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!
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Maid-Rites
Description
Maid-Rites are a popular Midwestern loose meat sandwich, and they're full of savory goodness. This is my version!
Ingredients
- 1lb 85/15 ground beef (could use 80/20 - just not super lean)
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1/2 beef bullion 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.
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
SO easy, right?! 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?
~~~~~
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!)
Erin 11.01.2010
In Omaha/Lincoln/Fremont Nebraska, we know those sandwiches as Tastees!
Dana 11.01.2010
BOOK MARKING THIS PAGE!!! those fries look so good
Dana xo
Amanda (Eating Up) 11.01.2010
Weird! I’m from the Midwest (MO) and never heard of this sandwich! I feel cheated!
lauramich 11.02.2010
Yep, I’m in MO, too—I think that Maid-Rite is an Illinois/Iowa thing.
Julie 08.27.2012
There is a maidrite in West Plains and Rolla in MO
Ashley 11.01.2010
I grew up on Maid-Rites as my family is from the home town and my friend’s grandparents own the place! As un-healthy as the shakes are, I always have to add one in when I have a maid-rite :).
Jean 11.01.2010
Love the Maid-Rites! Very few of these located in MN, but I like to try and find one when I am passing through IA. Good stuff! And wow, those sweet potato fries look insane! I must make them. Thanks for the recipes!
Abby 11.01.2010
My first job when I was 15 was at a Maid Rite! The one in Valley Junction haha. I’m definitely going to have to try this recipe out sometime!
b 11.01.2010
I think maid-rites are an Iowa thing. In WI there is a sloppy-joe like thing they call bbq (just ground beef with a sauce, but different than sloppy joe sauce). I went to college in the MN and there was always a debate among the MN/WI/Ia contingency about hotdish vs casseroles and mint chocolate chip vs peppermint bonbon ice cream.
Love maid-rites!
Veruska 11.01.2010
Dear IGE,
I’m an afecionado of your blog, and whilst I’ve been checking it every day for a while now, I’ve decided to leave my comment only now, because I really liked how you pictured Midwest in this post (both in pixels and in words!). I am Italian, and after spending 4+ years in CT, I’ve recently relocated back to where I was born, between Milan and Switzerland (a place “surrounded” by lakes). Here, like everywhere in Italy, we have several typical local foods, but if I had to pick one, I’d say the king is risotto. Nevertheless, I am happy to share that we also have something which we call in our lingo “polenta e bruscitt’ which is very Iowan: that would be your “maid-rites” combined with polenta (corn flour) instead of bread. Something which is quintessentially Lombardy, though, is (still lingo): “cassoeula” = pork and cabbage. All these dishes have heavy Austrian/German influence, and more often than not, French-like names: that’s because all the Northern part of Italy, up to mid 19th century, was split between those two empires, before conquering independence. You know you’re from this part of Italy when you know how to cook the dishes I mentioned above to perfection (and can even pronounce their names in the local dialect)! Keep up the great work with your blog!
Lisa @bakebikeblog 11.01.2010
oh my – that dish looks tasty!! hehe and I had to giggle at you super large soy sauce bottle!!!
Jessica @ How Sweet It Is 11.01.2010
I’ve never even heard of maid rites!
susu henderson 11.01.2010
Being from Texas~ I have to go with beef brisket! It’s a winner all the way around! Also- Tex-Mex anything is always a smash hit- cause it’s the REAL DEAL! MMM salivating NOW :) Can’t wait to try your recipe–it would definitely be a hit in my house:)
Liz @ Blog is the New Black 11.01.2010
Wow, those look DELISH!!!! Boston is known for it’s clam chowdah and Boston Creme Pie!
Kristin 11.01.2010
You know you are from rural Iowa when a traffic jam is getting stuck behind farm equipment on the hyway.
Maid-rites are ok. I didn’t really grow up with them in SW Iowa so I know what they are but don’t seek them out. I really like the Pork Tenderloin the size of your head that local places serve though.
Kierstan at Life {and running} in Iowa 11.01.2010
:) Totally agree about the traffic! I live in SE Iowa and always wish I had a camera on me when I get stuck behind the tractors on my way to work.
Mary Engel 12.15.2012
OMG……I was born and raised in the Quad Cities, and I love their breaded tenderloins. Have lived in Texas for the past 30 years…….no sign of tenderloins here!
