I consider myself an expert on steak and cheese subs. I’ve been eating steak and cheese subs my whole life and I know a good one when I try it.
I traveled to Pennsylvania to find out what all the Philly cheesesteak hype was about. To be honest, I wasn’t blown away.
I think that most steak bombs you’ll find at Boston area sub shops and little lunch spots are just as good as any sandwich you’ll get in the City of Brotherly Love.
Not to brag, but the best steak and cheese subs are made right here at Mortadella Head. No lie.
We use the best shaved steak, a great sub roll and really good sauteed veggies and sauces. If you want to get fancy, the sky’s the limit.
If you like tasty subs here’s a spin on the old school New England Steak Bomb. It’s called the Screamin’ Sicilian.
What You Need to Make the Best Steak and Cheese in Boston: The Screamin’ Sicilian
The ingredients listed on the recipe card are for a single sandwich. Scale the recipe up depending on how many sandwiches you need to make.
Steak
Use a good quality shaved steak. You can buy it in the supermarket already shaved or you can slice it yourself. Make sure it’s thin.
Pepperoni
Since we’re a pizza shop too, we have lots of great pepperoni on hand. It cups up nice when it cooks on the grill. It’s a natural fit with a steak and cheese.
Onions
You can use white onions, Spanish onions or any onion you have at the house. I like to cook my onions in advance nice and slow so they get caramelized.
Peppers
For this steak and cheese sandwich I use banana peppers. They vinegar compliments the fatty steak and pepperoni well.
Cheese
A good steak and cheese sub needs a lot of cheese. I use provolone for the Screamin’ Sicilian.
Mayo
I use our homemade Calabrian chili mayo for this sub. A lot of people probably don’t add mayo to a classic steak and cheese sub, but this really works well.
Tomato Sauce
A good marinara sauce is important. Either make some yourself or buy a good jar at the supermarket.
Bread
You want a good sub roll for this steak and cheese. You want it crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.
How to Make the Screamin’ Sicilian
Warm your tomato sauce up on the stove. Put it in a saucepan on medium to low heat for a few minutes until it’s hot.
If you’re making this great steak and cheese at home, you probably don’t have a flat top grill. In that case, put a frying pan on medium high heat and add some olive oil.
Place your steak in the pan and let it sear on one side for a couple minutes. Flip it over with a spatula and season it well with salt and pepper.
Make some room in the pan next to the steak and add your pepperoni slices. Let them heat up so the spicy oils start coming out.
Using 2 spatulas, start breaking up the steak into small pieces, The smaller the better in my opinion.
Add the caramelized onions and banana peppers to the pan and toss everything together.
Create a long pile of the steak, pepperoni, onions and peppers in the middle of the pan and cover it with sliced provolone cheese. You want the melted cheese to work its way in between all of the delicious ingredients in the pan.
Open up your sub roll and spread the spicy mayo on both sides of the roll.
Now scoop everything out of the frying pan and fit it in your sub roll.
Ladle the tomato sauce over the top.
Boom! That’s how you make our famous steak and cheese sub…The Screamin’ Sicilian.
Best Steak and Cheese in Boston FAQs
What peppers can I use if I don’t like banana peppers?
If you don’t like banana peppers you can use any other pepper you like. I like using the sweet peppers that come in the jar. Those are pretty popular on Philly cheese steak sandwiches.
You can also use fresh green peppers.
What can I use instead of the Calabrian chili mayo?
If you don’t feel like making a spicy mayo, just use regular mayo and add some hot pepper relish to the roll. Or make a simple Sriracha aioli by mixing mayo and Sriracha.
What can I use if I don’t have shaved steak?
If you don’t have shaved steak try making this sandwich with steak tips. Make sure you cut them into really small pieces so they aren’t too chewy and tough to eat.
What other cheese can I use if I don’t have provolone?
You can use American cheese or mozzarella. Just make sure it’s a cheese that melts well.
What’s the difference between a steak and cheese and a cheesesteak?
In my opinion they are the same thing. It just depends on where you are from. In Massachusetts, Rhode Island and most New England states I see them called steak and cheese subs. In the Mid-Atlantic states I see them called cheesesteaks. One big difference is that you usually won’t find Cheez Whiz in New England.
Here’s a full list of the best cheesesteak subs we make at Mortadella Head. In my opinion, we’re the best place in the Boston area for steak and cheese.
The Triple Cheese: It’s a steak and cheese combo with American, Provolone and cheese sauce.
The Steak Bomb: It has peppers, mushrooms, onions, salami and American cheese.
Mushroom and Swiss: It has grilled mushrooms, Swish cheese and lots of steak.
Steak Pizzaiola: This one has steak, peppers, onions, provolone and tomato sauce
![The Best Steak and Cheese in Boston The Screamin’ Sicilian](https://mortadellahead.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/The-Best-Steak-and-Cheese-in-Boston-The-Screamin-Sicilian-150x150.png)
The Best Steak and Cheese in Boston: The Screamin’ Sicilian
- Author: Chuck Sillari
Ingredients
8 ounces shaved steak
1/4 cup of sliced pepperoni
1/4 cup of grilled onions
1/4 cup of banana peppers
1/4 cup of Marinara sauce
4 slices of provolone cheese
1 sub roll
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon of olive oil
Instructions
- Put it in a saucepan on medium to low heat for a few minutes until it’s hot.
- Place a frying pan on medium high heat and add some olive oil.
- Place your steak in the pan and let it sear on one side for 2-3 minutes. Flip it over with a spatula and season it well with salt and pepper.
- Make some room in the pan next to the steak and add your pepperoni slices. Let them heat up so the spicy oils start coming out.
- Using 2 spatulas, start breaking up the steak into small pieces.
- Add the onions and banana peppers to the pan and toss everything together.
- Create a long pile of the steak, pepperoni, onions and peppers in the middle of the pan and cover it with sliced provolone cheese. Let it melt completely.
- Slice open your sub roll and spread the spicy mayo on both sides of the roll.
- Transfer everything out of the frying pan and into your sub roll.
- Ladle the tomato sauce over the top.
- Enjoy!