Is it just me or does anyone else also find it impressing how well Ethan can navigate while being blindfolded. I'd just straight up put my hands into the food by accident
@@bascobretti it's 100% not worth it as a home cook, seeing as both planting and using Wasabi is time and place sensitive, but in a higher-end restaurant or something where you have it readily available it'll be a nice experience
One of the best food channels on YT, by far. But more importantly, I don’t feel guilty anymore for taking huge bites (and double bites) of my sandwiches after seeing Ethan attack them unapologetically!
Channeling your inner Scooby Doo and taking a gigantic bite of a sandwich is one of life's great pleasures. A good sandwich is such a great mix of flavors, the sensation of them all washing over your palette in waves when you take a huge bite is incredible.
the way he ate the spaghetti in a different video made me laugh 😂 just straight sucking it in, and yes I eat it the same way, I hate eating in front of other people because i cant do that
Marbled short rib is my go to for sandwiches. Trim the excess fat dry rub for flavor & moisture. Slice thin & shallow fry in it's own fat & grape seed oil.
His presentation is just as good as anything I've seen on Food Network, and it's more enjoyable because there aren't any wacky or grating personalities to distract from the food.
The butcher at my local grocery store was talking to his coworker when I said I needed a flat iron for a cheesesteak and said it wouldn’t be his first choice. Boy was he wrong. This was the first time we tried it with a flat iron and it was delicious! Very tender!! My wallet is very happy with your suggestion!! Best cheesesteak ever!!!!!
Finally, someone doing a cheesesteak who shows Jim's from South St. So many TH-camrs making cheesesteak ignore this place and its one of my favorite in Philly. Also, you know how to order "Wiz with". Makes me believe your opinion more.
Ethan, you make great content. Can we get some pork chop / cutlet pro tips? Too many chefs won't touch pig, but I know my local grocery store goes through a lot of it.
A Schwenkbraten video would be awesome, preferably Idar-Oberstein style. My favorite German pork dish. Maybe a comparison video between the Idar-Oberstein and Saarländer styles.
Crock-pot pork shoulder baby that’s all you need to know. Sauce him up with some beer and stock, couple aromatics. Braising Ethan style works perfect too!
@bodhileaf A large majority of youtube chef channels I trust don't have much in the way of recipes or general guidelines on how to cook pork for easy weeknight dinners. Many people and chefs consider swine to be unclean and don't eat it. Me on the other hand, find it delicious and like you said, cheap.
Actually surprised you thought flat iron was that much better than ribeye. I love a good flat iron steak, but I've never thought to myself that it is definitively beefier than a ribeye
Flat iron comes from a worker muscle known as top blade, ribeye is a combination of a lazy muscle and one that is less active than the top blade. Flat iron is definitely more beefy but the downside is that the taste doesn't preserve very well, not even in the freezer. The reason is that because this cut comes from the front of the animal it is exposed longer to oxidizing blood during bleeding, resulting in a taste that is commonly associated with that of liver. An advantage with flat iron however is that if you know how to handle a knife you can get it half price or even less by buying an entire top blade. My personal favorite is hanger steak though. Also requires a bit of knife skills cleaning it up but you won't get any beefier than that cut.
If that surprises you, try some bavette steak cast iron seared with butter and a hint of quality Dijon (not Maille.) With buttery soft Ribeye the flavor is the fat, and with Bavette the flavor is tne muscle - and with it the nice chew with the lightly browned uneven surface is a delight. Bavette (lower sirloin flap) was only five bucks a pound ten years ago! I had so much of it… Now it's real steak prices.
I wonder if frying the onions in beef tallow might have muddied the end taste test if you were specifically trying to test the beef part of the sandwich as opposed to frying the onions in a neutral oil. Love the channel and love how you share your experiences and even mess ups so we dont have too!
Labor Day weekend I made cheesesteaks for a house full of guests (I live at a beach resort) & invited everyone with an understanding they'd most likely be sleeping on the floor like back when we were in our 20s. Anyway I ran frozen London Broils (LB) through my meat slicer as thin as I could before the meat would fall apart. I fried up 8 HUGE softball sized onions & browned the steak meat in the same two dutch ovens (used dutch ovens so their thick iron would hold the heat between batches). ...had 30+ adults, the steaks were served with corn on the cob, baked potatoes, baked beans (with Jameson Irish whiskey added) & with Herr's barbeque potato chips, & fresh water melon. NO ONE, not one single person believed I made the best cheesesteak in their life using LB. The way to make the best cheesesteak is to brown the meat, something I've only seen done ONCE while living in Philadelphia. Most places are using a squirt bottle to squirt on the meat, it is nothing more than water since they steam their steak, I guess it cooks faster? But ZERO browning, WHY? Smash burgers are amazing for a reason, kids w/in a family fight over the end pieces of the Sunday roast for a reason, & it isn't because it was soaked with water from a squeeze bottle, more than other pieces of the beef. It is the browning of the beef. Picture a steak sandwich where every piece of it is like the first slice of a properly browned Sunday roast beef. Now picture it browned on both sides, cut super thin & there being 20 slices of steak on a roll with way to much American cheese & perfectly fried onions. Rolls are cheaper, so most of the guys I handed two steaks right off the bat, the girls I gave one, & I plated up more simply cut in half on the counter. Most of the girls that do not like to be seen eating, why I do not know why ... grabbed at least one extra half, & only a few of the guys had the balls to grab another half after finishing two, I think I ate 3 & a half & 3 ears of corn, and no, I've never been fat in my life. Since I had the oven on I even made a few pizza steaks, (I made them for those that worked with me in the kitchen) they are a plan steak on a roll with fried onions open face with pizza sauce & shredded mozzarella on top, like french bread pizza, but replace the french bread with a steak sandwich, & put under the broiler, & once the cheese is browned & melted you serve, & you close it & eat like a sandwich. IMO it is the best version of a cheesesteak, but you can only get a good one from a place that makes both good pizza & cheesesteaks. We used up 6 quart jars of hot peppers, it just blew my mind. We went out to the bar afterwards dancing, drinking, & we walked to & from, the next morning the few cheesesteaks halves that didn't get eaten were put in the fridge, they were all gone the next morning. The next day we made pizza from scratch since I didn't want to go to the beach, I like AFTER Labor Day when the beaches are EMPTY!! So with everyone from