Laura OBrien 07.13.2013
OH you poor baby, I feel for ya girl. Being from Muscatine where Maid Rites started I live off of those tenderloins…they’re still soooooo good!
Leslie Rizzo 01.03.2014
I know your pain girl…when ever we’re back in the Quads…a trip to any Made Rite is a must…as is a visit to Sports Fans.
Pam 10.25.2019
I was born in Quincy, IL and Maid Rites were a MUST HAVE. We moved to Florida when I was 8 but visited Quincy often and had to get them three or more times even on a short visit. I took a friend from FL with me to Quincy and introduced him to Maid Rites. He asked the manager what kind Of meat was in it and he said “all cuts off beef” which made sense to me because they taste more like roast beef than hamburger. The meat is steamed with only salt and pepper. The original sandwich came with mustard, onion and pickle. I make them just that way at home. Maid Rites buns were always steamed. So I made my sandwich and wrapped each in waxed paper and heated them briefly in the microwave and they were as close as anyone can get to one right from the restaurant. At least the way they made them in Quincy.
Melanie 11.01.2010
I’m originally from Sioux City, and while we’ve heard of Maid-Rites, we have our own names for that type of sandwich! Tastee Inn-and-Out is the loose meat sandwich joint of our area (and also serves a-mazing onion chips and dip), so the seasoned loose meat sandwiches are generally called tastees or just loose meats! Also, we never say sloppy joes – we have taverns (which probably aren’t quite as saucy as sloppy joes). I *think* that name came from a long, long ago local restaurant called Yield Taverns. But, that is still what everyone calls them!
Side note is that my mom has great recipes for both, and when I was little and requesting what kind I wanted for dinner, I would specify either the “gray meat” or the “red meat” kind. Yuck!
Amber 11.02.2010
Melanie,
What about Miles Inn in Sioux City and their taverns? Delicious!!
David-Euge Hrdy 04.15.2020
I grew up in Sioux City. The Miles Inn has Charlie Boys (a little peppery but delicious with a frosty beer), Tastees were the standard, Maid Rites are good, and Taverns, which are more saucy with tomato base rather than mustard, were rumored from a place called Ye Ol’ Tavern. I just made them for my family today and they loved them.
Lauren 11.01.2010
You know you’re from PA when you say “PA”. I find that we are the only state that uses it’s abbreviation in conversation.
I love the idea of crispy sweet potato fries. What a fantastic looking meal.
Jen 11.01.2010
HAHA you’re right! I never really thought about that, but we do that, don’t we? LOL
Miranda 11.01.2010
I have never heard of those and I am from Kansas, must be an upper midwest thing. But I am totally going to make them, look delish and will be a kid pleaser I am sure!
Barbara 03.08.2014
I lived in iowa for almost all my life ,and I remember the maid rites , Always had them on suday night comming back from grandma’s But they were great Iam going to fix these and find out how good this recipe is.
Mary Louise 08.09.2015
We got Maid-Rites in Phoenix about 25 years ago and had one close to our house. Got them all the time till we moved further away. Think I’ll make them tonight even thought kids are long gone now. Delicious and easy.
Jessica F 11.01.2010
I’m from the mid-west and have never heard of maid-rites….strange… maybe it’s that I’m a city girl??
Sarah 11.01.2010
Cheesecurds and brats are big where I’m from! I’m from WI. I’ve never heard of maid-rites. They look delicious though!
Mellissa 11.01.2010
Growing up in Wisconsin cheese curds were always the big thing, it is amazing that in other parts of the country people have never heard of them!
Mara @ What's For Dinner? 11.01.2010
OMG MAID RITE!!!!!! I freaking LIVED on Maid Rites in college!! We had 2 near school and we’d go there for a “real” dinner… you just made my night!!!
Mary Engel 12.15.2012
Some of you Iowans may remember when Rosanne Barr (Arnold at the time) opened a loose meat restaurant in Eldon, Iowa. It didn’t last long, but it was good!
Virginia Reierson 02.21.2014
My husband and I lived in Iowa when he was in grad school at Iowa State and we used to stop at a little place between Ames and DesMoines for Maid Rites. We both loved them. I tried your recipe and we both enjoyed them very much. Thanks.