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Instant Pot Philly Cheesesteak Recipe with Beer Cheese Sauce

Every mouthwatering bite of an Instant Pot Philly Cheesesteak combines thin strips of juicy beef, sauteed onions and peppers with an ooey gooey beer cheese sauce. Served on a soft tender bun, this homemade version of the classic sandwich, made in the Instant Pot is ready in under an hour!

Nothing beats having a quick and easy comfort meal that is convenient and almost effortless, especially when life gets busy! Pressure Cooker Cheese Steak, Instant Pot Barbacoa, and 3 ingredient Beef Brisket are a few of my family’s favorites.

holding a philly sandwich in one hand

What is a Philly Cheesesteak?

If you have never had a cheesesteak sandwich you are in for a real treat! Usually served on a sandwich bun or roll, it is filled with thinly sliced beef and melted cheese. Of course, there are variations and additions such as seasoned onions, peppers, or mushrooms and different types of cheese, but the idea remains the same – steak and cheese!

Making a pressure cooker Philly cheesesteak is great for busy weeknights or when you want a quick and easy meal that everyone can agree on.

It’s simple, delicious, and filled with wholesome ingredients. It’s comfort food that takes so little effort.

It’s a super simple meal idea for when you’re entertaining – just make sure you have some extra napkins handy!

If you prefer your hoagie toasted, slather it with garlic butter for a flavorful crispy exterior. Serve it on its own or alongside french fries or potato chips. Keep it light with a side salad, coleslaw, or a jumbo dill pickle. Or if you’re feeling fancy, make a sauce (au jus) for dipping!

You can’t have the perfect sandwich without a great slice of bread or sandwich bun. You also can’t have the perfect sandwich without your favorite fillings. So, which is it, the chicken or the egg?

In the case of this Philly Cheese Steak in an Instant Pot, as important as it is to have a delicious bun, it’s definitely the juicy, melty cheesy filling that takes this sandwich over the top.

Cheese drizzled over philly Sammy

History Of The Famous Philly Sandwich

As it tends to happen so often with what we come to know as classic dishes, the Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich came about by accident. Pat and Harry Olivieri were two brothers who owned a hot dog cart that sold hot dogs and fish cakes. One brother was tired of it so he bought some steak, cut it up, cooked it, and served it on an Italian roll, really just for himself. 

 A customer smelled it and ordered one for himself and it just took off, if you can believe it! Later the stand became a restaurant called it Pat’s – the King of Steaks.

You’ll note that it didn’t originally have cheese on it, which came much later. Two people claim to have added the cheese, the original Pat’s, and a competitor from Geno’s, another restaurant that happened to open right next door.

Still today, both of these restaurants have lines around them to get their favorite version of the famous Sammy’s!

I will let you decide who you think added the cheese, but whoever it was, did us a favor! It has been a gift to us all.

If you love learning about the history of food as much as I do, check out The Great Philly Cheesesteaks by Carolyn Wyman. It has reviews of restaurants that serve it and more historical info if you are interested.

Ingredients

  • Steak – Ribeye or Sirloin is my preference but listed below you will find a number of options that work just as well. The trick to tender meat is cutting it against the grain – it’s a guarantee to keep it extra tender after cooking.
  • Garlic
  • Onion – cut into 1/2 slices
  • Green pepper – cut into 1/2 slices, should be uniform with the onions
  • Worcestershire Sauce
  • Olive oil
  • Beef Broth
  • Hoagie buns – soft, or toasted with garlic butter!

Philly Steak meat, what are my options?

  • Prebought Shaved Steak
  • Ribeye
  • Top Sirloin
  • Chuck Roast
  • London Broil

As you can see there are a number of meat options which means you can shop for taste and budget! I prefer the ribeye or the sirloin because I can usually find it on sale and they are both so tender, especially when they are cut against the grain.

How to make it

  • Rub Worcestershire sauce on the edges of the meat, then cut against the great. Season strips with salt and pepper.
  • Cut the onions and peppers into strips and set the Instant Pot to saute. Add the olive oil and garlic. Then, add the meat and veggies, stirring until onions soften and meat is browned.
  • Add the beef stock, stir and then turn off saute and set the pressure to high. Once done cooking, allow the pressure to release naturally.
  • While the meat is cooking, cut the buns and prepare the cheese sauce.
  • Once pressure is released, carefully remove the lid and remove the meat and veggies from the pot and place it on a plate. Use the remaining liquid as a dipping sauce.
  • Fill the buns with all of that delicious meat and veggie mixture, top with the beer cheese sauce and serve it immediately. Cheers!

The ultimate question: What is the right cheese for a Cheesesteak Sandwich?

There is a great debate on what cheese to use. Provolone or Cheese Whiz? I guess it depends on who you ask. I wonder what Pat and Geno would say?

