Steak sandwich
Encyclopedia
A steak sandwich is a sandwich
that is made out of steak
that has been broiled, fried
, grilled, barbecue
d or seared using steel
grates or gridirons
then served on bread
or a roll
. Steak sandwiches are sometimes served with toppings of cheese
, onion
s, mushroom
s, peppers
, tomato
es, and in some instances fried egg
s, cole slaw
, and french fries
.
According to the Library of Congress
, the first steak sandwich sold in the United States was at Louis' Lunch
of New Haven, Connecticut
.
. Though it can be found in most parts of the U.S. it is still usually labeled or advertised as a "Philadelphia" or "Philly Cheesesteak", even if it is prepared in a different manner than is customary in the city. Variations include the type of condiments, including but not limited to, grilled onions and peppers, the type of cheese used, or the type of roll.
, where its history dates back at least to the 1930s. The bread itself is often dipped (or double-dipped) into the jus
the meat is cooked in, and the sandwich is typically topped off with Chicago-style giardiniera
or sauteed, green Italian sweet pepper
s.
consisting of thinly sliced roast beef
(or, sometimes, other meats) on a French roll or baguette
. It is usually served au jus
("with juice"), that is, with beef juice from the cooking process. Though it can be found in many parts of the U.S., the sandwich originated in Los Angeles
, California
in the first decades of the twentieth century.
or sometimes beef loaf. It is sold at many diners in the US as well as fast food chains such as Arby's
and Roy Rogers Restaurants. This style of sandwich often comes on a hamburger
bun and may be topped with barbecue sauce
and/or melted American cheese.
. It is made with roast beef
on a kummelweck roll. The meat on the sandwich
is traditionally served rare, thin cut, with the top bun getting a dip au jus
. Accompaniments include horseradish
, a dill pickle spear, and french fries
.
consisting of slices of steak with salami
and melted provolone
cheese under grilled onions, sautéed red and green bell peppers, mushrooms, and peppered shaved steak all on a grilled submarine sandwich
roll although there are other variations that include pepperoni
, sliced ham, capicola
, or even bacon. It is considered an offshoot of a cheesesteak
sandwich. It is most closely associated with the New England
region of the United States.
or tomato ketchup (known as tomato sauce in Australia). Cheese, a fried egg, fried bacon or grilled pineapple might also be added. In some establishments the sandwich will be constructed on slices of bread, which are toasted on only one side while other establishments serve it on the same roll (bun) as is used for hamburgers. Some establishments call this a steak burger.
Sandwich
A sandwich is a food item, typically consisting of two or more slices of :bread with one or more fillings between them, or one slice of bread with a topping or toppings, commonly called an open sandwich. Sandwiches are a widely popular type of lunch food, typically taken to work or school, or...
that is made out of steak
Steak
A steak is a cut of meat . Most are cut perpendicular to the muscle fibers, improving the perceived tenderness of the meat. In North America, steaks are typically served grilled, pan-fried, or broiled. The more tender cuts from the loin and rib are cooked quickly, using dry heat, and served whole...
that has been broiled, fried
Frying
Frying is the cooking of food in oil or another fat, a technique that originated in ancient Egypt around 2500 BC. Chemically, oils and fats are the same, differing only in melting point, but the distinction is only made when needed. In commerce, many fats are called oils by custom, e.g...
, grilled, barbecue
Barbecue
Barbecue or barbeque , used chiefly in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia is a method and apparatus for cooking meat, poultry and occasionally fish with the heat and hot smoke of a fire, smoking wood, or hot coals of...
d or seared using steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
grates or gridirons
Gridiron (cooking)
A gridiron is a metal grate with parallel bars typically used for grilling meat, fish, vegetables, or combinations of such foods. It may also be two such grids, hinged to fold together, to securely hold food while grilling over an open flame.-Development:...
then served on bread
Bread
Bread is a staple food prepared by cooking a dough of flour and water and often additional ingredients. Doughs are usually baked, but in some cuisines breads are steamed , fried , or baked on an unoiled frying pan . It may be leavened or unleavened...
or a roll
Bread roll
A bread roll is a piece of bread, usually small and round and is commonly considered a side dish. Bread rolls are often used in the same way as sandwiches are—cut transversely, with fillings placed between the two halves.-Various forms:...
