Steak Wedgie

Steak Wedgie

The picture above is a wedgie.  Yes, it resembles a calzone or stromboli but rest assured it is not either. You have to trust me when I say it is a wedgie.

What exactly is a wedgie?  In a nutshell, it is sandwich that uses pizza crust to replace the bread or bun.  It is flat, like bread, not puffy and doughy.  Additionally, while I have zero facts to back this up, the wedgie supposedly got its start right here in Pittsburgh back in the late ’60′s.

Just about anything you can put on a sandwich can go in to a wedgie.  The two most common types on the menu’s around here are Italian and my favorite the steak wedgie

Even though the wedgie is rumored to have been around my whole life, the first time I had one was the mid 90′s from Angelo’s pizza shop in Pittsburgh’s Little Italy section of the city, Bloomfield.

Their steak wedgie is PHENOMENAL.  It is one of the tastiest foods to ever find its way in to my mouth.  I’ve seen steak wedgies on other menu’s around the city and I’ve tried a few of them, but nothing comes close in taste and quality of Angelo’s version.  They set the steak wedgie bar high for me.

If you live in Pittsburgh and plan on trying one from Angelo’s, keep in mind their service around lunch time is slow.  If you order one for take out (or sit down – as they have a few tables), order ahead of time and give yourself plenty of time.  I can’t tell you about service other times of the day because that’s the only time I’ve gone.

Wait, you read my blog but you don’t live in Pittsburgh? Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered with my take on Angelo’s very delicious steak wedgie.  It does take a bit of pre-planning, but this nice pizza or hoagie/sub alternative is worth it.

Here are a few tips to help with this recipe:

• To achieve the best results for the meat used in this recipe you will want to use thinly sliced steak.  Ribeye tastes best but I find a nice cut of sirloin gives me great results at a fraction of the price.  If you have a deli-slicer, just set the piece of sirloin on the slicer and slice on the thinnest setting.
• If you don’t, place the sirloin in the freezer for about an hour or two.  Remove and slice as thin as you can until you have about 15 to 20 pieces of sirloin.
• Another option is to slice the meat and pound it thin between 2 pieces of plastic wrap.
• No matter how you do it, the key is to make it thin so it cooks quickly.
• Once the meat is cut, quickly cook the meat in a pan over medium-high heat with a touch of olive oil.  Remove from pan and drain on paper towels to remove excess grease.
• You can also use store-bought steak-like meat, but ummm, please don’t.
• Caramelized onions take anywhere between 30 and 60 minutes, they can be made well in advance and stored in the refrigerator .
• The garlic mayo can be made ahead of time also.
• Make sure you have either a pizza tray or pizza screen (both can be bought for a couple of dollars at local restaurant supply stores) or a pizza stone.

Enjoy!

Ingredients: Fresh Pizza Dough equivalent to one 16″ pizza  (basic pizza dough recipe) 1 large onion, caramelized ( how to caramelize onions) 15 to 20 pieces of cooked thinly sliced sirloin, then rough chopped (see info above) 3 tablespoons mayonnaise 2 cloves garlic, finely minced 1 medium tomato, sliced 1/2 cup of lettuce, shredded 3-4 slices of provolone cheese (mozzarella would work too) Salt and Pepper to Taste 2 tablespoons melted butter Mix mayonnaise and garlic, set aside. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Shape pizza dough to approximately 16 inches (i.e. large pizza size). Lay out the dough on either a pizza tray/screen and brush with melted butter.  If using a pizza stone, then lay the dough out on a pizza peel and brush with butter. Place dough in oven and bake for about 2 minutes.  Just enough to start to get the dough firm. Remove dough from oven and spread the mayo/garlic mixture on the entire surface. Top half of the dough with cooked steak.  Season with salt and pepper. Then top with onions, tomatoes, lettuce, and cheese. Fold the half of the dough that isn’t lined with the ingredients over the half that is.  Do not seal. Brush top with melted butter. Return wedgie to the oven and bake about 5-6 minutes or until the top begins to brown. Flip and brush with melted butter. Bake an additional 4-5 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven.   Let sit for 5 minutes. Cut in to wedges and serve.

A wedge of the wedgie. Fantastic!

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