the resort town that was one of my guests (they also know not to go to the beach on holidays), & those that do not tan but burn. And we just made pizza after pizza after pizza with the sauce & dough I made earlier in that week, while enjoying black russians, first time I ever had one, amazingly delicious, but the only milk I had in the fridge was Half & Half and heavy whipping cream. So 11 of us were full of pizza & HWC, Kalilah, & Vodka, everybody was fighting off the food comas, & yes everyone putting the pizzas in or out got burnt at least once. Kids, do not drink & bake with an oven maxed out to 550 degrees, you're just asking for it. Pizza made right at home only takes 7 minutes to bake, trick is crank up the temp on the oven, & as soon as you put in the raw pizza crank up the broiler. And preheat, preheat, preheat your oven, & add mass to hold heat if you can, I do not have the right kind of mass, I am guessing fireplace bricks would be what is needed. But you might want to make sure to drive out the moisture slowly & at a lower temp before cranking it up so you do not get a steam explosion, or to keep them from cracking. Anyway, all 11 of us would make a pizza, meaning I made 11 pizzas, & put them in once one was done, one after another, to many people to make one at a time, home made pizzas you do not get 11 slices out of one, this way we're all getting a lot of pizza at once ... after girls were filled they ran outside to get out of the heat & the guys kept going for another 3 or 4 sets of making pies. We had store bought pepperoni & homemade italian pork sausage that I made, had also let this age three days in the refrigerator. IMO Pizza we buy is made for the palette of children, what I make is made for an adult's palette, just means a hell of a lots of garlic, & onion, & some additional spices. I get yelled at for feeding my friends because they say I ruin everything I feed them from them ever wanting the normal version again. BTW, CURE! for SUNBURN! black tea plain cold or room temp, soak a towel & put on affected area, instantly removes all pain, does nothing, or next to nothing for oven burns. Hope you liked my Book Report on "What I did Over My Labor Day Holiday Weekend", yeah I got carried away.
Right out of charlie andersons series on cheese steaks.. Also sodium citrate isn't needed with the velveeta and american since it already has it.. Second sandwich seems like the best is the flat iron because of cost!
Cheez Whiz exists, why not use it? I live an hour from Philly, go there for work all the time, my ex is from Philly. Eaten literally hundreds of cheesesteaks. Never seen any shop with that soupy yellow Velveeta concoction. They all use Cheez Whiz which has an undeniable taste and consistency (no matter how controversial). How does someone from Philly F that up?
Cooks Illustrated has a recipe for Carbonnade Flamande (Flemish beef stew) that uses thick flat iron or top blade steaks, or a top blade roast if you can get one. Made it once and now I always seek it out for stews and chili. It is amazing!
Finally got around to trying your cheesesteak recipe with flat iron steak and was absolutely blown away by how good it was! I've had some pretty disappointing attempts at homemade cheesesteaks thanks to using subpar shaved beef, and I'll definitely never look back. Can't wait to make one of these cheesesteaks for my dad!
After eating hot pot, I feel like thin sliced Short plate would be dope in a steak sandwich, luckily I live near many Asian markets and will be trying this soon
Where I’m at in PA we always put green bell peppers too. It’s chip steak, American cheese, fried onions and peppers, and either hot sauce or marinara. It hits
Great video! Having grown up in an Argentinian house hold, I'd say skirt steak cut across the grain is undoubtedly the best cut for a chimichurri steak sandwich.
Absolutely top notch video as always. I was a little bit disappointed not to see skirt steak in the comparison though. When I think thin cut sandwich steaks, my mind always goes to flank and skirt. I know it's traditionally used more in Mexican cuisine, but I think it's just a superior cut to the flank for any kind of thin sliced steak sandwich dish. I have to wonder how it would stack up against the flat iron.
It's all fun and games until it goes up 28947289374289% in price. Ethan's completely right about it being an incredible cut, but one of these days, it's going to get far too much attention to be a viable cut.
I really do love the deep dives and lifestyle videos, they're really where Ethan shines as a creator. I won't lie, though, it's been awhile since we had a straight up simple recipe video, like the Karahi or Easter Pie videos from back in the day (just two examples off the top of my head). A simple, quick "Here's a cool recipe I found / been liking recently" might be a nice change of pace
For many years, I would find that I get very ill/tire/sick feeling after eating some cheese steak sandwiches. Subway, Steakums etc. I never could figure it out until I heard about the histamine problem with some meats. It made sense after that. It for real feels like I took a mega dose of Benedryl. I wonder if cutting it up fresh like that would allow me to enjoy them. They looked great!
My guy I just subscribed to your channel for the science oriented approach to explaining how to be a better home cook. Your videos have been amazingly informative as I try to grow my skills in the kitchen. As a Philly native tho, I was skeptical of this video but I died when my man said "hoagie roll" and "I'm a Wiz wit kinda guy". You're definitely familiar with that south Philly culture. So much so that I'll forgive the seeded rolls. Much respect. Keep doing what you're doing.
Finally! A fellow Philly native cook who’s opinion I can actually trust on which steak to use for cheesesteaks! Can’t wait to recreate my hometown fave! Thanks!
I regularly make sandwiches similar to #2 in the video, but always use Flank. I think the big thing is that flank isnt designed to be eaten that thick: I always cut mine thinner (
I would love to see a similar experimental deep dive into meatloaf. I use about 2 lbs ground chuck and about 1/2 lb ground lamb. The lamb adds to the meaty flavor. Ragusea recently did a video showing I'm not putting enough ɓread crumbs in, which is why I get the fat pool I don't want. My questions are whether Angus would be better than chuck, would it be better to let the meat rest for a time before cooking, and how to get a good èxterior browning without making the outer portions semi tough and over-cooked. Ì love your scientific approach!
I used to make the flat iron chimichurri sandwich on ciabatta with arugula nearly exactly the same way back when I had access to a grill. Flat iron is an underappreciated cut!
Great point on adding the cheese to the meat as its cooking. Im a Provelone man but the principle is the same. But the real secret weapon is the roll. You definitely need the right kind of roll with the precise texture and flavors. Kinda hard to find them outside of the east coast
I found myself wondering how a tri-tip might fare in your 2nd sandwich, though I wouldn't suggest it for a cheesesteak competition. I also wonder, if someone were really on a budget, how would a round steak do? Remarkably beefy flavor, but needs such thin slices for any tenderness.
