Cheesy Grilled Steak Sandwiches (GF)

Labor Day Weekend is here and it is time to light your grill and make these amazing Cheesy Grilled Steak Sandwiches! They are perfect for barbecues, picnics, or weekend meals – and the leftovers are fabulous! Grab that steak, marinate it, and slap it on the barbecue. Dinner will be ready in no time and everyone will be drooling at the aromas coming from your grill!

In addition to Labor Day, it is the beginning of football season! Hooray! Growing up with three older brothers and a dad who were all rabid sports fans, I always smile when I hear the Monday Night Football theme, a college band playing their fight song, or watch the crowds begin to gather for our local team (Go Niners!) home games. That means I have the perfect excuse to make tailgating food – either at the game or at home.

Tailgating doesn’t have to be limited to just the stadium parking lot. Why not set up a party with your neighbors? You can all set up chairs outside and start the party in advance of the game, grilling delicious foods together, then head indoors to watch the game. You can have nearly the same experience as if you were at the stadium.

Did you know that tailgating has been around a lot longer than the old family station wagon? Townsfolk gathered to watch battles during the Civil War and the classic chuck wagon provided the same type of outdoor cooking over live fire as we have with barbecues – just a little more rustic. We still crave the flavors of meats cooked over fire and that is why pillars of fragrant smoke fill the parking lot for hours before game time.

The foods people serve before games run the gamut from cheap and easy to high-end and fancy. Some people bring pre-made sandwiches, others prepare entire meals in the parking lot. No matter how you plan to celebrate, make sure that all your foods are kept cold enough to be safe for the entire time you’re partying.

I love big, fat, messy sandwiches jammed with grilled meats and slathered with sauces. Steak is one of my favorites, but high-end cuts are too expensive to make for a large crowd. When I am hosting the gang, I turn to cuts like Chateaubriand, Flat Iron, and London Broil to save money and give everyone the beef they crave. Chateaubriand is more tender, but all the cuts make great options for sandwiches.

Today’s sandwiches are the perfect meal for Labor Day barbecues or your football parties, whether at the stadium or at home – and they have the added benefit of being completely gluten-free (as long as you use gluten-free bread/rolls), for those with dietary concerns.

If you don’t want to pull out the grill, you can pan sear this steak and have a delightful main course. Just heat up a large skillet or grill pan and cook it virtually the same way. Not quite the same flavor, but you can make a rub with smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and whatever else you love that would give the impression of being on the grill. 

So set up your barbecue – gas or charcoal – and make these Cheesy Grilled Steak Sandwiches. They are delicious, satisfying, and indulgent. Absolutely perfect for any occasion, especially with a long weekend coming up. I hope you enjoy every bite!

If you try this recipe, let me know! Please leave a star rating in the recipe card, comment below, and don’t forget to snap a pic and tag it @theheritagecook on Instagram! Seeing your creations makes my day and I love hearing from you!

Ingredients needed for Cheesy Grilled Steak Sandwiches:

• Horseradish Mayonnaise (optional): mayonnaise, horseradish, garlic powder
• Steak Marinade: fresh lemon juice, A-1 Sauce, Worcestershire sauce, honey mustard, garlic, oregano, thyme, rosemary, chipotle powder, olive oil
• Sandwiches: Chateaubriand/Flat Iron/London Broil, rolls, butter, tomatoes, cheese slices

PRO Tip:

Use a good cutting board with a moat to catch the juices. I like Epicurean boards and have several. I got the big one just for carving roasts, chickens, and turkeys. They are two-sided giving you even more cutting area. To keep it from sliding around while you’re working, lay a square or strip of shelf liner underneath it. The board won’t move at all! And use a very sharp carving knife or slicer for easily cutting the thinnest slices.

PRO Tip:

If you don’t already have a sharpening steel, you should buy one. You use it to take off little burrs on the knife blades and re-hone/align their edges. It really helps to keep your knives sharp and safer for you to use. A sharp knife is much easier and safer for you to use than a dull one!

How to make Cheesy Grilled Steak Sandwiches:

1. Horseradish Mayonnaise: Whisk together the ingredients until smooth. Cover and refrigerate.
2. Marinate the Steak: Combine all the marinade ingredients and pour into a large resealable plastic bag or airtight container. Add beef to the marinade, press out as much air as possible and seal the bag. Flip the bag a few times to distribute the marinade to all surfaces.
3. Lay flat and refrigerate for several hours or up to 1 to 2 days, turning the bag several times to marinate all the steak.
4. Grill the Steak: Preheat a gas grill on high or build a hot charcoal fire. Only light one burner on a gas grill or bank most of the coals on one side of the charcoal grill.
5. Remove the meat from the marinade and place on a paper towel-lined plate, pat dry on all sides with more paper towels. Place the steak on the grill directly over the heat. Reduce heat to medium-high and cook 4 to 5 minutes per side until you have grill marks and an instant read thermometer registers 130°F to 135°F.
6. Transfer the steak to a clean baking sheet, cover loosely with aluminum foil and let rest about 15 minutes. This allows the juices to redistribute.
7. Grill the Buns: Brush the inside of the buns with butter and place them on the hot grill cooking just until lightly toasted with some grill marks. Remove from the grill and reduce heat to medium-low.
8. Assemble the Sandwiches: Slice the steak thinly on the diagonal against the grain (see PRO Tip below). Spread with the horseradish mayonnaise if desired, add some tomato slices, then slices of steak, and top with slices of cheese. Place back on the grill, close the lid and heat just until the cheese softens and starts to melt. Transfer to plates and serve immediately.

PRO Tip:

When cutting steak, always use a very sharp knife to cut against the grain. The grain means the lines of muscles (striations) that run along each piece of steak. Cut perpendicular to those fibers to shorten their length, minimizing the toughness and creating lovely tender bites.

