Flavorful seasoned beef is piled high on a bun creating a quick and easy meal your whole family will love. You don't have to be from Iowa to enjoy the classic Loose Meat Sandwich!
This simple recipe is similar in style to a Sloppy Joe, but a bit less saucy. These sandwiches are perfect for a no-fuss meal or feeding a crowd.
What is it?
Commonly known as a Loose Meat Sandwich, these delicious sandwiches are served at popular eateries like Canteen Lunch in the Alley. However, locals will often refer to it as a Maid-Rite sandwich instead, after the popular Maid-Rite restaurant chain, or simply as Tavern Sandwiches, where they are also frequently served.
Primarily consisting of finely crumbled seasoned ground beef and chopped onions, a Loose Meat Sandwich is eaten like a loose hamburger, similar to Sloppy Joes but with the absence of a tomato-based sauce.
Traditionally this sandwich is served on cheap hamburger buns with dill pickles and yellow mustard. However, I have it on good authority that ketchup and sometimes even a slice of cheese are added by locals.
Though regionally popular in Iowa since the 1920s, Loose Meat Sandwiches owe much of their national fame to the TV show Roseanne. The sitcom featured Loose Meat Sandwiches at Roseanne and Jackie's restaurant, The Lanford Lunch Box.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Ground Beef - Fattier beef, like ground chuck, will carry more flavor but you can use lean ground beef if you want to save on calories.
- Butter - You can substitute olive oil or even bacon grease.
- Onion - I like using yellow onions best, but sweet onions are equally great to use.
- Beef broth - Beef stock works well too.
- Worcestershire sauce
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Brown Sugar
How to make it
This loose meat sandwiches recipe is incredibly simple and doesn't require much time. Brown ground beef in a large skillet, or saute pan. Break it apart into crumbles with a wooden spoon, then the onions and seasonings are added.
I enhance the rich flavor of the beef by adding Worcestershire sauce and beef broth, plus a touch of sweetness and tang from brown sugar and apple cider vinegar. Though initially soupy, simply continue cooking the meat mixture until all of the liquid has evaporated. The flavor will soak into the beef.
Once the ground beef mixture has thickened up it is ready to serve. Pile meat on hamburger buns with your favorite toppings. Dill pickle slices and mustard are the traditional choices.
What to Serve with Iowa Maid-Rites?
A simple meal like this is best paired with traditional sides that you would often see at a burger joint, such as fries, onion rings, and potato chips. I would recommend any of the following recipes to serve with this delicious sandwich:
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Loose Meat Sandwich
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 2 tablespoons butter (oil or bacon grease can be substituted)
- ½ yellow onion (diced)
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Serving
- pickles
- mustard
- 8 hamburger buns
Instructions
- Melt butter in saute pan over medium heat and add ground beef.
- Cook the beef until it browns and is no longer pink, breaking it up into small crumbles as it cooks.
- Drain fat from the pan and add onions, beef broth, Worcestershire, vinegar, brown sugar, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook until all liquid has evaporated.
- Use a slotted spoon to serve onto hamburger buns with dill pickles and mustard.
Notes
Nutritional Information
This recipe was originally published May 30, 2018 on FoxValleyFoodie.com.
Kathleen S Angsten
I grew up in Manitowoc,Wi. I remember eating loose meat sandwiches when traveling in Iowa. These were as good, if not better than the ones I remember. Better yet, I won't have to travel to Iowa for loose meat. Thank you for the recipe.
Trish
My mama grew up in Muscatine, Iowa on the banks of the Mississippe River. My grandmother was a TERRIBLE COOK!!!!!!!!!! Whenever my mom, and my sister and I visited my grandmother, we ALWAYS went for Maid Rites a couple of times. And they were always awesome. I watched when the cook was cooking the Maid Rite Sandwich meat and saw that he put what looked like black/brown (burnt?) syrup in the pot with the meat and other seasonings. Since I was kind of a cheeky nosy little girl I asked the cook what the thick icky black stuff was that he put in with the meat. He told me that it was root beer syrup. He probably thought that I would forget, but I never did. I told my mother and she put a can of root beer in whenever she cooked Maid Rites after that (if you use a can of root beer with two pounds of ground beef you have to cook the meat until most of the liquid in the root beer cooks off (you could probably buy root beer flavoring in the spice section of the supermarket so you wouldn't have to cook so long, but I just love the smell of Maid Rites cooking anyway). My family has always loved these loose meat sandwhiches. There are just so many condiments that you can put on them other than Just mustard and pickles. Since I was little and my mom made these, we always wrapped the bottom half of the sandwich in wax paper so that the loose meat wouldn't fall out the bottom of the kid's sandwiches. I still wrap mine. The recipe has been handed down to children, grandchildren and probably will be handed down to great-grandchildren. Wonderful memories and delicious sandwiches.