Ethan i'm at @7:40 amen to the beef tallow. I'd highly suggest Brian Lagerstrom mac and cheese sauce for the sando. I use to make mac and cheese but also make a variant for cheese rice and sandwich topping or queso base. it it super luxurious and no artificial flavor or weird roux texture. When loaded with mild cheddar, parm, some sharp cheddar and or Jarlsberg. I'd like to suggest getting totally away from cooking or eating any seed oils. Just try it for one month. See what happens. No potato chips or french fries. or do you own frying tallow. Just see if you loose weight or shape, use a tape measure around your waist. Fry donuts in lard. Chips in tallow or lard. No salad with oils. Use cream and sour cream and vinegar, super good. Or vinegar and butter with mustard whipped. I think it makes a difference in taste too. This is not a keto diet by any means. It's just taking the processed things out. Just what we have 100+ years ago. You cook a lot and i love your channel. I'm so proud of the tallow cooked onions. I've changed the way i'll cook forever and feed everyone this way with no complaints. How often do you go out to eat and get an upset stomach at any tier of place. What's the deal there, poor prep, old prep, cheap products, oils or preservatives? Yes some places do it right. But eating lots of fried foods out is no bueno. Try frying your own things in lard and try to over consume, you can't. Maybe the first time. But after a bit it's interesting. Consider the French with mass quantities of butter. How did you do over there. Or are you still there. Did anything change. Sub any meal you used to cook a certain way and try a fat to cook it with instead. I used to make fried rice with corn oil and could eat way more than when it's made with lard.
Watching how you chopped that parsley, I think you might enjoy working with a Nigiri knife. It's really designed to cut veggies that way -- and I think the chef's knife isn't ideal for it. You should check it out sometime. It's basically a vegetable cleaver, and I love *love* mine.
A lot of places I went as a kid wouldn’t put the whiz in until they were just about to take the steak off the flat top. Like the whiz would go on, they mix it, couple seconds, then bread. Obviously if I was getting American or provolone it went on much earlier. But it looks like his whiz broke because he added it too early.
@@lbgtr87news flash, real good cheesteak joints here in Philly don't use Amaroso Rolls, there are better local bakeries like Liscios or Sarcones that make better rolls.
I'm an engineer and even I am impressed by your ability to categorize, analyze, and break problems down into manageable chunks. Very impressive, and I'm honestly surprised to see people liking it!!
Same, I’m a software engineer and architect and the way you set up your systems for diversity in healthy eating with very little thought is just immaculate!
Hey Ethan, have you considered doing a world-wide sandwich or hamburger showdown type thing? I've been super into making Lebanese style hamburgers and it got me thinking about how different countries approach sandwiches and burgers. The flavour and texture is so drastically different, it would be super interesting to check out, I'd say.
I'd guess the best CB would be a double patty burgers, smash & a thick burger on the same bun, first for flavor second for juiciness', then it would come down to what would make you happy, as in the bun or you want a roll, if it is toasted, sesame seeds, maybe you like kaiser rolls like I do, & the type of cheese you want, fried onion, every cheeseburger I eat is half fried onion. I think Ethan lives in or grow up in the same area in Pennsylvania as I did, might be completely different from another part of the country, or just one street over, or how his Dad made them. ...oh do not forget the bacon!!! its 1:43am here & I want to make cheeseburgers now! THANKS :P ....I have everything but the rolls, but Wawa is open 24 hours, I have everything, even bacon ... I'm doing this, got my shoes on & all I need now is my car keys. I even have a fresh family sized bag of unopened Herr's Barbecue potato chips! ...btw I've tried every brand of BBQ chips I've seen & I've been to 47 States on vacations, Herr's IMO are the best hands down.
I live in an area of 775,000 people and the only butcher that sold flat irons stopped about 18 months ago. New owners jacked the prices WAY up, then stopped selling them because no one would buy at the high price.
Hey Ethan! Really loving the deep dives, learning so much. One thing I’d love to see you get into is jerky. I get an eye of round roast from Costco, trim off the fat, and freeze it in one pound portions. From there, slightly defrost it and slice as thin as I can before marinating. Put it on a rack in my oven at 200 degrees for 3-4 hours. It works, but I’m sure there’s a better way for a home cook to make jerky. What are your thoughts? Is it worth a video? Thanks again! Best, Josh
Sorry to comment on my own comment, BUT I’m thinking back to my butcher shop in Minnesota. They have this amazing jerk pork jerky (thin, spicy, & sweet), turkey jerky (thick, savory, somehow juicy), and a campfire jerky (classic tough beef jerky). Shoutout Mackenthun’s in Saint Bonifacius, MN
The chimichurri sandwich is definitely my type of steak sandwich. Every cheese steak I have ever had has felt bland and underwhelming, this type of sandwich is always delicious.
Thats because you're not getting a good Philly cheese. Next time, caramelize your onions, sautée some peppers and hatch chilis or jalapeños, toast the bread with butter, lay down a lil mayo and salt and pepper and tiny hit of lemon juice. Use a combo of steak. I usually use flat iron and flank. Sear the steak on both sides until you get a nice crust, marinade them prior. Cut up your steak. Throw back on the stove top, hit with some cream cheese, butterkase, and American. Melt and mix together and assemble. Authentic? No. Flavorful? Hell yeah .
@@The53732 This list leaves out the bread, which is a huge component of the overall cheesesteak experience. Gotta be light but chewy, able to soak up a ton of juice without losing handleable structure, and ideally have a thin crackling crust that puts the cherry on top of the textural experience with every bite. Beautiful bread is more than half the battle!
I had a filet mignon Poboy in New Orleans a long time ago from a now shuttered restaurant called Crazy Johnnys in Fat City. It was awesome on French bread and i cant seem to recall the flavors but it was one of the best sandwiches I ever ate.
As someone who is trying to understand red meat better and specifically wanted to make a cheesesteak/ steak sandwich at home this is very helpful , I like sandwiches but don’t do deli meat so this is helpful 🙂
Wow, good work. The chimichurri would obscure anything for me. I would use a light mayo with just a hint of horseradish, salt and pepper, a butter lettuce, same bread.
