# 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:** 2
**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, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-loose-meat-sandwiches/461461/21 "2008-08-27T23:53:34Z")
[QUOTE=teela brown] Okay, tomorrow night it’s loose meat sandwiches at our place. [/QUOTE] Ours, too. I pulled the hamburger out of the freezer not 5 minutes ago. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2008, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-loose-meat-sandwiches/461461/22 "2008-08-28T00:12:59Z")
[QUOTE=devilsknew] 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. [/QUOTE] According to my lord and master, Alton Brown, so is the ground beef in the supermarket. It’s bits and corners of everything the butcher dealt with that day, from t-bones to tenderloins. It’s all skeletal meat, no entrails or organ bits, and actually quite high quality stuff, just all ground up. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2008, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-loose-meat-sandwiches/461461/23 "2008-08-28T00:16:47Z")
So…it’s like a hamburger, but for people too lazy to form it into a patty? 😕😛 ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2008, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-loose-meat-sandwiches/461461/24 "2008-08-28T00:24:38Z")
[QUOTE=bouv] So…it’s like a hamburger, but for people too lazy to form it into a patty? 😕😛 [/QUOTE] No, it’s ground beef with stuff in it not formed into a patty. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2008, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-loose-meat-sandwiches/461461/25 "2008-08-28T00:46:30Z")
I don’t think she invented the term but I first heard in on her sitcom where she worked in a diner that served loose meat sandwiches (I think it was owned by Martin Mull & Michael Des Barres, who played a gay couple). Alas, “loose meat” and “Roseanne” should never be in the same thought. ---
**Author:** ![SylverOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c0e974/32.png) [@SylverOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SylverOne)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2008, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-loose-meat-sandwiches/461461/26 "2008-08-28T00:48:04Z")
**Silenus** posted a recipe upthread which is pretty easy to follow and tweak with. Anyone got any other ingredient suggestions or is this the closest to the original? ---
**Author:** ![Spavined\_Gelding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@Spavined\_Gelding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spavined_Gelding)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2008, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-loose-meat-sandwiches/461461/27 "2008-08-28T02:44:05Z")
I came out here to Iowa as a 16 year old during the Eisenhower Administration and got a job as a counterman at a drug store/lunch counter. One of the first night at work an elderly gentleman (probably all of 60) came in and ordered a “steamed hamburger,” something I had never heard of – being a kid from Ohio. When I brought the old guy an ordinary hamburger he explained the concept of a steamed hamburger / Maid Rite / loose meat sandwich pretty forcefully and a full volume. The whole idea seems to be an Iowa thing that ties back to the original Maid Rite stores. Like others, the Loose Meat Sandwich was a new term to me when Roseann and her semi-goofy former husband started blathering about it. I also assume that it was a dodge to avoid infringing the Maid Rite brand name. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2008, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-loose-meat-sandwiches/461461/28 "2008-08-28T02:55:07Z")
[QUOTE=WhyNot] According to my lord and master, Alton Brown, so is the ground beef in the supermarket. It’s bits and corners of everything the butcher dealt with that day, from t-bones to tenderloins. It’s all skeletal meat, no entrails or organ bits, and actually quite high quality stuff, just all ground up. [/QUOTE] Yes, that’s true. But the key is the ratio of the whole cuts and the consistency of the product in “whole cow ground beef” as compared to typical, “trimming ground beef”. I gurantee it’s a whole different beast ---
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2008, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-loose-meat-sandwiches/461461/29 "2008-08-28T04:22:01Z")
I make Sloppy Janes. (I’m a girl, so…) I thought I’d invented this! It was a way to use ground beef that I’d cooked, but hadn’t made into chili, spaghetti, or casserole. Mine is extra lean ground beef or ground sirloin, onions, salt, freshly ground pepper, and garlic. White bun, toasted. I like mayonnaise and a slice of cheese… Wait. I only invented a loose meat cheeseburger. Next time, I’ll try the seasonings mentioned here, and do the mustard/ketchup/pickle bit. I’m drooling already. ---