. Steak sandwiches are sometimes served with toppings of cheese
Cheese
Cheese is a generic term for a diverse group of milk-based food products. Cheese is produced throughout the world in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms....
, onion
Onion
The onion , also known as the bulb onion, common onion and garden onion, is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium. The genus Allium also contains a number of other species variously referred to as onions and cultivated for food, such as the Japanese bunching onion The onion...
s, mushroom
Mushroom
A mushroom is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source. The standard for the name "mushroom" is the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus; hence the word "mushroom" is most often applied to those fungi that...
s, peppers
Chili pepper
Chili pepper is the fruit of plants from the genus Capsicum, members of the nightshade family, Solanaceae. The term in British English and in Australia, New Zealand, India, Malaysia and other Asian countries is just chilli without pepper.Chili peppers originated in the Americas...
, tomato
Tomato
The word "tomato" may refer to the plant or the edible, typically red, fruit which it bears. Originating in South America, the tomato was spread around the world following the Spanish colonization of the Americas, and its many varieties are now widely grown, often in greenhouses in cooler...
es, and in some instances fried egg
Fried egg
A fried egg is a food made from an egg fried whole with minimal accompaniment. They are traditionally eaten for breakfast in western countries, but may be eaten at other times of the day.-China:...
s, cole slaw
Cole Slaw
Cole Slaw is an album by jazz saxophonist Lou Donaldson recorded for the Argo label in 1964 and performed by Donaldson with Herman Foster, Earl May, Bruno Carr, and Ray Barretto.The album was awarded 3 stars in an Allmusic review....
, and french fries
French fries
French fries , chips, fries, or French-fried potatoes are strips of deep-fried potato. North Americans tend to refer to any pieces of deep-fried potatoes as fries or French fries, while in the United Kingdom, Australia, Ireland and New Zealand, long, thinly cut slices of deep-fried potatoes are...
.
According to the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
, the first steak sandwich sold in the United States was at Louis' Lunch
Louis' Lunch
Louis' Lunch in New Haven, Connecticut, advertises itself as the first restaurant to serve hamburgers and as being the oldest hamburger restaurant still operating in the U.S. Opened as a small lunch wagon in 1895, Louis' Lunch was also one of the first places in the U.S...
of New Haven, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
.
Cheesesteak
A cheesesteak, or steak and cheese, is made from thinly sliced pieces of steak and melted cheese in a long roll. The cheesesteak is one of the favorite foods of the city of Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. Though it can be found in most parts of the U.S. it is still usually labeled or advertised as a "Philadelphia" or "Philly Cheesesteak", even if it is prepared in a different manner than is customary in the city. Variations include the type of condiments, including but not limited to, grilled onions and peppers, the type of cheese used, or the type of roll.
Italian beef
An Italian beef sandwich features thin slices of seasoned roast beef, dripping with meat juices, on a dense, long Italian-style roll, believed to have originated in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, where its history dates back at least to the 1930s. The bread itself is often dipped (or double-dipped) into the jus
Au jus
Au jus is French for "with [its own] juice"; jus is the juice itself.In American cuisine, the term is mostly used to refer to a light sauce for beef recipes, which may be served with the food or placed on the side for dipping...
the meat is cooked in, and the sandwich is typically topped off with Chicago-style giardiniera
Giardiniera
Giardiniera is an Italian or Italian-American relish of pickled vegetables in vinegar or oil.-Varieties and uses:Italian giardiniera is also called "sotto aceti", which means "under vinegar", a common term for pickled foods...
or sauteed, green Italian sweet pepper
Italian sweet pepper
The Italian sweet pepper is a variety of the species Capsicum annuum, like bell peppers and chilli peppers.It has the appearance of a large chilli pepper but the mild taste of sweet peppers such as the bell pepper....
s.