Great content! I was thinking about steak sandwiches this week. Funny that you and "Hot Dog is a Sandwich" have steak episodes this week. I'm all about that chimichurri sandwich. I'm in the SF Bay Area and with the large Mexican population arracherra cuts (basically thin cut skirt) is available at the Latin markets. That's what i use for my steak sandwiches at home 🤘🤠🥃
Ethan, you are one of the 4 horsemen of Food TH-camrs. Kenji, Ragusa, Ethan, and of course Chef John. I started using the dried minced garlic based on your garlic video and madone. Idk if I’ll even even use fresh garlic anymore tbh. These breakdown videos are supremely helpful.
I see you used the same wooden-handled cleaver that I have. It takes an excellent edge, but the handle on mine loosened after a couple of months. Using it became dangerous as I feared the blade coming off and flying somewhere it shouldn't be. I fixed it using JB Weld, and it's nice and tight now. Now it's off to Publix to get some flat iron steak. Hangar steak is also great for sandwiches, too.
The cheese sauce at 8:00 doesn't need sodium citrate. Both Kraft American Cheese and Velveeta have sodium citrate and already become smooth cheese sauce when melted. The extra milk doesn't need an emulsifier.
Philly Cheesesteak joints don’t make their cheese. It’s friggin Cheez Whiz. Dude is trying to be front like a chef but clearly doesn’t have the 101 down. Entertaining videos but just a bunch of chatter, zero substance.
@@ryangies4798what absolute gibberish you just typed, and its all over the fact the that he made his own cheese sauce and did use the original thing, then you go to say his pretending to be a chef. What exactly was just chatter in the video.
Velveeta and American cheese slices already have emulsifiers in them so the sodium citrate is unnecessary. Use sodium citrate if using a normal cheese from the block like a sharp cheddar. But if just adding a pinch of sharp cheddar to velveeta and slices, they actually have enough emulsifiers that the citrate is still not needed.
Hi Ethan, Can you do a Nandos comparison. They use steam ovens and finish on the grill apparently. The Nandos marinade - sauce in the restaurant is also different to the supermarket bought Nandos marinade - sauce
Love these style of videos. I’m super curious why you added sodium citrate to your cheese sauce, when velveeta and American cheese contain it? I often use American cheese as a substitute instead of sodium citrate, as they both accomplish the same thing.
take milk, add american cheese, add american cheese, sodium citrate(the binding agent that makes "american" cheese "american cheese" (shh- don't tell them its a swiss invention)) and make "american cheese" sauce. thinned out cheese sauce.
Another test I have questioned is... Is frozen cut meat better then half frozen meat better? Like precut meat then freeze (just like how Kenji stated with veggies if you don't have a mortar and pestle just freeze it) might be better then frozen THEN cut. I hope I stated that well enough.
Ethan Chlegoatski
ethan cheblowme
Is this a Russian Ukraine Bulgarian khasta. Type name?
Chleboner
Ethan CelloGoatSki
chlegraychicken
Is it just me or does anyone else also find it impressing how well Ethan can navigate while being blindfolded. I'd just straight up put my hands into the food by accident
Haha I’ve had a number of mishaps in the raw footage
@@EthanChlebowskiMaybe add some bloopers at the end of the video? Just like 15 to 30 seconds worth. Would be fun to see haha
I agree. STCG has been adding bloopers at the end of his vids moreso recently and it's quite enjoyable.
@@ItsariJascoSTGC?
@@ItsariJascohe included bloopers where he admits to being a whiz guy
I appreciate every minute of the insane amount of work that goes into these videos
Have you considered making one about real vs fake wasabi?
It’s on the idea list! Would love to tackle it at some point!
Real wasabi doesn't worth it's price.
@@bascobretti it's 100% not worth it as a home cook, seeing as both planting and using Wasabi is time and place sensitive, but in a higher-end restaurant or something where you have it readily available it'll be a nice experience
@@darkness74185that and theyre both wildly different and really niche in usage so i really wonder what a full video could go into
I love that idea.
One of the best food channels on YT, by far. But more importantly, I don’t feel guilty anymore for taking huge bites (and double bites) of my sandwiches after seeing Ethan attack them unapologetically!
Channeling your inner Scooby Doo and taking a gigantic bite of a sandwich is one of life's great pleasures. A good sandwich is such a great mix of flavors, the sensation of them all washing over your palette in waves when you take a huge bite is incredible.
thisss
the way he ate the spaghetti in a different video made me laugh 😂 just straight sucking it in, and yes I eat it the same way, I hate eating in front of other people because i cant do that
As a chemist, i thoroughly enjoy your approach to cooking 😺 Kudos! Very cool!
Chemist here too! I was also thinking it seemed like a well put together presentation, outlining his goals and questions he wants to answer!
Joining on that.
Marbled short rib is my go to for sandwiches. Trim the excess fat dry rub for flavor & moisture. Slice thin & shallow fry in it's own fat & grape seed oil.
Makes excellent carne asada as well! Learned about that from Sam the cooking guy
@@JDubST It definitely does next time I make CA want to try using tri tip. The flavor in slow cooked tri tip is simply incredible.
*its
Thank you for doing these in depth videos. They are so entertaining and educational!
His presentation is just as good as anything I've seen on Food Network, and it's more enjoyable because there aren't any wacky or grating personalities to distract from the food.
The butcher at my local grocery store was talking to his coworker when I said I needed a flat iron for a cheesesteak and said it wouldn’t be his first choice. Boy was he wrong. This was the first time we tried it with a flat iron and it was delicious! Very tender!! My wallet is very happy with your suggestion!! Best cheesesteak ever!!!!!
Finally, someone doing a cheesesteak who shows Jim's from South St. So many TH-camrs making cheesesteak ignore this place and its one of my favorite in Philly.
Also, you know how to order "Wiz with". Makes me believe your opinion more.
Ethan, you make great content. Can we get some pork chop / cutlet pro tips? Too many chefs won't touch pig, but I know my local grocery store goes through a lot of it.
A Schwenkbraten video would be awesome, preferably Idar-Oberstein style. My favorite German pork dish. Maybe a comparison video between the Idar-Oberstein and Saarländer styles.
