Try the wood-fired taste of a classic Philadelphia Cheesesteak with Chef Tom's pinwheel recipe! Low-carb and flavorful, these mouth-watering Cheesesteak Pinwheels will have your taste buds jumping for joy.
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE
- Double-marinating both sides: Sandwiching the pounded steak between two layers of marinade — one underneath, one poured over — coats it more thoroughly than brushing marinade on just one side would.
- Studded-mallet tenderizing after pounding flat: Flattening with the flat side first, then going over the steak with the studded side, breaks down toughness in flank steak without tearing through the meat the way starting with the studded side would.
- Charring peppers and caramelizing onions separately: Blackening the peppers directly over flame while the onions cook gently in cast iron lets each vegetable get the treatment that suits it, so neither is over- or under-cooked when they're combined.
- Skewering before slicing into pinwheels: Running skewers through the rolled roulade before cutting keeps each pinwheel from unrolling as you slice, so you get clean, intact spirals instead of loose steak and filling.
Category
Entree
Cuisine
American
Servings
8
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
25 minutes
Calories
813
Chef Tom fires up the Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill for a low-carb, BIG-flavor recipe for Cheesesteak Pinwheels!
Ingredients
-
1 Creekstone Farms Prime Flank Steak, pounded thin
-
1 (16 oz) Smoke on Wheels BBQ Marinade
-
Cattleman’s Grill Trail Dust All Purpose Seasoning
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 green bell pepper
- 2 yellow onions, sliced 1/4”
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
-
Jacobsen Salt Co. Kosher Sea Salt, to taste
- 6-8 slices provolone cheese
Directions
- Preheat your Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill to 450ºF, set up for direct grilling (entire diffuser plate removed).
- Spread some cooking oil on your work surface. Place the flank steak on the surface. Place a gallon zip-top bag on top of the flank steak. Pound out your Creekstone Farms Prime Flank Steak using the flat side of a meat mallet until it is about 1/4” thick and roughly the shape of a rectangle. Use the studded side of the meat mallet to carefully tenderize the steak.
- Pour half of your marinade in a sheet pan and spread evenly. Place the thin pounded steak on the marinade. Cover the steak with the remaining marinade and spread evenly. Transfer to the refrigerator to marinate for one hour.
- Place a Lodge Cast Iron Casserole Dish in the grill to preheat over direct flame for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, slice the onions.
- Move the cast iron dish to the indirect side of the grill.
- Place your bell peppers on the main cooking grate, over direct flame.
- Place the onions in the cast iron dish along with a couple of tablespoons of oil and a generous pinch of Jacobsen Salt Co. Kosher Sea Salt. Toss with a wooden spoon.
- Roast the peppers over direct flame, turning to blacken the skin on all sides. Remove the peppers from the grill. Place in a zip-top bag to steam for about 10 minutes. Peel the blackened skin from the peppers and discard the skin, seeds and stems. Slice the remaining flesh into 1/4” strips.
- The onions are done when slightly browned and softened. Remove from the grill.
- Remove the flank steak from the marinade. Wipe most of the marinade off of the surface. Lay out flat. Season with Cattleman’s Grill Trail Dust.
- Place 6-8 slices of provolone on top of steak, covering most of the surface. Spread onions and peppers over the cheese.
- Roll up the entire flank steak as tightly as possible, forming a long roulade shape.
- Place skewers or toothpicks through the roulade every 2”-3”. Slice in between the skewers, producing pinwheel steaks.
- Remove the skewer from the steaks and wrap each steak tighter. Tie each pinwheel with twine to hold its shape.
- Season each pinwheel steak with more of the Cattleman’s Grill Trail Dust All Purpose Seasoning. Place the cheesesteak pinwheels on a parchment lined sheet pan. Transfer the pan to the indirect side of the grill.
- Roast the pinwheels for about 10 minutes, then spin the pan. Finish the pinwheels over direct flame to create some texture on the bottom. Check back every five minutes until the internal temperature of the meat in the center of each pinwheel reaches 125ºF-130ºF.
- Remove the twine from the cheesesteak pinwheels before serving.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Why pound the steak with the flat side of the mallet before switching to the studded side?
Flattening first with the flat side brings the steak to an even thickness. Only then does the studded side tenderize without tearing through unevenly thin spots that a studded mallet could punch straight through.
Why marinate on both sides instead of just one?
Spreading marinade underneath and over the steak coats it more evenly on both faces, since the steak is going to be seasoned and rolled with filling directly against both sides once it's flattened.
Why char the peppers over direct flame and then steam them in a bag?
Blackening the skin over live flame builds smoky flavor, and sealing the peppers in a bag afterward traps steam that loosens the charred skin, so it peels away easily instead of staying stuck to the flesh.
Why skewer the roulade before slicing it into pinwheels?
Running skewers through the rolled steak every 2-3 inches holds the roulade together while you cut between them, so each pinwheel keeps its spiral shape instead of unrolling the moment the knife goes through.
What internal temperature should the pinwheels actually reach?
This recipe pulls them at 125-130°F, which would be a safe rare-to-medium-rare finish for a plain, intact steak. But this steak has been mechanically tenderized with a studded mallet and rolled with filling — both of which can carry surface bacteria into the interior of the meat. Because of that, it's safer to treat this like a non-intact cut and cook to at least 145°F rather than relying on the lower rare-steak temperature.
Why remove the skewers and re-tie with twine before the final cook?
Swapping skewers for twine lets you cinch each pinwheel tighter after slicing, which helps it hold its shape through the rest of the cook without the skewer holes affecting how evenly it cooks.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
2 out of 5 — a hot oven or broiler could finish the pinwheels, but charring the peppers and building flavor on a live-fire pellet grill are central to this recipe's flavor.
Recipe Highlights
Two-stage tenderizing: Flattening first, then studding, tenderizes evenly without tearing the meat.
Marinating both faces: Coats the steak thoroughly on the sides that end up rolled against the filling.
Char, then steam, the peppers: Makes the blackened skin easy to peel off cleanly.
Skewer, slice, then re-tie: Keeps each pinwheel's spiral shape intact from roulade to finished steak.
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Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 7.58 oz
- per serving
- Calories
- 813
- Carbs
- 6 grams
- Protein
- 102 grams
- Fat
- 39 grams
- Sodium
- 628 milligrams