French dip
A French dip sandwich, also known as a beef dip, is a hot sandwichSandwich
A sandwich is a food item, typically consisting of two or more slices of :bread with one or more fillings between them, or one slice of bread with a topping or toppings, commonly called an open sandwich. Sandwiches are a widely popular type of lunch food, typically taken to work or school, or...
consisting of thinly sliced roast beef
Roast beef
Roast beef is a dish of beef which is roasted in an oven. Essentially prepared as a main meal, the leftovers can be and are often served within sandwiches and sometimes is used to make hash...
(or, sometimes, other meats) on a French roll or baguette
Baguette
A baguette is "a long thin loaf of French bread" that is commonly made from basic lean dough...
. It is usually served au jus
Au jus
Au jus is French for "with [its own] juice"; jus is the juice itself.In American cuisine, the term is mostly used to refer to a light sauce for beef recipes, which may be served with the food or placed on the side for dipping...
("with juice"), that is, with beef juice from the cooking process. Though it can be found in many parts of the U.S., the sandwich originated in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in the first decades of the twentieth century.
Roast beef
A roast beef sandwich is a sandwich that is made out of sliced roast beefRoast beef
Roast beef is a dish of beef which is roasted in an oven. Essentially prepared as a main meal, the leftovers can be and are often served within sandwiches and sometimes is used to make hash...
or sometimes beef loaf. It is sold at many diners in the US as well as fast food chains such as Arby's
Arby's
Arby's is a fast food restaurant chain in the United States and Canada. Roark Capital Group owns 81.5% of the company, with Wendy's Company owning the other 18.5%. It is primarily known for selling roast beef sandwiches and curly fries. The Arby's menu also includes chicken sandwiches, appetizers,...
and Roy Rogers Restaurants. This style of sandwich often comes on a hamburger
Hamburger
A hamburger is a sandwich consisting of a cooked patty of ground meat usually placed inside a sliced bread roll...
bun and may be topped with barbecue sauce
Barbecue sauce
Barbecue sauce is a flavoring sauce or condiment ranging from watery to very thick consistency. As the name implies, it was created as an accompaniment to barbecued foods. While it can be applied to any food, it usually tops meat after cooking or during barbecuing, grilling, or baking...
and/or melted American cheese.
Beef on weck
A beef on weck is a variety of sandwich found primarily in Western New YorkWestern New York
Western New York is the westernmost region of the state of New York. It includes the cities of Buffalo, Rochester, Niagara Falls, the surrounding suburbs, as well as the outlying rural areas of the Great Lakes lowlands, the Genesee Valley, and the Southern Tier. Some historians, scholars and others...
. It is made with roast beef
Roast beef
Roast beef is a dish of beef which is roasted in an oven. Essentially prepared as a main meal, the leftovers can be and are often served within sandwiches and sometimes is used to make hash...
on a kummelweck roll. The meat on the sandwich
Sandwich
A sandwich is a food item, typically consisting of two or more slices of :bread with one or more fillings between them, or one slice of bread with a topping or toppings, commonly called an open sandwich. Sandwiches are a widely popular type of lunch food, typically taken to work or school, or...
is traditionally served rare, thin cut, with the top bun getting a dip au jus
Au jus
Au jus is French for "with [its own] juice"; jus is the juice itself.In American cuisine, the term is mostly used to refer to a light sauce for beef recipes, which may be served with the food or placed on the side for dipping...
. Accompaniments include horseradish
Horseradish
Horseradish is a perennial plant of the Brassicaceae family, which also includes mustard, wasabi, broccoli, and cabbages. The plant is probably native to south eastern Europe and the Arab World , but is popular around the world today...
, a dill pickle spear, and french fries
French fries
French fries , chips, fries, or French-fried potatoes are strips of deep-fried potato. North Americans tend to refer to any pieces of deep-fried potatoes as fries or French fries, while in the United Kingdom, Australia, Ireland and New Zealand, long, thinly cut slices of deep-fried potatoes are...