Crock-pot pork shoulder baby that’s all you need to know. Sauce him up with some beer and stock, couple aromatics. Braising Ethan style works perfect too!
@bodhileaf A large majority of youtube chef channels I trust don't have much in the way of recipes or general guidelines on how to cook pork for easy weeknight dinners. Many people and chefs consider swine to be unclean and don't eat it. Me on the other hand, find it delicious and like you said, cheap.
Calling its
What chefs are these? Muslim ones?
Best cook on youtube. No nonsense. No "papibless" nonsense. Just real, great, high production value, informative content
I don't even cook a lot, but honestly Ethan, you're teaching me leaps and bounds about cooking.
Actually surprised you thought flat iron was that much better than ribeye. I love a good flat iron steak, but I've never thought to myself that it is definitively beefier than a ribeye
Flat iron comes from a worker muscle known as top blade, ribeye is a combination of a lazy muscle and one that is less active than the top blade. Flat iron is definitely more beefy but the downside is that the taste doesn't preserve very well, not even in the freezer. The reason is that because this cut comes from the front of the animal it is exposed longer to oxidizing blood during bleeding, resulting in a taste that is commonly associated with that of liver. An advantage with flat iron however is that if you know how to handle a knife you can get it half price or even less by buying an entire top blade. My personal favorite is hanger steak though. Also requires a bit of knife skills cleaning it up but you won't get any beefier than that cut.
If that surprises you, try some bavette steak cast iron seared with butter and a hint of quality Dijon (not Maille.)
With buttery soft Ribeye the flavor is the fat, and with Bavette the flavor is tne muscle - and with it the nice chew with the lightly browned uneven surface is a delight.
Bavette (lower sirloin flap) was only five bucks a pound ten years ago! I had so much of it… Now it's real steak prices.
he just likes flat iron
Thanks!
I wonder if frying the onions in beef tallow might have muddied the end taste test if you were specifically trying to test the beef part of the sandwich as opposed to frying the onions in a neutral oil.
Love the channel and love how you share your experiences and even mess ups so we dont have too!
Labor Day weekend I made cheesesteaks for a house full of guests (I live at a beach resort) & invited everyone with an understanding they'd most likely be sleeping on the floor like back when we were in our 20s. Anyway I ran frozen London Broils (LB) through my meat slicer as thin as I could before the meat would fall apart. I fried up 8 HUGE softball sized onions & browned the steak meat in the same two dutch ovens (used dutch ovens so their thick iron would hold the heat between batches). ...had 30+ adults, the steaks were served with corn on the cob, baked potatoes, baked beans (with Jameson Irish whiskey added) & with Herr's barbeque potato chips, & fresh water melon.
NO ONE, not one single person believed I made the best cheesesteak in their life using LB.
The way to make the best cheesesteak is to brown the meat, something I've only seen done ONCE while living in Philadelphia. Most places are using a squirt bottle to squirt on the meat, it is nothing more than water since they steam their steak, I guess it cooks faster? But ZERO browning, WHY?
Smash burgers are amazing for a reason, kids w/in a family fight over the end pieces of the Sunday roast for a reason, & it isn't because it was soaked with water from a squeeze bottle, more than other pieces of the beef. It is the browning of the beef.
Picture a steak sandwich where every piece of it is like the first slice of a properly browned Sunday roast beef. Now picture it browned on both sides, cut super thin & there being 20 slices of steak on a roll with way to much American cheese & perfectly fried onions. Rolls are cheaper, so most of the guys I handed two steaks right off the bat, the girls I gave one, & I plated up more simply cut in half on the counter. Most of the girls that do not like to be seen eating, why I do not know why ... grabbed at least one extra half, & only a few of the guys had the balls to grab another half after finishing two, I think I ate 3 & a half & 3 ears of corn, and no, I've never been fat in my life.
Since I had the oven on I even made a few pizza steaks, (I made them for those that worked with me in the kitchen) they are a plan steak on a roll with fried onions open face with pizza sauce & shredded mozzarella on top, like french bread pizza, but replace the french bread with a steak sandwich, & put under the broiler, & once the cheese is browned & melted you serve, & you close it & eat like a sandwich. IMO it is the best version of a cheesesteak, but you can only get a good one from a place that makes both good pizza & cheesesteaks. We used up 6 quart jars of hot peppers, it just blew my mind.
We went out to the bar afterwards dancing, drinking, & we walked to & from, the next morning the few cheesesteaks halves that didn't get eaten were put in the fridge, they were all gone the next morning.
The next day we made pizza from scratch since I didn't want to go to the beach, I like AFTER Labor Day when the beaches are EMPTY!! So with everyone from the resort town that was one of my guests (they also know not to go to the beach on holidays), & those that do not tan but burn. And we just made pizza after pizza after pizza with the sauce & dough I made earlier in that week, while enjoying black russians, first time I ever had one, amazingly delicious, but the only milk I had in the fridge was Half & Half and heavy whipping cream. So 11 of us were full of pizza & HWC, Kalilah, & Vodka, everybody was fighting off the food comas, & yes everyone putting the pizzas in or out got burnt at least once. Kids, do not drink & bake with an oven maxed out to 550 degrees, you're just asking for it.
Pizza made right at home only takes 7 minutes to bake, trick is crank up the temp on the oven, & as soon as you put in the raw pizza crank up the broiler. And preheat, preheat, preheat your oven, & add mass to hold heat if you can, I do not have the right kind of mass, I am guessing fireplace bricks would be what is needed. But you might want to make sure to drive out the moisture slowly & at a lower temp before cranking it up so you do not get a steam explosion, or to keep them from cracking. Anyway, all 11 of us would make a pizza, meaning I made 11 pizzas, & put them in once one was done, one after another, to many people to make one at a time, home made pizzas you do not get 11 slices out of one, this way we're all getting a lot of pizza at once ... after girls were filled they ran outside to get out of the heat & the guys kept going for another 3 or 4 sets of making pies. We had store bought pepperoni & homemade italian pork sausage that I made, had also let this age three days in the refrigerator.
IMO Pizza we buy is made for the palette of children, what I make is made for an adult's palette, just means a hell of a lots of garlic, & onion, & some additional spices. I get yelled at for feeding my friends because they say I ruin everything I feed them from them ever wanting the normal version again.
