# Tell me about "loose meat" sandwiches **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 27, 2008, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-loose-meat-sandwiches/461461 "2008-08-27T19:52:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-loose-meat-sandwiches/461461/1 "2008-08-27T19:52:55Z")
For some reason, this Iowa-born sandwich is intriguing me and I want to try making some at home. I’m bored with hamburgers and want to have another option for using ground beef at dinner. Googling turns up a bunch of recipes, but I’m not sure which sounds authentic. How about it, Iowans (and other midwest Dopers)? What are the guidelines? For instance, should the mixture be wet and smooshy or dry and crumbly? Should it be well-seasoned or very plain? What do you serve with it? A little guidance would be very much appreciated. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-loose-meat-sandwiches/461461/2 "2008-08-27T20:03:41Z")
There are so many variations that you could spend years trying them all. The basic model I know is from the Made-Rite chain, which is browned hamburger with some chopped onion added. Drain, then add a little A-1 sauce, a little Worchestershire, salt and pepper to taste, and serve on hamburger buns. Should be drier rather than wetter. Dress with ketchup, mustard and pickle slices. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-loose-meat-sandwiches/461461/3 "2008-08-27T20:24:48Z")
I used to be a midwesterner and we would just buy the Manwich brand sloppy joe sauce but then again I’m lazy. I totally agree with dryer because if it is too wet then the buns get all soggy and disintegrate before you even finish the sandwich. ---
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-loose-meat-sandwiches/461461/4 "2008-08-27T20:50:31Z")
Here’s how my old Catholic school made burger last five days. MON-Hamburgers, TUE- Loose meat sandwiches, WED-Bar,B,Q Sandwiches, THR-Sloppy Joe’s, FRI Goulash Suffering is GOOD for you! :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-loose-meat-sandwiches/461461/5 "2008-08-27T21:00:27Z")
> [@Tahssa](#): > > I used to be a midwesterner and we would just buy the Manwich brand sloppy joe sauce but then again I’m lazy. Mmm, sloppy joes. I haven’t had one in decades but used to love them as a kid. But a [sloppy joe](http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sloppy%20joe) is defined by its sauce, whereas an Iowa [loosemeat sandwich](http://www.maid-rite.com/aboutus/unique.shtml) has none. ---
**Author:** ![photopat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e95f7d/32.png) [@photopat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/photopat)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-loose-meat-sandwiches/461461/6 "2008-08-27T21:25:19Z")
Yeah, a Maid-Rite™ is definitely not a sloppy joe. They’re good sandwiches and I hate that term “loose meat” but I understand why it’s used (Damn you Roseanne!) ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-loose-meat-sandwiches/461461/7 "2008-08-27T21:33:39Z")
Thanks for clearing that I always thought they were the same but then I’ve never been to Iowa and since the OP was asking for Iowans specifically I probably should have kept my yapper shut. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-loose-meat-sandwiches/461461/8 "2008-08-27T21:38:25Z")
My people make them with Campbell’s chicken gumbo soup. It sounds odd, but they’re quite tasty. One and a half to two pounds of hamburger, browned, add the soup (no water), and stir it up. The soup helps the meat hold together. A friend had a restaurant and served an excellent beefburger (that’s another word for it). She refused to give me the recipe. When she sold the restaurant, I asked her again. She still wouldn’t give it to me. (Bitch.) She said it was too complicated to scale down for home use. Some of the ingredients – chicken stock, eggs, and baking powder (!). Mom made hers with hamburger meat and chili beans. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-loose-meat-sandwiches/461461/9 "2008-08-27T21:39:46Z")
[QUOTE=photopat] Yeah, a Maid-Rite™ is definitely not a sloppy joe. They’re good sandwiches and I hate that term “loose meat” but I understand why it’s used (Damn you Roseanne!) [/QUOTE] You mean she invented the term “loose meat”? I thought that was the proper nomenclature, but then again, I was born and raised in California. I never heard of the term “Maid-Rite” until today. ---
**Author:** ![3acresandatruck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/e79b87/32.png) [@3acresandatruck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3acresandatruck)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-loose-meat-sandwiches/461461/10 "2008-08-27T21:55:43Z")
While people are certainly correct that wetter is sloppier and sometimes melts the bun before you’re done, it’s a risk worth taking. Eat faster! Eat more!! And they’re all good. I’ll have to try **AuntiePam** ’s gumbo-soup recipe; that’s a new one for me. But in the end, wet or dry, spicy or mild, on bread or on buns or on rolls, with or without condiments added to the sandwich…my response is “Yes, please!” ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-loose-meat-sandwiches/461461/11 "2008-08-27T22:01:47Z")