.
Steak bomb
A steak bomb is a hot submarine sandwichSubmarine sandwich
A submarine sandwich, also known as a sub among other names, is a sandwich that consists of a long roll of Italian or French bread, split lengthwise either into two pieces or opened in a "V" on one side, and filled with various varieties of meat, cheese, vegetables, seasonings, and sauces. The...
consisting of slices of steak with salami
Salami
Salami is cured sausage, fermented and air-dried meat, originating from one of a variety of animals. Historically, salami has been popular among Southern European peasants because it can be stored at room temperature for periods of up to 10 years, supplementing a possibly meager or inconsistent...
and melted provolone
Provolone
Provolone is an Italian cheese that originated in Southern Italy, where it is still produced in various shapes as in 10 to 15 cm long pear, sausage, or cone shapes. A variant of Provolone is also produced in North America and Japan...
cheese under grilled onions, sautéed red and green bell peppers, mushrooms, and peppered shaved steak all on a grilled submarine sandwich
Submarine sandwich
A submarine sandwich, also known as a sub among other names, is a sandwich that consists of a long roll of Italian or French bread, split lengthwise either into two pieces or opened in a "V" on one side, and filled with various varieties of meat, cheese, vegetables, seasonings, and sauces. The...
roll although there are other variations that include pepperoni
Pepperoni
Pepperoni is a spicy Italian-American variety of salami usually made from cured pork and beef, but poultry may be added, if labeled correctly, for less expensive versions. Pepperoni is characteristically soft, slightly smoky, and bright red in color...
, sliced ham, capicola
Capicola
Capocollo , or coppa, is a traditional Calabrian Italian cold cut made from pork shoulder or neck, and dry-cured whole. The name coppa is Italian for nape, while capocollo comes from capo—head—and collo—neck—of a pig. The Italian spelling, "capocollo'", is derived from Latin, "caput collum"...
, or even bacon. It is considered an offshoot of a cheesesteak
Cheesesteak
A cheesesteak, also known as a Philadelphia cheesesteak, Philly cheesesteak, cheese steak, or steak and cheese, is a sandwich made from thinly-sliced pieces of steak and melted cheese in a long roll...
sandwich. It is most closely associated with the New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
region of the United States.
Other variations
In Australia a steak sandwich is made much like a traditional Australian hamburger with a piece of grilled steak or fried minute steak, fried onions, lettuce, tomato, tinned beetroot and barbecue sauceBarbecue sauce
Barbecue sauce is a flavoring sauce or condiment ranging from watery to very thick consistency. As the name implies, it was created as an accompaniment to barbecued foods. While it can be applied to any food, it usually tops meat after cooking or during barbecuing, grilling, or baking...
or tomato ketchup (known as tomato sauce in Australia). Cheese, a fried egg, fried bacon or grilled pineapple might also be added. In some establishments the sandwich will be constructed on slices of bread, which are toasted on only one side while other establishments serve it on the same roll (bun) as is used for hamburgers. Some establishments call this a steak burger.
See also
- Chivito sandwich
- Chicken sandwichChicken sandwichA chicken sandwich or chicken burger is a boneless, skinless, breast of chicken on a hamburger bun topped with condiments and trimmings. Invented by Chick-fil-A in 1964, the chicken sandwich has become a popular American food choice....
- Sausage sandwichSausage sandwichA sausage sandwich is a sandwich containing cooked sausage. It generally consists of an oblong bread roll such as a baguette or ciabatta roll, and sliced or whole links of sausage, such as hot or sweet Italian sausage, Polish sausage, German sausage , Mediterranean merguez, American andouille or...
- Submarine sandwichSubmarine sandwichA submarine sandwich, also known as a sub among other names, is a sandwich that consists of a long roll of Italian or French bread, split lengthwise either into two pieces or opened in a "V" on one side, and filled with various varieties of meat, cheese, vegetables, seasonings, and sauces. The...
- List of sandwiches