How to preserve a Philly cheesesteak?
 

So here's my current dilemma:

I'm flying from PHL down south to visit my parents in a couple of weeks. My father is a HUGE fan of Philly cheesesteaks, but he's never been to PHL and he's getting too old to travel any more. So I really want to bring him the genuine article.

Unfortunately I'm scheduled for a 6 AM departure, which means that if I bring a steak with me, it will be at least 12 hours old by the time he eats it. Will a cheesesteak stay edible (and still taste good) for that long? How about for a day or two? Any way to extend the sandwich's useful life?

Ok, you have a 6am departure. What time will you arrive at your father's? Cheesesteak doesn't travel well BUT if you go to Pat's on the way to the airport (they never close), ask them to wrap it up for air travel and hopefully your father can enjoy it for lunch.

Well first you know that by now Pats is a tourist trap and you want the best steak in Philly -Dalessandros. They close at MN, 1am on Friday. You also want it WIT, and I give you 30% chance of getting the cheese past the TSA.... Didn't we just hear about a PB+J getting confiscated?

SO...... You go to Dalessandros. You order 2. You eat yours. You take the second one home, and realize it will never make it to the South. You eat it. You say "sorry, TSA grabbed my WIT..."

Analise is right on. Go to Pat's (skip Geno's) at 4:30am, pick up a fresh steak and tell them you want to fly with it. They'll wrap it up all nice and special for you.

When you want to re-heat it, don't use the wave...either use a broiler or the oven. Reheating steaks is never an exact science - but putting it in the oven will keep the bread (by far the most important part) in good shape.

Ask wherever to wrap the meat separate from the bread. It won't get soggy that way. I know from past experience. :)

That's the problem with not eating cheesesteaks right away. That said, the Pat's fellas will laugh in the OP's face if he asks for that. It isn't like they have special travel meat containers in their swanky Passyunk address. ;)

LMAO!!! Actually I have taken some plastic wrap and did a re-wrap of the bun and the Philly interior sandwich guts separately. Later remove the plastic wrap and reheat separately then reassemble but without the plastic wrap. It also works very well for Philly hoagies aka subs but no reheating required and order without mayo or oil.

MisterNice

I've done it a few times, although with aluminum foil. :)

As mentioned traveling with it wont be the issue its much more important how you reheat it. Use the over broiler and go slow.

I've never tried this, but Jim's will overnight ship them.

I've had Jim's cheesesteaks (South and 4th) a couple of times and once transported three from South Street to the Hyatt on the waterfront for my mom and dad when they were visiting. All in all it was about 45-60 minutes from when the guys at Jim's made them and when we ate them. I'm glad I did it as my parents, because of their age and limited mobility these days--likely won't be traveling east (from San Diego) again :( and my mom, never really one for "casual food", specifically mentioned that since they were in Philadelphia, she and my dad should try one of those "famous Philadelphia cheesesteaks". Jim's didn't let me down.

http://www.jimssteaks.com/indexb.htm

Be warned - Jim's are smaller steaks, about 8 inches, and are typically higher priced than most places else. We always talk about CPM here (at least the mileage runners do), well the CPI (cost per inch) at Jim's is just too high for me.

$7 for 8 inches = $.875/inch...unacceptable. :D

My favorite steak (from Del's of course) has a great CPI of $0.4375/inch. Makes my mouth water just thinking about those bad boys!

I know that Tony Luke's can ship cheesesteaks, so there must be a way to handle this. The key is the meat + cheese combo, then the bread. The roll should probably be preserved in wax paper, and the meat/cheese sealed in foil. Will TSA allow is through?

I respectfully, and vehemently dissent from those who suggest going to those Passayunk slob houses (Jim's Pat's Geno's, et al). There is no way on God's earth those sandwiches will last an hour.

Tony Luke's is right off of I-95, or if you are coming from the NorthEast, Steve's Prince of Steaks is an excellent sandwich. D'Allessandro's isn't bad either, but probably not too convenient to the airport routes.

I can't calculate the life of a cheesesteak, but I can tell you the sandwich will live long on his taste buds (and in his arteries).

I saw a segment today on the Food Channel on Campo's Deli. I have never had their cheesesteaks but, I have to say, they looked delicious. They ship too. Check out their website.

Bobette

I once brought some Tapa all the way from Manila back to the States. Cooked beef doesn't spoil nearly as quick. My advice, have it well wrapped and look into one of the "Hot/Cold" bags. That will preserve it's temp for a reasonable amout of time.

Did you ever try John's Roast Pork? I am not alone in rating their's the best. Not real far from I-95 if you go to the airport that way.