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!)
Bailey Symonds 02.07.2020
I stumbled upon this recipe a few years ago, and since this has become my go-to blog for anything I want to make. I come here first and if it’s not here, then I go to google. lolAnyways, this maid-rite recipe is amazing. We make it all the time. I literally crave it. It’s perfect, and hubby and kids make it their own with whatever topping they want to add. This is one recipe I’ll never change up.
Nancy Suddoth 10.10.2019
You know you are from Springfield, IL when you know what a horseshoe sandwich is! I love them! It starts with any kind of toast on the plate, then the most common meat is hamburger. You top that with loads of French fries and a good cheese sauce and that is a horseshoe! Half a portion is a pony shoe. There are even breakfast horseshoes! You can have a white or yellow cheese sauce, and use any kind of meat from shrimp to buffalo chicken to walleye! It is our signature sandwich and we are very proud of it!
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Kim 07.02.2019
Awesome Whole family loved!!! no multiple meals tonite
Catherine A Davis 05.09.2019
I am going to try this recipe. I grew up in the Quad Cities as well and I have lived in Tennessee for 40 years now. I miss the Maid-Rite and homemade root beer. I also miss Harris Pizza and Ma’s Diner where you could get the big as your head tenderloin sandwiches. I am hoping that this recipe is great.
Alec 04.13.2019
Every family does these a little different. Maid-Rite recipes are like the Gumbo of Iowa. You know you’re home when the Maid-Rite tastes just like the ones you grew up on.
Linda 11.25.2018
This is NOT the traditional maid rite recipe. As a 71 yr old Iowa native born in Shenandoah Iowa, This is ALL wrong.
Trisha Milligan 04.05.2018
I am from Preston,Maryland and my husband and I took a trip to Iowa for my family reunion the summer of 2017 and took him to the Maid-Rite in my home Toledo, Iowa where he had his first maid- rite loose meat sandwich. Every day that we were there we ate there at least once a day. Everytime I go back have to always stop to eat a Maid-Rite in my home town.
Joy 10.19.2017
Use chicken stock for more flavor.
Doris 07.06.2017
Thank you Kristin. I’qm from Cedar Rapids and enjoyed going to a Maid-rite restaurant as a kid. I live in California now and been here for quite awhile but never forgot those maid-rite sandwiches. Surprisingly no one seems to have heard of them so I wanted to make them but wasn’t sure what was different about them. I will make them now. Just finished reading about the Maid-rite. Very interesting.
Doris in Riverside
Scott Weaver 01.21.2017
Ketchup! Only condiments on a Maid-Rite should be dill pickle chips and mustard.
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Laura 01.31.2016
Maid-Rites and Millie’s (or Smitty’s) pork tenderloin sandwiches are two things I really miss about Iowa — you can’t get anything like them outside of the state. I am totally going to have to convince my bf to make these for dinner soon!
Mary Knight 11.30.2021
You must be from Des Moines! Living in AZ now, I miss a few things about Iowa..
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Laurie A. 11.10.2015
My dad grew up in Sioux City, Iowa and ate loose meat hamburgers at the local high school hangout called the Tavern near Central High School. It is said that the loosemeat originated there. This was in the late 40’s. They called them Tavern burgers. I have a recipe somewhere from there that is supposed to be a close approximation to the original Tavern burgers. I make loosemeat burgers all the time. My son likes them. My husband, not so much. My dad moved to California when he got stationed to the Marines in San Diego area and later to Los Angeles when he married my mom. My mom used to make loosemeat hamburgers for us when we were growing up and it was always a treat. We used to follow that dinner with popcorn from the Jolly Time Popcorn Factory, which is also in Sioux City. (FYI, SueBee Honey is based in Sioux City too). I think I’m gonna go home and make some loosemeat burgers tonight! =)
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Andy D. 08.07.2015
I just use hamburger and chicken broth, nothing else.
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ShaNae 02.18.2015
You know you’re from Utah when you ask for fry sauce in another state and they look at you like you’re from another planet. Ok, fine, bring me a side of mayo with ketchup I’ll make my own. Better yet, bring me some barbeque sauce with that mayo!
I will have to try these, they sound good.