**Author:** ![zagloba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/977dab/32.png) [@zagloba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zagloba)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2008, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-loose-meat-sandwiches/461461/30 "2008-08-28T04:57:18Z")
Loose Meat would have been a great name for the sequel to Free Willy [QUOTE=FriarTed] I don’t think she invented the term but I first heard in on her sitcom where she worked in a diner that served loose meat sandwiches (I think it was owned by Martin Mull & Michael Des Barres, who played a gay couple). Alas, “loose meat” and “Roseanne” should never be in the same thought. [/QUOTE] Roseanne and Jackie started the restaurant, with their mother kicking in the startup money. Mull’s character was Roseanne’s manager when she worked at Rodbel’s. I don’t remember how he came on board at the loose meat place. ---
**Author:** ![jali](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecae2f/32.png) [@jali](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jali)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2008, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-loose-meat-sandwiches/461461/31 "2008-08-28T12:22:02Z")
Wow! I go to Dallas in December and I’ll make it a point to find a “Maid-Rite”. ---
**Author:** ![fluiddruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2008, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-loose-meat-sandwiches/461461/32 "2008-08-28T13:17:49Z")
Just to clarify, since nobody’s posted explicitly, Maid-Rite is a regional fast food chain. They used to be extremely common but are now somewhat less common but still fairly prevalent in central Iowa. One of the ones closest to me is part of a gas station but mall stores are also common. They are widely considered to be old fashioned and tend to be frequented by older patrons, or more rural people. [Here is their website](http://www.maid-rite.com/). As you can see, there are no healthy or vegetarian or trendy options to be had; they’re a ‘traditional’ fast food franchise. [Here is their page about loose meat sandwiches.](http://www.maid-rite.com/aboutus/unique.shtml) **jali** , according to their website, there is only one location in Texas - Arlington, opening soon. It’s really an Iowa thing with a few in Nebraska and Illinois. ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2008, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-loose-meat-sandwiches/461461/33 "2008-08-28T13:19:41Z")
Mmmmmmm…I used to eat at MadeRite all the time when I was a little kid in the Quad Cities area. I could go for one right now… ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2008, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-loose-meat-sandwiches/461461/34 "2008-08-28T14:00:15Z")
[QUOTE=chacoguy420] 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: [/QUOTE] Meat on a Friday at a Catholic school?! :eek: ---
**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 28, 2008, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-loose-meat-sandwiches/461461/35 "2008-08-28T14:04:00Z")
Way back in the Dark Ages, there was a Maid-Rite at the end of our block in my hometown in SoCal. Better days. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2008, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-loose-meat-sandwiches/461461/36 "2008-08-28T14:10:41Z")
[QUOTE=devilsknew] [Good link](http://www.maidrite.com/about_maid-rite.html) for a view of the loosemeat sandwich. [/QUOTE] That looks like a pain to eat. Why bother with the bun? ---
**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 28, 2008, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-loose-meat-sandwiches/461461/37 "2008-08-28T14:51:47Z")
Gotta have your carbs, dude! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2008, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-loose-meat-sandwiches/461461/38 "2008-08-28T15:08:26Z")
I guess I’m missing something. In its simplest iteration it’s just plain ass crumbly cooked meat on a hunk of bread? ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2008, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-loose-meat-sandwiches/461461/39 "2008-08-28T15:25:36Z")
[QUOTE=teela brown] For some reason, this Iowa-born sandwich is intriguing me and I want to try making some at home. [/QUOTE] What makes you think it was born in Iowa? Loose-meat sandwiches, AKA Carlino burgers, were available in Punxsutawney PA for a million years. My dad ate them as a kid and he was born in 1938. Although the original Carlino’s Corner Lunch has long been gone and the owners in their graves, there are still a couple restaurants there serving Carlino-style hamburgers. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2008, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-loose-meat-sandwiches/461461/40 "2008-08-28T15:34:57Z")
The [Maid-Rite in Springfield, IL](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maid-Rite_Sandwich_Shop) was still open the last time I checked. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-loose-meat-sandwiches/461461.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-loose-meat-sandwiches/461461.md?page=3)