[QUOTE=teela brown] You mean she invented the term “loose meat”? I thought that was the proper nomenclature, but then again, I was born and raised in California. I never heard of the term “Maid-Rite” until today. [/QUOTE] I think so. I grew up with maid-rites and never heard the term “loose meat” until Roseanne. I figure she used it because of copyright issues. We called them maid-rites, no matter where we bought them. The Maid-Rite chain was dead when I moved back here in 1990, and people were calling them beefburgers. What I’d like to find is the recipe for the meat sauce that the local tavern used for their coneys. The sauce tasted like mustard but it was a brown sauce, very spicy and tart. **3acresandatruck** , enjoy! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-loose-meat-sandwiches/461461/12 "2008-08-27T22:08:33Z")
[QUOTE=AuntiePam] What I’d like to find is the recipe for the meat sauce that the local tavern used for their coneys. The sauce tasted like mustard but it was a brown sauce, very spicy and tart. [/QUOTE] Maybe something like this? CONEY ISLAND SAUCE 3 lb. hamburger meat 1/2 tsp. garlic juice 1 1/2 tbsp. dry mustard 1 1/2 tsp. oregano 2 tbsp. paprika 1/2 c. ketchup 1/2 c. water 2 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. black pepper 1 tsp. sweet basil ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-loose-meat-sandwiches/461461/13 "2008-08-27T22:21:43Z")
That just might be it! Or very close. If I hadn’t just got back from the store, I’d be cooking it up tonight. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-loose-meat-sandwiches/461461/14 "2008-08-27T22:47:28Z")
“Loose meat” was used as a term for the sandwich as early as 1951. It was also referred to(in Sioux City and other places) as a “tavern.” So, Roseanne certainly didn’t originate the name. And a feature to the hamburger was that it was steamed(or boiled), not fried. But most folks in those early days just called it a maidrite. ---
**Author:** ![photopat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e95f7d/32.png) [@photopat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/photopat)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-loose-meat-sandwiches/461461/15 "2008-08-27T23:05:54Z")
[QUOTE=samclem] “Loose meat” was used as a term for the sandwich as early as 1951. It was also referred to(in Sioux City and other places) as a “tavern.” So, Roseanne certainly didn’t originate the name. And a feature to the hamburger was that it was steamed(or boiled), not fried. But most folks in those early days just called it a maidrite. [/QUOTE] I’d also never heard “loose meat” until Roseanne so I figured they came up with the name. We always called them Maid rites too, wherever they came from. IMO, “loose meat” sounds like a bowel problem. ---
**Author:** ![Superfreaknduper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Superfreaknduper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superfreaknduper)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-loose-meat-sandwiches/461461/16 "2008-08-27T23:11:27Z")
So I’m confused, is it the same as a sloppy joe with just less sauce? Or the same as a hamburger if you just took ground beef and mixed in one or two things? I’m so confused! 😕 ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-loose-meat-sandwiches/461461/17 "2008-08-27T23:15:48Z")
From watching a special on the Taylor maidrite sandwich I have gleaned some important information about the sandwich… First, the burger is ground fresh on the premises from whole beef quarters front and rear, which means the hamburger meat is different than any ground beef you might get in the store. It is leaner and contains all the cuts and primals of the beef. It is “whole cow sausage”, so to speak which is absolutely unavailable in stores as far as I know. I’m thinking ground sirloin might make a passable substitute. The loosemeat is cooked in a special massive “cooker”, it’s the original one from the twenties when the restaurant first opened. There is nothing added to the beef, not even salt and pepper. Each bun contains 1/3 pound of the loosemeat and it is served with a spoon for the overflow. To answer your question, the meat appear rather coarse ground and is loose and crumbly, not wet at all. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-loose-meat-sandwiches/461461/18 "2008-08-27T23:23:24Z")
I usually make these sandwiches from left-over hamburger that has been browned. Just take the meat from the fridge, heat until very warm, and pile on a bun with ketchup and mustard. No add-ins at all, usually. Maybe a bit of onion. Freshly cooked hamburger just isn’t quite right for this sandwich. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-loose-meat-sandwiches/461461/19 "2008-08-27T23:26:45Z")
[Good link](http://www.maidrite.com/about_maid-rite.html) for a view of the loosemeat sandwich. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-loose-meat-sandwiches/461461/20 "2008-08-27T23:40:16Z")
[QUOTE=devilsknew] [Good link](http://www.maidrite.com/about_maid-rite.html) for a view of the loosemeat sandwich. [/QUOTE] Aha! That’s a good visual of the texture I’ll be aiming for. Dry, but not dirt dry. Okay, tomorrow night it’s loose meat sandwiches at our place. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-loose-meat-sandwiches/461461.md?page=2)