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The most popular item on the Maid-Rite menu, these Loose Meat Sandwiches taste as good as the Iowa-famous diner classic. This easy ground beef recipe cooks in just 10 minutes!
Not quite as sloppy as a sloppy Joe, but still firmly in the category of “messy,” a Loose Meat Sandwich is the ultimate, all-American road food feast. If you’ve ever been lucky enough to try one at Tastee, Maid-Rite in Muscatine, Iowa, or even at Canteen Lunch in the Alley, you already know what all the fuss is about. If not, well then consider this recipe the next best thing.
Depending on where you are in the Midwest, the sandwich can be called a Nu-Way, Steamer, Big T, loose hamburger sandwich, tavern sandwich, or just a Maid Rite. Since the 1920s, it has been made with sautéed (sometimes steamed) ground beef and onions, served on a bun and dressed up with ketchup, mustard, and pickles.
If you love Sloppy Joes and hamburgers, then you need to add a tavern sandwich to your culinary bucket list.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
Ingredient notes
- Ground beef: I prefer a ground beef blend of 85% lean, 15% fat, for the best flavor.
- Onions: Yellow onions, white onions, or even shallots will do. I add them after the meat is cooked so they’re still a bit raw in the beef, just like a traditional Maid-Rite sandwich. Brown them in the skillet before browning the beef if you like them a little softer and milder in flavor.
- Hamburger buns: I love a good quality soft burger bun, toasted, buttered, and ready to go. But you can even make these slightly smaller soft dinner rolls for a buffet-style meal or a tailgate menu.
Step-by-step instructions
- In a large skillet, combine beef, water, mustard, and sugar. Simmer over medium heat until the beef is cooked through, about 5 minutes, breaking up clumps of meat with a spoon.
- Drain the fat if desired (I don’t, and it is closer to the original recipe if you don’t, but you can if you want). Stir in onion and season to taste with salt and pepper; I like 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper.
- Serve meat on buns with toppings on the side, such as ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, and pickles.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This Maid-Rite recipe makes 4 delightfully sloppy sandwiches.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Make ahead: Feel free to make the meat up to 3 days in advance, then store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. Reheat on the stove or in the microwave until warm, then pile inside hamburger buns.
- Freezer: Make the loose meat portion, then divvy it up in single-size or family-size servings in freezer-safe containers or zip-top bags. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, and reheat on the stove or in the microwave.
- Slow cooker: To make Loose Meat Sandwiches in a slow cooker, brown ground beef in a skillet, then add to a slow cooker. Add all remaining ingredients except buns to slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 2 to 3 hours. Serve in buns.
- Optional seasonings: Some cooks swear by a dash or two of Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce to amp up the flavor.
- Take your Maid-Rite over the top: Any burger toppings you like will be a hit atop a Loose Meat Sandwich, too. Try dill pickle slices, red onion, tomato slices, a splash of barbecue sauce, mayonnaise, ketchup, and/or mustard.
Best sides for Maid-Rites
Side Dish Recipes
Homemade French Fries
Salad Recipes
Broccoli Salad Recipe
Slow Cooker Recipes
Crockpot Baked Beans from Scratch
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Loose Meat Sandwich (Maid-Rite Copycat)
The most popular item on the Maid-Rite menu, these Loose Meat Sandwiches taste as good as the Iowa-famous diner classic. This easy ground beef recipe cooks in just 10 minutes!
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef (85/15 recommended, see note 1)
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup onion peeled and finely chopped, plus more for topping (see note 2)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 hamburger buns split, for serving
- Toppings such as ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, pickles, for serving
Instructions
- In a large skillet, combine beef, water, mustard, and sugar. Simmer over medium heat until the beef is cooked through, about 5 minutes, breaking up clumps of meat with a spoon.
- Drain the fat if desired (I don't, and it is closer to the original recipe if you don't, but you can if you want). Stir in onion and season to taste with salt and pepper (I like 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper).
- Serve meat on buns with toppings on the side such as ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, and pickles.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Ground beef: I prefer a ground beef blend of 85% lean, 15% fat, for the best flavor.
- Onions: Yellow onions, white onions, or even shallots will do. I add them after the meat is cooked so they’re still a bit raw in the beef, just like a traditional Maid-Rite sandwich. Brown them in the skillet before browning the beef if you like them a little softer and milder in flavor.