Recommended Tools (affiliate links; no extra cost to you):

• Kitchen scale
• Mixing bowls
• Gas grill or charcoal grill
• Instant read thermometer
• Baking sheet pan
• Cutting board
• Sharp carving knife

Gluten-Free Tips:

Use a gluten-free roll, slices of bread, or a couple of lettuce leaves as a wrap. If you are using the lettuce, melt the cheese over slices of beef on a baking sheet and then wrap right before serving.

As of this writing, A-1 steak sauce is gluten-free as is Lea and Perrin’s brand of Worcestershire sauce. If using different brands, be sure to carefully check the labels or contact the manufacturer for more information.

The photos show my husband’s regular (non gluten-free) sandwich roll. Your rolls may look different.

You will get the best and most consistent results by using a digital kitchen scale and weighing your ingredients, especially when you are baking. And use grams, they are much more accurate than pounds and ounces.

All recommended ingredients are gluten-free as of the writing of this article. Always check to be sure the products haven’t changed and are still safe to consume.

Continue to Content

Yield: 6 servings

Cheesy Grilled Steak Sandwiches (GF)

Print

These Cheesy Grilled Steak Sandwiches are delicious, satisfying, and indulgent. Absolutely perfect for any occasion, especially with a long weekend coming up. I hope you enjoy every bite!

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Additional Time 3 hours

Total Time 3 hours 35 minutes

Ingredients

Horseradish Mayonnaise (optional)

• 1/2 cup (118 ml) mayonnaise (light is fine)
• 2 to 4 tbsp prepared horseradish, to taste
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Steak Marinade

• 1/4 cup (59 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 cup (59 ml) A-1 sauce (it is gluten-free)
• 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce (Lea & Perrins brand is gluten-free)
• 2 tbsp honey mustard
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 tbsp oregano
• 1 tbsp thyme leaves
• 1 tsp chopped rosemary
• 1 tsp to 1 tbsp chipotle powder, depending on how spicy your family likes their foods, optional
• 1/2 cup (118 ml) olive oil

Sandwiches

• About 2.5 lb (1.1 kg) Chateaubriand or London Broil, about 2-inches thick
• 6 large sandwich rolls, torpedo, or Hoagies, split in half (gluten-free if needed)
• Softened butter, for rolls
• Sliced tomatoes plus whatever else you like on your sandwiches
• About 1/4-inch (6.4 mm) thick slices of cheese such as provolone, Monterey Jack, pepper jack, Muenster, or other favorites

Instructions

1. Make the Horseradish Mayonnaise: In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, horseradish, and garlic powder until smooth. Cover and refrigerate.
2. Marinate the Beef: In a medium bowl, combine all the marinade ingredients. Whisk together until smooth and pour into a large resealable plastic bag. Add the beef to the bag, press out the air, and seal shut. Flip the bag a few times to get all surfaces of the meat coated.
3. Lay flat on a small baking sheet and refrigerate. Marinate for several hours or up to 1 to 2 days, flipping the bag several times to make sure all sides of the meat are submerged in the marinade.
4. Grill the Beef: Preheat your gas grill for 15 minutes on high or build a hot charcoal fire. If you have multiple gas burners, you only need one lit. The rest can be turned off.
5. Remove the meat from the marinade and transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Discard the marinade. Use extra paper towels to pat the entire roast dry on all sides.
6. Place the meat on the grill over direct heat. Reduce the temperature to medium high and cook about 4 to 5 minutes per side or until you have nice grill marks and an instant read thermometer registers 125°F to 135°F (52°C to 57°C) for medium rare.
7. Transfer the beef to a clean baking sheet, cover loosely with aluminum foil and let rest about 15 minutes. This gives the meat time to gently finish cooking with the residual heat, allowing the juices to redistribute throughout the roast. Leave the grill on.
8. Grill the Buns: Cook just until the bread is lightly toasted and has some grill marks. Remove from the grill. Reduce the grill heat to medium low.
9. Assemble the Sandwiches: Transfer the beef to a cutting board and slice thinly against the grain. Brush the buns with the horseradish mayonnaise and add some tomatoes if you like. Place some slices of beef on the bottom half of each roll, overlapping them slightly. Top with the cheese and place back on the grill, over one of the cooler burners or on the rack above the grates for gentle heat.
10. Close the grill and heat until the cheese melts. Transfer the hot sandwiches to serving plates. Place the tops on the sandwiches and serve immediately.
11. If you are using your stove, put the sandwiches under the broiler for a minute or two to melt the cheese and then serve.
Recipe found at www.theheritagecook.com

Notes

You will get the best results by using a digital kitchen scale and weighing your ingredients, especially when you are baking. And use grams, they are much more accurate than pounds and ounces.

All recommended ingredients are gluten-free as of the writing of this article. Always check to be sure the products haven’t changed and are still safe to consume.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 577Total Fat: 29gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 90mgSodium: 1194mgCarbohydrates: 48gFiber: 5gSugar: 7gProtein: 30g

The nutritional information for recipes on this site is calculated by online tools and is merely an estimate. If you need nutritional calculations for medical reasons, please use a source that you trust.

This recipe is part of Food Network’s weekly Summer Soiree celebration. See the links below for inspiration and great recipes! 

Creative Culinary: Limoncello and Herb Barbecue Chicken Thighs
Elephants and the Coconut Trees: Pan Grilled Kabab
Homemade Delish: Chipotle and Cherry BBQ Ribs
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Favorite BBQ Recipes Roundup
Taste with the Eyes: Korean BBQ Chicken, Lettuce Cups, White Seaweed Salad
Domesticate Me: Quinoa Broccoli Slaw
The Lemon Bowl: 30 Healthy BBQ Recipes

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