Maid-Rites are a popular Midwestern loose meat sandwich, and are full of savory goodness. This is my version!
It’s time for another edition of You Know You’re From the Midwest When… (check out editions one and two!)
You know you’re from the Midwest when you don’t say “Maid who??” when I tell you Maid-Rites were on the menu tonight!
Maid-Rite, a popular Midwestern restaurant, specializes in “loose meat” sandwiches, aka seasoned ground beef on a warm bun. I know. Sounds… crazy?! It is, a little, I suppose – but we totally dig them. And NO they’re not sloppy joe’s!
I had to laugh when Ben told me a story about a co-worker who was visiting from the east coast last month and was asking people where she should eat while in town. Someone suggested Maid-Rite and was trying to explain the sandwiches to her…
“So it’s a sloppy joe then…”
“No, there’s no sauce.”
“So it’s just meat?”
“Yeah, but it’s seasoned.”
“But it’s still just ground beef…”
“Right, but it’s really good. Just trust me!”
HA! I can totally hear this conversation in my brain… Anyway, my Mom has a super recipe for Maid-Rites (oh also, you can just call them “maid-rites” and everyone will know what you’re talking about) so I cooked some up for dinner!
Ingredients
- 1 lb 85/15 ground beef, could use 80/20 - just not super lean
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1/2 beef boullion cube
- 1/2 cup water
- pepper
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons steak sauce
- Buns
Directions
- Sauté beef and onions until cooked then drain and return to pan.
- Add the rest of the ingredients then simmer for 30 minutes and scoop onto buns.
Notes
- Serve like you would a burger - this is more akin to a burger than a sloppy joe.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
I always get my maid-rites with a squeeze of cold ketchup and salty pickles. Perfection I tell you. Totally a crowd pleaser too – everyone will love these.
Bring a taste of the Midwest to your home, won’t you?
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Fill in the blank “You know you’re from (fill in your city/state here) when…”
Alternatively, do you have any unique local or regional dishes?
Iowa, of course, is know for their corn and pigs. NOT POTATOES – that’s Idaho (I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten that!)
I’m from Sioux City, Iowa and my family got loosemeat sandwiches from Rie Dairy in Morningside.. They were soooo good.
I came by your recipe by accident, and I immediately flew to the comments because I knew there would be a lively, and hopefully amusing commentary on the ketchup~don’t be harsh about the mustard/ketchup thing.
Some Maid-Rites have refused to have ketchup on the table, but will bring a bottle out if asked for. Mustard and pickles with no ketchup, on Maid Rites, isn’t a made-up thing; it’s a long-standing tradition.
My guess, combining my love of food, food history, and family history is that Fred Angell, yes, the famous father of Maid Rite, since he was of full German ancestry on his mother’s side and partially German and early Pensylvania ancestry (maybe some Pennsylvania Dutch) on his Dad’s only found it natural to serve pickles and mustard, both beloved by Germans and a staple of thier cuisine.
The Iowa Pork Tenderloin is another German staple traditionally only served with mustard and pickle. Even basic potato salad, the yellow mayonaisse version hailing from Bavaria, has mustard and pickles in it.
Sorry if I got a little too passionate and long winded in my reply!
I eat mine with dill slices and mustard! Looking forward to this recipe!
A wonderful combo! Hope you enjoy, Ricki. :)
so…I just tried your recipe. it’s delicious, but something still off. can’t put my finger on it. I’ve tried many recipes. ty.
Because a real Maidrite is NOT made with Chinese ingredients (soy sauce). It was made with
Worcestershire sauce.
Iowa girl? Good. I’m gonna try your version. Never (yet) found a copycat recipe that satisfied like the original. From South Louisiana, married an Illinois farm boy in 1992. Maid-Rite was our weekly ritual.
Really appreciate this recipe. I’m originally from Rock Island IL and my family LIVED Maidrites. They just hit the spot with yellow mustard only. Today as a city slicker my tastes have definitely evolved but I will always love Maid rites!.
I have to laugh over the “to ketchup or not” conversation. Why can’t everyone enjoy them their way and leave it alone? Shaking my head! I am, however, going to try your recipe for my weekend company…feeding a crowd without too much fuss, I hope. Born and raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa about 6 blocks from a Maid-Rite, I’m excited! And I will offer ketchup for anyone who wishes LOL. Thanks for the recipe.
Agreed. ;) I hope you love these — with or without ketchup, Gayle! :)
Lovely taste reminiscent of home. Having grown up in Iowa we frequented Maid-Rite. This was a blast from the past.
Did use ground bison which is not gamey but is low in fat. Added some oil while browning. Also added garlic and onion powders.
Tastry
I’m so glad this recipe gave you a taste of home, Nysha! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!