Iowa Loose Meat Sandwiches
By Christie MorrisonPublished on June 2, 2014
Time
25 minutes
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
Before You Begin
Do not substitute leaner ground beef in this recipe or the sandwich will be dry.
Instructions
- Combine 1 pound lean ground beef, ¼ cup water, 1 tablespoon yellow mustard, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in 10-inch skillet. Bring to simmer over medium heat, breaking up meat with spoon. Reduce heat to medium-low to maintain gentle simmer and cook, stirring frequently, until meat is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in ½ cup finely chopped onion, cover, and remove from heat; keep warm while preparing buns.
- Spread extra mustard on the bottom bun of 4 hamburger buns, then, using slotted spoon, mound beef mixture over top. Cap with sliced dill pickles and bun tops. Serve.
Time
25 minutesYield
Serves 4Ingredients
Ingredients
Ingredients
Why This Recipe Works
People from central Iowa know this sandwich (a simple affair of steamed ground beef topped with mustard, pickles, and onions, served on a soft hamburger bun) as a Maid-Rite, after the Maid-Rite chain that made it famous. To achieve the sandwich’s trademark loose, pebbled texture, we gently simmer 85 percent lean ground beef with water in a skillet until the beef is thoroughly cooked but not browned. We keep the flavors simple: just salt, pepper, mustard, and some sugar to enhance the beef’s subtle sweetness. Adding the onions to the beef just before serving allows them to soften slightly but still retain a crisp texture.
Before You Begin
Do not substitute leaner ground beef in this recipe or the sandwich will be dry.
Instructions
- Combine 1 pound lean ground beef, ¼ cup water, 1 tablespoon yellow mustard, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in 10-inch skillet. Bring to simmer over medium heat, breaking up meat with spoon. Reduce heat to medium-low to maintain gentle simmer and cook, stirring frequently, until meat is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in ½ cup finely chopped onion, cover, and remove from heat; keep warm while preparing buns.
- Spread extra mustard on the bottom bun of 4 hamburger buns, then, using slotted spoon, mound beef mixture over top. Cap with sliced dill pickles and bun tops. Serve.
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