BTW, CURE! for SUNBURN! black tea plain cold or room temp, soak a towel & put on affected area, instantly removes all pain, does nothing, or next to nothing for oven burns.
Hope you liked my Book Report on "What I did Over My Labor Day Holiday Weekend", yeah I got carried away.
Just moved to uni and this is getting me through my first night, thank you. You've always been such a comfort to me and I really needed this :]
Didnt know you were a fellow pennsylvania native. Loving the videos!
Right out of charlie andersons series on cheese steaks.. Also sodium citrate isn't needed with the velveeta and american since it already has it.. Second sandwich seems like the best is the flat iron because of cost!
Cheez Whiz exists, why not use it? I live an hour from Philly, go there for work all the time, my ex is from Philly. Eaten literally hundreds of cheesesteaks. Never seen any shop with that soupy yellow Velveeta concoction. They all use Cheez Whiz which has an undeniable taste and consistency (no matter how controversial). How does someone from Philly F that up?
Great job Ethan. I usually use a thinner cut NY strip for a steak sandwich. Flat iron is going to be the next sandwich for sure.
I’ve never been more excited to watch a video. You inspire me to be passionate about food.
Cooks Illustrated has a recipe for Carbonnade Flamande (Flemish beef stew) that uses thick flat iron or top blade steaks, or a top blade roast if you can get one. Made it once and now I always seek it out for stews and chili. It is amazing!
Finally got around to trying your cheesesteak recipe with flat iron steak and was absolutely blown away by how good it was! I've had some pretty disappointing attempts at homemade cheesesteaks thanks to using subpar shaved beef, and I'll definitely never look back. Can't wait to make one of these cheesesteaks for my dad!
After eating hot pot, I feel like thin sliced Short plate would be dope in a steak sandwich, luckily I live near many Asian markets and will be trying this soon
TH-camr of the year man, you are one of the most insightful home chefs out here
2:01 naughty naughty. That is what popped into my head 🤣
12:11 is the smallest bite Ethan Chlebowski has ever taken in his entire life hahaha, he always *houses* his food and I love it
To break up the mundane look of a cheesesteak and to add another level of flavor, I love to add a fresh diced jalapeño when assembling. ❤
I use pickled jalapeños instead of fresh but they definitely level up just about any beef sandwich.
Where I’m at in PA we always put green bell peppers too. It’s chip steak, American cheese, fried onions and peppers, and either hot sauce or marinara. It hits
Great video! Having grown up in an Argentinian house hold, I'd say skirt steak cut across the grain is undoubtedly the best cut for a chimichurri steak sandwich.
Absolutely top notch video as always. I was a little bit disappointed not to see skirt steak in the comparison though. When I think thin cut sandwich steaks, my mind always goes to flank and skirt. I know it's traditionally used more in Mexican cuisine, but I think it's just a superior cut to the flank for any kind of thin sliced steak sandwich dish. I have to wonder how it would stack up against the flat iron.
Since finding out about flat iron steaks from your videos they’ve become my favorite cut
It's all fun and games until it goes up 28947289374289% in price. Ethan's completely right about it being an incredible cut, but one of these days, it's going to get far too much attention to be a viable cut.
How much you get it for? and Where?
I found it Ralph’s, so you could probably get it at most Kroger-owned stores. I think it was $9.99/lb, but I’m also in a high cost of living area
I really do love the deep dives and lifestyle videos, they're really where Ethan shines as a creator. I won't lie, though, it's been awhile since we had a straight up simple recipe video, like the Karahi or Easter Pie videos from back in the day (just two examples off the top of my head). A simple, quick "Here's a cool recipe I found / been liking recently" might be a nice change of pace
For many years, I would find that I get very ill/tire/sick feeling after eating some cheese steak sandwiches. Subway, Steakums etc. I never could figure it out until I heard about the histamine problem with some meats. It made sense after that. It for real feels like I took a mega dose of Benedryl. I wonder if cutting it up fresh like that would allow me to enjoy them. They looked great!
Got my first delivery from Porter Road this week. It was amazing - the best steak I've ever had. Highly recommended!
My guy I just subscribed to your channel for the science oriented approach to explaining how to be a better home cook. Your videos have been amazingly informative as I try to grow my skills in the kitchen. As a Philly native tho, I was skeptical of this video but I died when my man said "hoagie roll" and "I'm a Wiz wit kinda guy". You're definitely familiar with that south Philly culture. So much so that I'll forgive the seeded rolls. Much respect. Keep doing what you're doing.
Finally! A fellow Philly native cook who’s opinion I can actually trust on which steak to use for cheesesteaks! Can’t wait to recreate my hometown fave! Thanks!
I regularly make sandwiches similar to #2 in the video, but always use Flank. I think the big thing is that flank isnt designed to be eaten that thick: I always cut mine thinner (
For the cheese steak I always use chuck. Chuck is always well marbled its cheap and any toughness is mitigated by your thin slices
LMAO I love how you're holding your hands over what you think is sandwich 2 at 11:34 and there's nothing there
I would love to see a similar experimental deep dive into meatloaf. I use about 2 lbs ground chuck and about 1/2 lb ground lamb. The lamb adds to the meaty flavor. Ragusea recently did a video showing I'm not putting enough ɓread crumbs in, which is why I get the fat pool I don't want. My questions are whether Angus would be better than chuck, would it be better to let the meat rest for a time before cooking, and how to get a good èxterior browning without making the outer portions semi tough and over-cooked. Ì love your scientific approach!
I used to make the flat iron chimichurri sandwich on ciabatta with arugula nearly exactly the same way back when I had access to a grill. Flat iron is an underappreciated cut!
Great point on adding the cheese to the meat as its cooking. Im a Provelone man but the principle is the same. But the real secret weapon is the roll. You definitely need the right kind of roll with the precise texture and flavors. Kinda hard to find them outside of the east coast
in practice the bread is really what makes or breaks a cheesesteak
@@coolwillrocksoh, the cheese, too. Provolone for the win.
Advice on bread? I live in the South
@@EyyLmaooany kind of sub rolls are the best
I found myself wondering how a tri-tip might fare in your 2nd sandwich, though I wouldn't suggest it for a cheesesteak competition. I also wonder, if someone were really on a budget, how would a round steak do? Remarkably beefy flavor, but needs such thin slices for any tenderness.
