This is how they make loose meat sandwiches in the restaurants. They are always moist and savory.
Close enough to the Ottumwa, IA to save me from driving 4 hours to get one in person. I did add a tiny smidge of season salt toward the end because it seemed just a tad bland, but other than that - perfect. The key to good loose meat... tiny tiny chunks of meat. Keep stirring it and breaking it up. Use the cheap smaller hamburger buns from the store and (my personal preference) mustard and onions. I will miss the tiny little always crammed counter in Iowa - now, if I could just duplicate those pies...OMG that woman can bake a pie!
Read MoreI've never had this before and was looking for a new recipe for hamburger. I made it just as written and they weren't bad. My husband said they were "Ok" and all I could really say was they were "different" I'm not sure if I'll make them again but they were ok. incidently, I put a piece of american cheese on the bun and a bit of mustard from another person's suggestions. Thanks for the recipe!
Read MoreClose enough to the Ottumwa, IA to save me from driving 4 hours to get one in person. I did add a tiny smidge of season salt toward the end because it seemed just a tad bland, but other than that - perfect. The key to good loose meat... tiny tiny chunks of meat. Keep stirring it and breaking it up. Use the cheap smaller hamburger buns from the store and (my personal preference) mustard and onions. I will miss the tiny little always crammed counter in Iowa - now, if I could just duplicate those pies...OMG that woman can bake a pie!
I made this as directed except I scaled it to 8 servings so it used 2 lbs of ground beef. Very tasty. My boys ended up putting easy cheese on top. The leftovers were a bit too salty the next day.
Excellent! It took about an hour to boil down the broth. I've misses Tastee burgers since I left Nebraska-made these and served them with onion rings and the obligatory french onion dip and was in heaven.
4.5 stars. I doubled the onion and added white pepper and just a bit of mustard. Add the onion to the beef when the beef is half brown and be sure to strain the grease off very well. This recipe brings back memories of childhood. Use small soft buns and pickles and mustard ONLY for the true Maid-Rite experience.
These are great ~ after years of making sloppy joes, we've switched to these after trying them last month. The only change i make is adding a packet of Lipton Onion Soup Mix for extra flavor, and i usually let them simmer for a couple hours before serving.
I have been sooo hungry lately for a good maid rite. OH MY GOSH!!!! This was it--I was full after one but had to have another!! Only enough leftovers for me--too bad family. Even my picky little girl had two helpings (without a bun)and said yummy. Thanks so much for the recipe. Didn't say when to put in the onions so I put them in after draining the meat. Tasted great.
I've never had this before and was looking for a new recipe for hamburger. I made it just as written and they weren't bad. My husband said they were "Ok" and all I could really say was they were "different" I'm not sure if I'll make them again but they were ok. incidently, I put a piece of american cheese on the bun and a bit of mustard from another person's suggestions. Thanks for the recipe!
Great! I used 1/2 onion. Served over french baguettes with provolone. Reserved some of the juice for dipping. Poor man's prime rib.
My family really enjoyed this. I did double the onions, and it could have used more. My sauce wasn't reducing down much and seemd watery, so I wound up adding about 2 tbsp on flour mixed with water to thicken up the juices just slightly. These were super yummy with lots of pickles and I buttered and toasted our buns. Next time, might even try this on top of rice or noodles instead. We did also add some more seasonings, but this is a great base recipe.
Wow, I know why they call this "loose" meat, because after the first bite you lose all the meat into the plate and are left with a bun. I saw this on the AR exchange and had to try it after watching numerouse re-runs of "Rosanne" and the "Landford Lunchbox" featuring this famous sandwich. I added the 1/4 cup of onion to the drained meat. I made my own broth out of beef base for less sodium and used lean beef. I ended up with quite a lot of broth, but used a slotted spoon, and a teaspoon or so on the sandwich was good anyway. I served with hamburger dills pickles and mustard, as suggested. They are a must! I did use the small buns, also as recommended, but regular sized ones would have been better to hold the meat in more likely. Not a repeat recipe, but still interesting to try!