If you ask me, the answer to the debate is simple – my version. It is a beer cheese sauce that oozes over everything with some delicious spices running through it. Save any leftover sauce for nachos!

Tips for Making A Philly Sandwich in the Pressure Cooker

  • Rub the meat with Worcestershire before cutting– it gives the edges a deeper depth of flavor. 
  • Flash freeze the meat for 30 minutes before cutting – it makes it easier to cut the meat an even thin thickness. 
  • Cut the meat against the grain. Cutting against the grain guarantees a tender bite of meat.
  • Season the meat generously with salt and pepper before sauteing.
  • Cut the ingredients all a similar size so they cook evenly. 
  • Save that broth when you remove the meat and veggies from the pressure cooker! It makes a great dipping sauce

PRO TIP: Make it easier to cut the meat across the grain and evenly by freezing the meat for about 30 minutes before you cut. It makes it easier to handle and you can cut the strips evenly.

Other ways to use Instantpot Philly Cheesesteak Filling

  • Cheesesteak eggroll filling
  • Quesadillas
  • Toss in with your favorite mac n cheese for a more meat-heavy dinner.
  • Add to cream cheese for a cheesesteak dip! 
stuffing the bun with onions, meat and peppers

VARIATIONS

Chicken Cheese Steak

The cooking time will be 1 minute but everything else is the same

Turkey Cheese Steak

A great way to use up leftover turkey! Skip the Instant pot, saute the onions and peppers and then add sliced turkey. Use any broth to create a dipping sauce or to add a little more moisture to dry turkey. Top with Cheese

Helpful Tips for making the recipe!

How do I make an Au Jus? Au jus is a liquid that is usually made from beef broth, remnants from cooked meat, onions, and other seasonings. Some people like to add flour to thicken it up to almost a gravy-like consistency while others prefer to leave it as a juice.

Because this is a one-pot stop, all of the necessary ingredients for the perfect au jus are already in the pot! You might want to remove the meat and veggies then turn on the saute function to reduce it down a little!

Why do you need to cut against the grain? Have you ever had a piece of sliced steak that you have to chew forever? You can avoid that by cutting across the grain. You can see how the grain runs when you look at it and you will want to cut the opposite way. 

Some meats like a brisket have a grain that changes but if you follow the lines you will have a more tender piece of meat when you are done cooking.

More Hearty Beef recipes you might Enjoy: (that don’t take a lot of effort on your part!)

Hashtag any recipes you make from West Via Midwest #westviamidwestrecipes or tag me @michele_westviamidwest on Instagram to be featured on our stories!  

Yield: 6 hearty sandwiches

Instant Pot Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches

holding a philly sandwich in one hand

Tender juicy steak strips slathered with onions, peppers and beer cheese sauce for a quick meal in less than 30 minutes in the pressure cooker.

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 14 minutes
Additional Time 3 minutes
Total Time 37 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 Pounds Ribeye or Sirloin Steak
  • 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Pepper
  • 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
  • 3 cloves Garlic, minced
  • 1 Large Onion, cut to 1/2" slices
  • 1 Large Green Pepper, cut to 1/2 inch slices
  • 2 Cups Beef Broth
  • 6 Hoagie Buns, soft

Beer Cheese Sauce

Instructions

  1. Rub Worcestershire sauce on the edges of the meat.
  2. To make the meat easier to cut, you can flash freeze the meat for 30 minutes. Then cut the meat against the grain into 1/4" strips. Season meat with salt and pepper set aside.
  3. Set Instant Pot to saute. In the bottom add olive oil and garlic and wait 1 minute then, add the meat and vegetables stirring to soften onions and peppers, and brown the meat. About 5-7 minutes.
  4. Add the beef stock, stir, then turn off saute and set the pressure to high and set to pressure cook for 7 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally- about 10 minutes.
  5. While the meat is cooking cut the buns in half and prepare the beer cheese sauce. Optionally you can warm the buns if you wish.
  6. When the IP releases all pressure carefully remove the lid and lift the meat and veggies from the liquid and place on a plate. Save the jus. If you want it a little thicker you could turn on the saute function again and reduce the liquid to concentrate it.
  7. Add a generous portion of the meat and veggies to the buns, top with beer cheese sauce and serve with dunking au jus sauce. Serve immediately.
  8. The meat will keep for a week, store it seperately from the au jus.

Notes

Note the times on the recipe do not include coming to pressure or the natural release of pressure. It also does not include time to flash freeze the meat to make it easier to cut evenly

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 795Total Fat: 38gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 21gCholesterol: 134mgSodium: 1269mgCarbohydrates: 58gFiber: 4gSugar: 5gProtein: 53g

This recipe was calculated using the exact brands and measurements I used to make this recipe. If you are following a strict diet please note changing anything will cause the nutritional info to change. Please calculate your own nutritional information if you want it exact to what you make and use my calculations as a guide only.

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