Philly Cheesesteak Sliders

Fourth of July week. I grilled Tuesday through Saturday because the Fourth is not a single day, it's a weeklong campaign of fire and meat.

Thursday — the actual Fourth — I did baby back ribs. Rubbed the night before with brown sugar, paprika, chili powder, garlic, onion powder, black pepper, mustard powder. Onto the smoker at eight AM, apple wood. Three hours unwrapped, then foil with apple juice for two more, then glazed with my bourbon sauce — ketchup, brown sugar, bourbon, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire, garlic, a little coffee. Glazed and tacked on the hot grate for five minutes.

Travis and Jolene came with Earl Thomas. Clay came. Amber couldn't — holiday shift. We ate on the back porch, paper plates, ribs and slaw and baked beans and corn and watermelon. Earl Thomas slept in his car seat under the table like a dog at a picnic. I looked at my family eating food I'd cooked over fire I'd tended and thought: this is what the country was founded for. Not the politics. This.

Fireworks from the neighbor's yard. Clay flinched at the first one — a quick involuntary tightening he covered by reaching for his Coke. I saw it. Connie saw it. Nobody said anything. By the tenth he was watching them with Earl Thomas on his shoulder, pointing up and saying look at that one, and his voice was steady and his hand was steady, and that was enough.

The ribs were the centerpiece, but a cookout that runs Tuesday through Saturday needs more than one trick — and when Clay showed up and the whole porch filled in, I wanted something I could pull together fast so I could stay out there with my people instead of disappearing into the kitchen. These Philly Cheesesteak Sliders have become my go-to for exactly that: hot, loaded, done in thirty minutes, and gone in about five. They earned their spot on the Fourth of July table right next to the slaw and the beans.

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 12 sliders

Ingredients

1 lb ribeye steak or shaved beef, thinly sliced
1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt and black pepper to taste
12 Hawaiian slider rolls or dinner rolls
6 slices provolone cheese (or 4 oz Cheez Whiz, your call)
2 tablespoons melted butter (for tops of rolls)
1 teaspoon garlic powder (for butter topping)
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning (for butter topping)

Instructions

Preheat oven. Heat your oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish or line with foil.
Cook the vegetables. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt 1 tablespoon butter with the olive oil. Add the sliced onion, bell pepper, and mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 7–8 minutes until softened and lightly caramelized. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Cook the beef. In the same skillet, melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter over high heat. Add the shaved beef in a single layer, season with garlic powder, salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Cook 3–4 minutes, breaking up any clumps, until browned and cooked through. Return the vegetables to the pan and toss to combine.
Assemble the sliders. Slice the entire sheet of rolls in half horizontally (keeping them connected). Place the bottom half in the prepared baking dish. Spoon the beef and vegetable mixture evenly over the rolls. Lay provolone slices over the filling, overlapping as needed to cover. Place the top half of the rolls over the cheese.
Add the butter topping. Stir together the melted butter, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. Brush evenly over the tops of the rolls.
Bake. Cover loosely with foil and bake for 10 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 5 minutes until the tops are golden and the cheese is fully melted.
Slice and serve. Use a sharp knife to cut between the rolls. Serve immediately — these go fast.

Nutrition (per serving)

Philly Cheesesteak Sliders — When the Grill Feeds a Crowd and the Porch Holds Everyone