I haven't had one of these since I was a kid!! Very good and sooo cheap to make!! Agree with the reviewer that said a hotdog bun would be easier to eat it with. Any kind of loose meat sandwich is messy though, or its not LOOSE meat!! Thanks for the recipe!!
I fail to see how this got so many rave reviews. The amount of liquid is WAY more then needed and I ended up with soup. The Worchester was overwhelming so it was more like Worchester soup, and it was BLAND!!! Don't waste your time or money with this one.
Mustard makes all the difference when you put this on a bun. And I'm not a big fan of mustard! Really good!
I made this for my family's 4th of July celebration and they loved it. I'lil definitely be making this again. Thanks for this awesome recipe
This is a super easy and delicious recipe. I scaled in down to four servings and used dried minced onion instead of fresh. I didn't want to cut in to a whole onion for just a tablespoon. I also used chicken bouillon instead of beef broth. It was still pretty runny after simmering for 45 minutes so I made a slurry of flour and juices from the pan to tighten it up a bit. I added some american cheese and mustard to the sandwiches and they came out so good. Tater tots on the side. Love those little gems.
To be so simple this is really yummy! I am going to use the leftovers in a Shepherd's Pie or something similar. Will definitely make again!
Good sandwich with nice flavor! Served these on whole wheat rolls with mustard. These remind me of the Maid Rites I used to have as a kid when I went to visit my great-grandparents in Iowa. I would love to have one again, since I haven't had one in at least 25 years. As another reviewer suggested, I added 1/2 tsp. of garlic powder. Watch the meat mixture closely toward the end to make sure that the meat does not get dried out. I turned my back and all of a sudden all the liquid was gone. Will definitely make again.
This was a good base recipe but it does taste like it missing something. I cut back on salt, and actually added seasoning salt instead because it was just bland as is. next time I will probably triple the onion add garlic and see where to go from there.
We used this for our son's 3rd birthday party, as well as my husband's deployment homecoming party. Tons of compliments on the great taste! Will keep this recipe on hand to use again & again!
Scaled down recipe for 4 and used beef boullion and water for the broth- left out salt. VERY GOOD. Kids loved it too.
My kids LOVED these sandwiches. Bought good buns to serve them on and they needed nothing else! It took an hour for my broth to cook off so give yourself some time when preparing.
Pretty good... I'm a southern/texan gal and this was a new experience for us. I can best describe this one as a french dip without the dip. The meat came out soft and tender and a nice texture. Flavor was great and it had a hint of the worcestershire flavor. I wouldn't recommend using hamburger buns like I did though as they were really messy and difficult to keep together. I think a sub type sandwich roll would be ideal for serving these. My hubby remarked it needed a sauce to hold it together, but it was good on it's own. I think a sauce would overpower this one. Thanks, this was a nice change from the usual bbq beef or sloppy joe sandwich. I'll most def make this again!
I've never had restaurant loose meat, so I have nothing to compare this to. It was good, if a bit bland. It's a good alternative to sloppy joes.
Turned out really well as written. The second time I made these I added some powdered mustard (about 1 tsp.) about 1/2 Tbs Dill and 1 sm. (5.5 oz) can of V-8 for a little more flavor. Turned out great both ways.
These were pretty good. It took longer than stated for the liquid to reduce down, about an extra 45 min. or so. We served these with mustard on bakery fresh dinner rolls. Yummy!
This was fantastic! My husband was witching the whole time I was cooking it that it wasn't going to be any good because of the onions. Well we sure fooled him didn't we Robinrockingbird!? He LOVED it! I could tell the onions would cook down and only add flavor. I too added some lawry's seasoning salt to it like another reviewer mentioned. We live in Iowa and are well acquainted with Maid Rite sandwiches. This is a keeper! My husband said it was the best loose meat sandwich he ever had. I have a feeling I'll be making this a lot! Thanks Robin!!
This is an easy and tasty recipe when you have little time and/or energy to cook. The only changes we made was to add some garlic and cajun seasoning to give the meat more flavor. The meat was moist and full of flavor.
some complaints about it being too wet. if you have too much broth, cook it down more Or you can just make a gravy out of the broth. One thing I did was add some cheese to it.