This video format is so effective and you do a great job in the presentation 🤘
Excellent work again. You have these analysis videos down to, well, science!
Ethan i'm at @7:40 amen to the beef tallow. I'd highly suggest Brian Lagerstrom mac and cheese sauce for the sando. I use to make mac and cheese but also make a variant for cheese rice and sandwich topping or queso base. it it super luxurious and no artificial flavor or weird roux texture. When loaded with mild cheddar, parm, some sharp cheddar and or Jarlsberg. I'd like to suggest getting totally away from cooking or eating any seed oils. Just try it for one month. See what happens. No potato chips or french fries. or do you own frying tallow. Just see if you loose weight or shape, use a tape measure around your waist. Fry donuts in lard. Chips in tallow or lard. No salad with oils. Use cream and sour cream and vinegar, super good. Or vinegar and butter with mustard whipped. I think it makes a difference in taste too. This is not a keto diet by any means. It's just taking the processed things out. Just what we have 100+ years ago. You cook a lot and i love your channel. I'm so proud of the tallow cooked onions. I've changed the way i'll cook forever and feed everyone this way with no complaints. How often do you go out to eat and get an upset stomach at any tier of place. What's the deal there, poor prep, old prep, cheap products, oils or preservatives? Yes some places do it right. But eating lots of fried foods out is no bueno. Try frying your own things in lard and try to over consume, you can't. Maybe the first time. But after a bit it's interesting. Consider the French with mass quantities of butter. How did you do over there. Or are you still there. Did anything change. Sub any meal you used to cook a certain way and try a fat to cook it with instead. I used to make fried rice with corn oil and could eat way more than when it's made with lard.
Watching how you chopped that parsley, I think you might enjoy working with a Nigiri knife. It's really designed to cut veggies that way -- and I think the chef's knife isn't ideal for it.
You should check it out sometime. It's basically a vegetable cleaver, and I love *love* mine.
Culinary Experiments are yhis guys bread and butter. Always entertaining and informative. Great to just turn on while your working on other things.
One of the rare times when someone on the internet claims to make a 'Philly' Cheesesteak and ACTUALLY nails it.
yeah? wheres the amoroso roll?
A lot of places I went as a kid wouldn’t put the whiz in until they were just about to take the steak off the flat top. Like the whiz would go on, they mix it, couple seconds, then bread. Obviously if I was getting American or provolone it went on much earlier. But it looks like his whiz broke because he added it too early.
If you call it a "Philly cheesesteak" its not a cheesesteak.
@@lbgtr87news flash, real good cheesteak joints here in Philly don't use Amaroso Rolls, there are better local bakeries like Liscios or Sarcones that make better rolls.
@@spiraljumper74original cheesteaks were made with Provolone or American Cheese. Wiz came along much later it all depends on what one likes.
Great video, but also not the video I needed to watch when I haven't eaten lunch yet for the day.
... now I really want a steak sandwich.
Notice the jar of Duke's mayo on the counter. Way to go!
Your videos are such good brain food. I love the format.
I'm an engineer and even I am impressed by your ability to categorize, analyze, and break problems down into manageable chunks. Very impressive, and I'm honestly surprised to see people liking it!!
You are surprised by people liking easily digestible chunks?
@@Eassstt what the hell is wrong w u bro
@@reinarddarren8536 Why do you ask
@@Eassstt I am genuinenally concermed bruh
Same, I’m a software engineer and architect and the way you set up your systems for diversity in healthy eating with very little thought is just immaculate!
I can tell a lot of though went into this THANK you
Love this deep dive! Always been curious what steak was best. Can't wait for the egg special!
Hey Ethan, have you considered doing a world-wide sandwich or hamburger showdown type thing? I've been super into making Lebanese style hamburgers and it got me thinking about how different countries approach sandwiches and burgers. The flavour and texture is so drastically different, it would be super interesting to check out, I'd say.
I'd guess the best CB would be a double patty burgers, smash & a thick burger on the same bun, first for flavor second for juiciness', then it would come down to what would make you happy, as in the bun or you want a roll, if it is toasted, sesame seeds, maybe you like kaiser rolls like I do, & the type of cheese you want, fried onion, every cheeseburger I eat is half fried onion. I think Ethan lives in or grow up in the same area in Pennsylvania as I did, might be completely different from another part of the country, or just one street over, or how his Dad made them. ...oh do not forget the bacon!!! its 1:43am here & I want to make cheeseburgers now! THANKS :P ....I have everything but the rolls, but Wawa is open 24 hours, I have everything, even bacon ... I'm doing this, got my shoes on & all I need now is my car keys. I even have a fresh family sized bag of unopened Herr's Barbecue potato chips! ...btw I've tried every brand of BBQ chips I've seen & I've been to 47 States on vacations, Herr's IMO are the best hands down.
I almost always have my cheesesteaks in Philly with provolone and in addition to the onions sometimes sweet(mildly hot) peppers.
Love Porter Road Butchers. I grew up in Nashville and remember before they went online. Highly recommend.
FTR, in Australia, flat iron steaks are called Oyster Blade steak, you can get them in the supermarket
putting the whiz on the flat top with the meat isn't done in steak shops in philly but they do put white american or prov on the top to melt.
Sandwitch 2 reminds me of that Wagyu Donburi I had in Osaka..... it was so good!
Every time I watch your videos it makes me want to go in the kitchen! Love it 🖤
I live in an area of 775,000 people and the only butcher that sold flat irons stopped about 18 months ago. New owners jacked the prices WAY up, then stopped selling them because no one would buy at the high price.
Yes, it's a niche cut that was only cheap because of low demand. Not because of supply like ground chuck.
Really excited to see the flat iron as an option here. Probably my favorite to use in thin sliced settings.
Love the way you do these challenges.
I'm glad that you do these sort of experiments, because I'd never do this at home.
A sandwich shop I used to go to had a steak sando like the chimichurri one you made but with peppercorn mayo and shrimp. Thing was fire
Props on the flat iron 🤘🤘🤘
Another great video, Ethan. it’s hard work but somebody’s gotta do it eh? Thank you so much again.
Congratulations on your 2K 🎉
Hey Ethan! Really loving the deep dives, learning so much.