Gary
I wonder if maybe it was molasses ...
Donna Marie Rogers
Would like to try, but wondering where the high level of potassium comes from? My husband has kidney disease, and this sounded perfect since there's no tomato in it, but this has a lot of potassium and I'm not sure what I could leave out to bring it down. Thanks!
Jan G
My husband, who is a picky eater ate 3 sandwiches. He did not want mustard and pickle, he chose horseradish sauce. I just ate mine plain. We will be adding this to the rotation for quick weeknight meals...thank you.
Pam
Love this version, sometimes better than traditional sloppy joes. But add 2 Tbsp good soy sauce and 2 tsp of yellow mustard.omit the salt
Ryan dougherty
delicious!! Definitely on the dinner rotation
Phebe Snyder
These are excellent! I have made them twice now, recipe exactly as written. The pickle and mustard are the icing on the cake. Even though I don’t choose pickles and mustard on my hamburger-they really compliment the flavors of this dish. These sandwiches are a hit with my husband as well.
Second time I made them I doubled the recipe. Served them as our first meal when the family started gathering for Christmas Holidays.
I do have a question. Have you made them in an instant pot? Was wondering about cooking time and release instructions?
Thank you and thanks again for the fun and tasty recipe.
Kelly
My husband made these tonight after watching a rerun of Roseanne he searched for a recipe and came up with this one. I didn’t think I would be crazy about them considering we never had a loose meat sandwich in NY or NJ but we loved them! We added pickles, mustard and cheese and they kind of reminded us of a McDonalds cheeseburger. We will definitely make these again!
Thad
Well I was born and raised in the hometown of the original Made-Rite sandwich shop. The owner added root beer to the mix, it gave it the sweet flavor that it's known for. I don't know what the original seasoning mix consisted of but root beer was one of the ingredients. If you step foot in one of the restaurants chances are that you will find a root beer on the drink menu.
mike v
just had loose meat and onions and celery with sharp cheader cheese with the leftovers i will put on pickles and mustard but only have spicy brown mustard
Lynn
Try wrapping them in sandwich or wax paper and steaming them before serving. That’s how the taverns that I had were served. Makes all the difference!
Carmen Rudkins
During the years1955 to 1957 I worked at the Tastee Inn and Out in Sioux City, Iowa and we served loose meat burgers and they were so good. I have been looking for the recipe so will try yours and then let you know what I think. Thanks!
Lynn
I love that place! Best loose meat sandwich I ever had
Glo
Tastee inn and out is a little different recipe. Been going there for years!
Corey palmer
This is my second time making this great dish. And as a single guy I love the leftovers they taste maybe even better!
Heath Jarvis
The Lanford Lunchbox from the Roseanne TV show was based on a real restaurant in Ottumwa, Iowa called "The Canteen". Ottumwa is just a few miles from Tom Arnold's home town of Eldon, Iowa.
The Canteen opened (depending on who you ask) somewhere between 1928 and 1936. Their t-shirts say 1936, but others say it opened earlier than that. It is located in an alley in Ottumwa. Several years ago, when Ottumwa built a parking garage on the same block as the Canteen, they basically built AROUND the restaurant, to preserve its history.
The Canteen serves loose meat burgers, loose meat cheeseburgers (they use Cheez Whiz and it is awesome), and homemade pies. You can buy a bag of chips or a candy bar, but most people are satisfied with the sandwiches and pies.
This is one of my all-time favorite sandwiches, and your recipe is VERY close to what I get in Iowa!
Sara
I’m a born and raised ottumwa Iowan and love the canteen definitely a hometown favorite!
marjorie Austin
This was delicious! Thank you so much
Lydia Rose
Must have something to do with the flavor of ground beef. I have never heard of "loose meat burgers" before , but I have been fixing a version of this for umpteen years.
Being from the Southwest, New Mexico to be exact, I add salt, chopped onion, garlic and jalapenos. Cook it up, put it in a flour tortilla, top with cheese, a little extra fresh onion and salsa......roll it up......and wala....you got yourself a burrito!
Tracee
I use ground Bison instead of ground beef. I’m a Texan who loves loose meat sandwiches!
Clifford streckenbach
Excellent keep up the great recipes