All my boyfriend had to say was "that was awesome." We don't have anything to compare these to, but they were great!! I halfed the recipe and added season salt. They were served on sub buns with mustard and relish . . . yum!
It IS'NT a Maidrite. I grew up eating the real thing with minor variations at school, my grandma's and grt aunts. I'm always looking for the school version, my favorite. The recipe my mom gave me contains vinegar and milk, as well as crumbled bread, and is boiled, never fried. Onion and one swirl of mustard are the only condiments added for authenticity. I will add that recipe later. I gave this a four, good, just not the real thing, which seems to be a secret.
Very good and flavorful! Although we only live about a mile from Maid-Rite (where these sandwiches originated) I've never had a real one. My boyfriend said they were close, and almost better, more flavorful. He also said they almost taste like a white castle burger. He claimed these "make them again good!" so they will be in rotation from now on. Thanks for a great recipe!
Good, messy, to be expected. I cut it down to 2lbs of beef. I only had chicken broth on hand. We added a slice of cheese, mustard, and pickle slices. Good easy, not your mama's sloppy joe, repeatable.
Great recipe. Used 4 lbs of hamburger and added a package of onion soup mix. After cooking the meat, I put it in the crock pot on low for about 4 hours to keep warm and it had such a great taste and texture. I used left over meat the next day for nachos.
Absolutely delish! I scaled it down to 1 lb for my family. I can imagine it would be great cooked up and kept warm in a slow cooker. I will make this again.
These were just ok. I've never had a maid-rite so I couldn't compare. But I will probably just make sloppy joes instead.
This was a good basic recipe for french dip with ground beef. I did add, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf more onion, garlic, Lipton Beefy onion soup, Barefoot red cabernet wine, sherry, white whine. I served it on club rolls with swiss cheese. They turned out great!! Cheaper than buying a roast with the same flavor.
This reminded my husband of a meal he would eat when he was growing up. (ie Loose meat, corn, pork n beans on a bun). I was good. It's easier to eat on a hot dog bun. It took 1 hour to cook down the liquid, not 40 mins.
I love LOOSE MEAT! I did brown the meat in butter with onion, add some mustard and served in hot dog rolls (all I had) which kept the meat in & less messy. I put white American cheese on and baked until cheese melted and rolls became slightly toasty! I used a POTATO MASHER to help break up the meat!! If your meat is too soupy....boil a little longer until it evaporates.
4.5 stars. Ok, I did change this a little and my measurements are for 1/3 of recipe (4 servings). I added a tsp of lard once I drained the cooked beef (85% grnd chuck.) Used potato masher to get a fine consistancy. I used 1C of beef broth vs 1-1/4 Cup. Due to using Better than Bouillion beef paste to make broth, I omitted the salt. Also, I used dried minced onion vs fresh (1/8C). Didn't use Worchstershire either. Added the butter at the very end of cook time. I ate Maid-Rites as a kid and this was as close as I've come to since then. I love them on steamed slider type buns. I take a package of them, cut in half, pile on the loose meat & put tops on, place in lightly buttered pan and cover tightly w/foil. Bake at 350 (top rack) for about 15 minutes....YUM! UPDATE: Adding in a tsp of Lipton dry onion soup mix while beef cooks tasted great too!
I really liked this! My kids were skeptical, they ate one to please me and that was it. lol I think they didn't like the idea of a loose meat sandwich.
I decided one day that I wanted a loose meat sandwich. (Guess too many Roseanne episodes) and found this recipe. I made no changes to it the first time I made it. Was DELICIOUS! I've tweaked it a little bit along the way, like putting in extra spices. But thats because I like garlic and such. Its great with mustard. And usually I don't like mustard. Thank you for putting up this recipe!
This was a great recipe! I did change it a bit. I don't eat red meat, so I used ground turkey. I used the onions, worcestershire, and seasonings. Just changed the broth to chicken. It was really good :) Will be making it again and used the small white buns with cheese, pickle, and mustard YUM!