- Hamburger buns: I love a good quality soft burger bun, toasted, buttered, and ready to go. But you can even make these slightly smaller soft dinner rolls for a buffet-style meal or a tailgate menu.
- Yield: This Maid-Rite recipe makes 4 delightfully sloppy sandwiches.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Make ahead: Feel free to make the meat up to 3 days in advance, then store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. Reheat on the stove or in the microwave until warm, then pile inside hamburger buns.
- Freezer: Make the loose meat portion, then divvy it up in single-size or family-size servings in freezer-safe containers or zip-top bags. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, and reheat on the stove or in the microwave.
- Slow cooker: To make Loose Meat Sandwiches in a slow cooker, brown ground beef in a skillet, then add to a slow cooker. Add all remaining ingredients except buns to slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 2 to 3 hours. Serve in buns.
- Optional seasonings: Some cooks swear by a dash or two of Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce to amp up the flavor.
- Take your Maid-Rite over the top: Any burger toppings you like will be a hit atop a Loose Meat Sandwich, too. Try dill pickle slices, red onion, tomato slices, a splash of barbecue sauce, mayonnaise, ketchup, and/or mustard.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 sandwichCalories: 302kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 20gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 81mgSodium: 120mgPotassium: 335mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 25mgIron: 2mg
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This recipe is like the loose meat sandwich I got in Greenville, Ohio. Name of Restaurant, Maid Rite!
No ketchup!
Megan, you’re a doll, and I thank you for this recipe. I am a Central Illinois native, and these sandwiches were popular with the blue-collar crowd (like my father) as a kid. We’d eat them, and I’d usually wish we just went for an actual cheeseburger. I never understood the point of the loose meat, and saying “loose meat sandwich” made me want to go to confession or take a shower — not sure which. Why does the meat have to be loose? Why not an actual burger? It’s a mystery to this kid from Peoria. Anyway, when nostalgia hits me for those awkward days with Dad at his favorite lunch counter, the Maid-Rite, I’ll whip this recipe up, and toss a slice of American cheese on top, because it holds those ridiculous delicious and pointless crumbles together. Thank you.
Bon appetit!
Hi Jack, you really cracked me up. I think in older versions of this post, I mentioned my aversion to the term “loose meat sandwich.” But I looked and I didn’t see it there anymore, probably because so many readers complain about story-telling on food blogs. In any case, I know! Confession or shower, LOL. I first learned about loose meat sandwiches from my sister-in-law’s mother and I was just like… what is happening here? Is this food? What in the world? You take care, enjoy Illinois! -Meggan
I only read the recipe, but I tend to disagree with part of the recipe. While I believe yours is tasty, I have eaten Maid-Rites all of my life. I even helped make them when my daughter worked at a Maid-Rite. The key to a Maid-Rite is low and slow with consistent stirring until a fairly large amount of water is mostly cooked away. This is what helps to insure tender, flavorful meat. Also, no spices are added. It is served with minced onions and mustard.
Note: It is rumored that the original Maid-Rites were made with root beer. I have not found this to be factual however.
The whole family loved it. Will make over and over. Just like the real thing back home!
Perfect! Thanks for the recipe!!
A true Maid Rite would not have Onions that size. More like onion Juice. No mustard in meat.. True is Salt, Pepper, onion juice and hamburger meat. Maybe some pickle juice
Interesting. What can go wrong?
I am another misplaced from Iowa person. Loved these growing up and my mom made them at home. We would ad a slice of American cheese when it was hot and it melted a little into the meat (made it not quite as messy). You just brought up great memories by posting this recipe! THANKS!
I love this recipe! But instead of water I use pickle juice! It really ads a ton of flavor 😋
This looks amazing. Im on a low salt diet so how could I lower the sodium in the recipe?
Hi Kim, I changed the recipe to take the added salt out (basically just suggesting that people add salt and pepper to taste rather than dictating how the recipe is seasoned). I think that’s how it should be anyway. So, that will help you control the sodium a little better (the sodium in the nutrition label now shows how much sodium there is in the recipe without any added salt or pepper). The other biggest factor in the sodium here is the rolls that you eat the meat on. If you choose a low-sodium option, that will cut out a lot more (about 10% maybe, but it depends on which one you choose so I can’t say for sure). Those are my recommendations (although I should point out I’m not a registered dietician). If you have any other questions please let me know! Thanks. -Meggan