check that out here

The Beef: 18/20

Cheesesteaks are typically made with sliced ribeye steak fried with onion and chopped even thinner while on the grill.  The meat in this kit comes perfectly sliced at a 3mm thickness which makes it easy to break apart while cooking.  They recommend pre-slicing the steaks into thin strips, even if this isn’t the official way, as normally they would just be chopped up with a metal spatula while frying.  I tried both and do recommend the pre-slicing.  I was using a cast iron griddle and a big metal spatula but because the griddle was stove top and not fixed, it did want to slide around a little when you exerted the pressure needed so pre-slicing was much easier.  Then I just used the spatula to break up the occasional section that was a little big.  This steak was well-marbled and cooked easily.  The taste was excellent and there was plenty for each sandwich even with the chef sampling heavily along the way.   My only complaint is that there were some pretty big chunks of fat in the meat that needed to be cut out or picked out, which was another reason to pre-slice.

Taste: 18/20

Just really, really, really good.  Meat/bread/onions/peppers/cheese all in real harmony.  Textures great.  I have picky teens and even they were “mmmmmmmmm”ing after their first bite.   I do think the peppers and mixed cheese improved things. 

Our Verdict: 86/100

Will definitely order again.  They are a more work than a burger DIY, but they are also a lot more filling.   And the kit is easier than doing these on your own thanks to the pre-sliced onions and beef. A fantastic little touch was the instructions (which were pretty easy to follow) came with a QR code that links to a Spotify play list called “Philly Dive Bar Grooves” that ensured you had just the right ambiance while you cooked and enjoyed.  I’ve found great burgers all over the world, but have struggled to find a good cheesesteak outside North America.   Until now.  Congrats to the guys at Passyunk Avenue for getting the details right and filling a delicious gap in the market.  If you would like to check out the Passyunk Avenues website you can find it here