I made these for lunch for me and my girls. Although the meat was moist, it really tasted like plain ground beef. Not really much flavor and I added extra seasonings besides what was written. Not impressed. Have leftovers for supper and am going to try to salvage the meat.
We liked these! We never heard of a "maid rite" so we decided to give them a try. We think they tast sooooo much better with melted american cheese on them and are much easier to eat on hot dog buns! I will make these again!
Made these tasty sandwiches last night. They came out perfect!Toasted the bun topped with mustard and sliced dill pickles as other reviewers mentioned.I didn't have any problems with the broth not absorbing.It just took about an hour.Only thing I did was scale it down to 4 servings because there is only two of us.Great recipe!I will definitely make again??
it was ok at best. i'd honestly rather make a regular old hamburger. i added onion soup mix and pepperjack cheese and it still ws just ok.
This was the first time I've ever made a loose meat dinner and had my little girl tell me she liked it!! I did add about 3 tbsp of vinegar to the recipe which I thought tanged it up quite nicely. I also simmered it in a crock pot for 2 to 3 hours after browning the meat (I used Turkey meat by the way). I would probably cut the broth down a bit as it was still quite watery. Good recipe to build on!!
Good. Didn't change anything. My kids ate it with no complaints so that is a plus for me.
I will definitely make this again! My husband loved it! The only recommendation I have is to make sure to taste it before adding salt.
My kids really don't like sloppy joes because of the sweetness I guess. I decided to try these. They were really tasty - very flavorful. I made them exact except I added a 1/2 tsp garlic powder. I didn't think I had in canned beef broth so I had beef granules and made broth with that. I cooked in my electric skillet which evaporate the liquid with 20 minutes of cooking time left. I was going to make up up some more beef granules broth when I discovered two cans of beef broth in the pantry. I added one can to the mixture and continued to cook for the remaining 20 minutes. This is keeper. Oh, and I scaled the recipe for 9 servings and served it on wheat, kaiser rolls.
Exactly how I make mine.Love, love, love it. Yes it is a bit messy, but sooo worth the trouble. I usually use half beef broth and half chicken broth. I have also added just a bit of cornstarch or flour mixed with water just to thicken it just a tad. YUM!!!
This recipe is phenomenal!! I use to eat a loose meat burger years ago when I lived in Missouri. A little town called Carollton. Burger Bar had the BEST beef burgers and I tried many times to duplicate them without success. UNTIL NOW!!! I do add a little seasoning salt and serve them on higher quality buns. Also Burger Bar prepared them with mustard and pickles - that's how my honey eats them every time. The men in my family consume at least 3 burgers every time I make these. I'm actually headed to the kitchen to get started on a batch right now. Yum!!! If there is still too much liquid after 40 minutes of simmering ... keep simmering until it's gone. I simmer on medium heat instead of low and it's just the right amount of liquid at 40 minutes every time. So moist and delicious.
By far the best recipe I've found yet! I will probably only use 1/2 tsp salt next time- personal preference, but they were perfect otherwise!
Pretty good but I don't have the memories to go along with this sandwich. I love foods that bring memories though! I thought the meat would have more flavor. With mustard and cheddar to hold all the meat in (messy sandwich), it tasted a little like McDonalds.
Made this. First time trying a loose meat samich.. was a little salty, will make again without the salt. But all in all not bad...
I've never had a loosemeat sandwich before but after making this I will have one again. I am a bit tired of the same old sloppy joe recipe so this was a bit of a change. Thanks.
I made this recipe as is. Never again. No one liked it. Total waste of of money, time and food. We had to order pizzas.
a bit blend but afterall this is ground beef! That said was enjoyable in hotdog bun and french mustard. will do again but will add onion and garlic power.
My family loved this. I added half a packet of Lipton Beefy Onion soup mix and omitted the additional salt. Really good!
I love exploring recipes I've never tried, I've cooked professionaly for Years ,and could not belive how simple and delicious this was...I used half of a white onion Finley chopped ,as well as three Finley chopped garlic cloves. After I sautéed the veggies I followed the directions to the letter... the result , amazing and moist ,savory sandwiches!! I carmalized onions and topped with kosher pickles, tomato, and ketchup..I also toasted the buns...Heaven on a Bun?