One thing I’d love to see you get into is jerky. I get an eye of round roast from Costco, trim off the fat, and freeze it in one pound portions. From there, slightly defrost it and slice as thin as I can before marinating. Put it on a rack in my oven at 200 degrees for 3-4 hours.
It works, but I’m sure there’s a better way for a home cook to make jerky. What are your thoughts? Is it worth a video?
Thanks again!
Best,
Josh
Sorry to comment on my own comment, BUT
I’m thinking back to my butcher shop in Minnesota. They have this amazing jerk pork jerky (thin, spicy, & sweet), turkey jerky (thick, savory, somehow juicy), and a campfire jerky (classic tough beef jerky). Shoutout Mackenthun’s in Saint Bonifacius, MN
Reading Terminal Market has the best cheese steak spots. But no one is aware because the market closers early.
The chimichurri sandwich is definitely my type of steak sandwich. Every cheese steak I have ever had has felt bland and underwhelming, this type of sandwich is always delicious.
Thats because you're not getting a good Philly cheese.
Next time, caramelize your onions, sautée some peppers and hatch chilis or jalapeños, toast the bread with butter, lay down a lil mayo and salt and pepper and tiny hit of lemon juice.
Use a combo of steak. I usually use flat iron and flank.
Sear the steak on both sides until you get a nice crust, marinade them prior. Cut up your steak. Throw back on the stove top, hit with some cream cheese, butterkase, and American. Melt and mix together and assemble.
Authentic? No. Flavorful? Hell yeah .
@@The53732 This list leaves out the bread, which is a huge component of the overall cheesesteak experience. Gotta be light but chewy, able to soak up a ton of juice without losing handleable structure, and ideally have a thin crackling crust that puts the cherry on top of the textural experience with every bite. Beautiful bread is more than half the battle!
For Philly style: beef knuckle. For thicker sliced sands: teris major
I had a filet mignon Poboy in New Orleans a long time ago from a now shuttered restaurant called Crazy Johnnys in Fat City. It was awesome on French bread and i cant seem to recall the flavors but it was one of the best sandwiches I ever ate.
As someone who is trying to understand red meat better and specifically wanted to make a cheesesteak/ steak sandwich at home this is very helpful , I like sandwiches but don’t do deli meat so this is helpful 🙂
mushrooms are an incredible option.
His New York style pizza recipe is also amazing if your looking for a good recipe easily create-able from home
Wow, good work. The chimichurri would obscure anything for me. I would use a light mayo with just a hint of horseradish, salt and pepper, a butter lettuce, same bread.
Great content! I was thinking about steak sandwiches this week. Funny that you and "Hot Dog is a Sandwich" have steak episodes this week. I'm all about that chimichurri sandwich. I'm in the SF Bay Area and with the large Mexican population arracherra cuts (basically thin cut skirt) is available at the Latin markets. That's what i use for my steak sandwiches at home 🤘🤠🥃
Ethan, you are one of the 4 horsemen of Food TH-camrs. Kenji, Ragusa, Ethan, and of course Chef John.
I started using the dried minced garlic based on your garlic video and madone. Idk if I’ll even even use fresh garlic anymore tbh. These breakdown videos are supremely helpful.
If my cooking videos ever get this good I'm going on Oprah and personally thanking Ethan. Another fantastic video sir
I see you used the same wooden-handled cleaver that I have. It takes an excellent edge, but the handle on mine loosened after a couple of months.
Using it became dangerous as I feared the blade coming off and flying somewhere it shouldn't be.
I fixed it using JB Weld, and it's nice and tight now.
Now it's off to Publix to get some flat iron steak.
Hangar steak is also great for sandwiches, too.
It’s crazy how I had the same question thank u for doing the testing
I got you 🤌
My favorite sandwich is Mendocino Farms chimichurri steak. Expensive but man i crave it like hell.
I'm a NEPA native and a cheese steak connoisseur and I never thought to use a flat iron... I guess I need to try this now
Porter Road Butcher rules. I used to live in Nashville in 16-18’ and would go to their storefront in East Nash.
YES! PLEASE GIVE US MORE OF THESE DEEP DIVES!
The cheese sauce at 8:00 doesn't need sodium citrate. Both Kraft American Cheese and Velveeta have sodium citrate and already become smooth cheese sauce when melted. The extra milk doesn't need an emulsifier.
Philly Cheesesteak joints don’t make their cheese. It’s friggin Cheez Whiz. Dude is trying to be front like a chef but clearly doesn’t have the 101 down. Entertaining videos but just a bunch of chatter, zero substance.
@@ryangies4798what absolute gibberish you just typed, and its all over the fact the that he made his own cheese sauce and did use the original thing, then you go to say his pretending to be a chef. What exactly was just chatter in the video.
I hope u do more recipe vids in the future Ive been missing them 🥲
Velveeta and American cheese slices already have emulsifiers in them so the sodium citrate is unnecessary. Use sodium citrate if using a normal cheese from the block like a sharp cheddar. But if just adding a pinch of sharp cheddar to velveeta and slices, they actually have enough emulsifiers that the citrate is still not needed.
Hi Ethan, Can you do a Nandos comparison. They use steam ovens and finish on the grill apparently.
The Nandos marinade - sauce in the restaurant is also different to the supermarket bought Nandos marinade - sauce
I'd probably have gone with shoulder for a cheese steak, like london broil. Slice it thin, enjoy the flavor.
Love these style of videos. I’m super curious why you added sodium citrate to your cheese sauce, when velveeta and American cheese contain it? I often use American cheese as a substitute instead of sodium citrate, as they both accomplish the same thing.
These videos are light years ahead of the garbage cable TV. Actual content and advice you can deploy at home!
Great video as usual !
The how and why flavours do what they do really improves our home cooking game
What Cleaver are you using?
take milk, add american cheese, add american cheese, sodium citrate(the binding agent that makes "american" cheese "american cheese" (shh- don't tell them its a swiss invention)) and make "american cheese" sauce. thinned out cheese sauce.
Another test I have questioned is... Is frozen cut meat better then half frozen meat better? Like precut meat then freeze (just like how Kenji stated with veggies if you don't have a mortar and pestle just freeze it) might be better then frozen THEN cut. I hope I stated that well enough.
I love that shelf behind you! Please share a link !
You are living the dream! I still make your baguettes all the time.
When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.