I was skeptical at first, but this turned out great! I recommend using better than bullion for your beef broth and definitely toasting your buns with some butter. Pickles and mustard on top are a must!
I added fresh mushrooms. It was great. My husband told me to make sure I saved the recipe. I must say the whole concept of a ground beef sandwich wasn't appealing. But it tasted great!!
We call these Beef Burgers. My family like them a little thicker, so I added some finely crushed Ritz crackers and a little extra water. Other than that, stayed true to the recipe and they turned out great!
We used to have a restaurant in my hometown that was famous for this type of burger!! So glad I found this recipe. I use 2 cups of broth instead and it comes out perfect every time!!!!
this was very very good. I cut it down to 4 servings. instead of minced onions I used 2 tsp of onion soup mix and I left out the salt, it was still very salty. I like salt so no biggie for me. I'll robably cut the onion soup mic down a little more next time. used cheap hamburger buns and am going to try hoagie buns next time. honestly, can't wait to eat this again!!
This recipe is excellent! Just made it for the family and they all loved it including my very picky daughter and granddaughter. I halved the recipe but next time I will make the entire 3lbs. for reheating later. I think I may add a clove of garlic the next time I make it. It's also very simple to make!
This turned out yummy! I tweaked it a little by adding 2 tbs chopped garlic and a packet of onion soup. i omitted the salt and onion. Will definitely make this again.
Very good recipe. I added a tablespoon of beef soup base instead of the salt.
Excellent nothing else needs to be said. I ate it on toast some how none of it fell out. I added a slice of American cheese I baby dill pickle and some mustard on the sandwich. Will defenitly make this again maybe add some mushrooms.
I halved the recipe, but accidentally added too much broth and while it took awhile to simmer down, the recipe still turned out very well. We had some leftovers and the flavors were even more developed the next day. Will definitely make this again.
I have never had maid rite but IMHO these were pretty good. It did however take over an hour for the liquid to cook down. I ended up cooking it covered after an hour on medium high.
I really tried to like this sandwich, because of everyone's traditions and history! Prepared as recipe states. All we tasted was ground beef and Worcestershire sauce. Nice to try something new but, not for our tastes.
This sandwich was a great surprise! I'm not from the Midwest, and I'd never heard of loose meat sandwiches before. I was trying to use up some ground beef, and I wanted to make something easy but good. I ran across this recipe and had everything on hand. My hubby ate 3 and I could go for a second right now. If you're thinking about it, definitely give it a try.
This makes a fine sandwich, but it didn't taste anything like the loose meat sandwiches in restaurants. I am from Muscatine, Iowa- the town where the most famous of loose meat sandwiches was invented. Rumor has it that the secret ingredient is root beer. I think I'll add some next time and see what happens.
These are so delicious and easy! I made them for a Roseanne Reboot Party and there was no left overs. I tried them with ground Turkey the second time for my son who was dieting. I was leary but the taste was phenomenal! You couldn’t even tell a difference! They’re a new favorite in our family. P.S. Here in Springfield, Illinois we call these Maid Rites not loose Meast.
Close to the end I added some flour to make a small amount of sauce with the meat. It was good!
I thought this was pretty good though my teenage boys and husband thought it was just alright. My husband put a bunch of ketchup on it and liked it better. Nice easy meal to make though.
Love it! I went to Maid Rite for the first time about 2 years ago and found this recipe shortly after. I tend to use about 2 medium white onions though.
Made exactly as written and my family devoured it! This is definitely going to be one a make time and time again.
Easy recipe....just takes a while to simmer down. I pair this with tater tots which I throw in the oven when I start the meat simmer. This gives me time to help the kids with their homework while everything is cooking. Goes great with spicy pickles!
Very good! I made it to the recipe the first time, next time I'm adding Jalapeños and serving it on hollowed sub rolls. I didn't expect it to be this good. Only change I made was low sodium beef broth.
