Loose Meat Sandwiches
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Packed with seasonings like brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic powder, and apple cider vinegar, these loose meat sandwiches with tender onion pieces are full of flavor and so easy to make for supper. Take them to the next level by serving them on Hawaiian sweet rolls.
Two things I love: economical ground beef recipes and easy weeknight suppers. Well, this easy loose meat sandwich recipe ticks both boxes! Also called a tavern sandwich, it’s a Midwestern specialty that originated at Maid-Rite in Iowa. They’re THE sandwich to try in Iowa (and the most popular item on the Maid-Rite menu), so today we’re making homemade loose meat sandwiches.
When I say this recipe is quick and easy, I mean it. All we have to do is cook the ground beef, onion, and seasonings in a large skillet until the meat is cooked and the sauce has thickened. They’ll be ready to serve in under 30 minutes.
Now, let’s take a moment to talk about the seasonings because they make ground beef so deliciously tasty and full of flavor. They include garlic powder, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, a combination of chicken and beef stock, seasoned salt, and pepper. As the sauce cooks down, all of these different flavors soak into the ground beef for the tastiest loose meat sandwiches ever!
Meat sandwiches are always a hit in my house if you love this one make sure you try Easy Sloppy Joes, Pimento Cheese Sandwich, Steak Sandwiches, Club Sandwich or Italian Beef Sandwiches
A lil’ housekeeping
Before we dive in, a couple of housekeeping notes. Firstly, it’s very important you use lean ground beef as you will regret using regular beef when you realize how greasy it makes these puppies in the end. Secondly, this recipe isn’t complete without a packet of Hawaiian sweet rolls. They’re the absolute perfect vessel for our loose meat sandwiches. Trust me, it is very important that you use Hawaiian sweet rolls for this. If you use a regular hamburger bun, it’s going to fall to pieces and be a big old mess. Plus it won’t have that flavor in the bun that these rolls have.
Keep reading for lots of topping and serving suggestions.
Recipe Ingredients
- Garlic powder
- Brown sugar
- Onion
- Worcestershire sauce
- Soy sauce
- LEAN ground beef
- Apple cider vinegar
- Seasoned salt
- Black pepper
- Chicken and beef bouillon cubes (or a cup of beef or chicken broth instead)
- Hawaiian sweet rolls
Helpful Kitchen Tools
How To Make Loose Meat Sandwiches
I know, my onions are not chopped fine but this is about as far as I get before my brain is ready to move on to the next step. Finely chopped is a relative phrase.
Then add onions and beef to a large skillet.
Pour in water or if you are using chicken broth and beef broth, pour that in here now.
Now start mixing up the ground beef with the water.
You’ll notice that with the added water the ground beef gets really, really fine. That is what we want.
This is how we make hot dog chili and it is perfect for this meat as well. You’re going to end up with very fine granules of tender beef and the water cooks out.
You want to put that over medium-high heat and cook it until the meat is done and there is no more pinkness.
It will get done pretty quickly in this case because all of that water is cooking it at the same time the heat is.
Now add everything else.
Return this to the stovetop and stir it really, really well.
Cook over medium to medium-high heat, stirring often until the liquid cooks down as pictured below. This part may take anywhere from ten to twenty minutes.
Just find something to read and hang out around the stove. Or even better, let your kids do this part while you go put your feet up.
This is our finished loose meat, all ready for sandwiches.
Assemble your loose meat sandwich
Using a slotted spoon, strain out some of the meat and press it into a pile on top of the center of a cut Hawaiian sweet roll.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Add the toppings of your choice (lots of options below). I’m opting for mustard…
But they also taste so good with pickles.
Then I say you should serve them with a side of potato chips.
Enjoy!
Storage
- If you happen to not eat all your meat, simply store it in the fridge for up to three days. Then when you would like some, heat it up in the microwave or add it to a skillet with a splash of water. This will warm it up and prevent the meat from burning.
- Go right ahead and freeze any of the ground beef you don’t eat right away. It will freeze for up to three months in the freezer. You can freeze the meat in a freezer bag or airtight container that is freezer-friendly.
Recipe Notes
- I have gotten away from using bouillion cubes to keep salt levels low and substituted them with beef and chicken broth. I find these give the meat even more flavor. But use whatever you feel comfortable with.
- Feel free to use yellow onion, white onion, or even green onion.
Recipe FAQs
What is a loose meat sandwich made of?
A loose meat sandwich or tavern sandwich includes seasoned ground beef sauteed with onions served on a bun and topped with condiments such as dill pickles, ketchup, mustard, and cheese.
What is a loose meat sandwich called?
A loose meat sandwich can be called a variety of names, depending on where in the Midwest you are. This includes the aforementioned tavern sandwich, a Maid-Rite after its birthplace, a Nu-Way, a Steamer, a Big T, or a loose hamburger sandwich.
Does this recipe double?
Grab a larger pan and go right ahead and double, triple, or even quadruple the recipe. This is a great ground beef recipe to serve up for birthday parties, family gatherings, and more.
What do you eat with loose meat sandwiches?
Okay, there are endless ways to serve your loose meat sandwich, so here are just some serving suggestions:
- These loose meat burgers are absolutely sublime when topped with ketchup, mustard, and pickles.
- But use your favorite condiment, whether that’s ketchup, barbecue sauce, hot sauce, or mayonnaise.
- My husband insists that purity is best and has them as they are, nothing added, just on the roll.
- Add your favorite burger toppings: red onion, tomato slices, lettuce, crispy bacon, and American cheese.
- Serve them as a main dish with a side, like mac and cheese, roasted sweet potato wedges, onion rings, or parmesan oven fries.
- Add a side salad. They’d also taste great with my burger slaw or coleslaw on the side.
Can I use ground turkey to replace ground beef?
If you want a leaner loose meat sandwich recipe, opt for ground chicken or turkey. It will of course change the flavor a bit, but it will still be just as delicious as the beef.
What is the difference between a loose meat sandwich and a sloppy joe?
The biggest difference between these two sandwiches is that the latter is known for its tomato-based sauce. Loose meat sandwiches are meat without sauce. But both recipes are just as messy as each other!
This loose meat sandwich recipe is one of those recipes you just have to try.
You may also enjoy these sensational sandwich recipes:
Ingredients
- 3 pounds lean ground beef
- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 whole onion, finely chopped
- 1.5 tsp seasoned salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 3 to 4 cups water eliminate this step if you are using broth
- 2 beef bouillon cubes or two cups of broth
- 2 chicken bouillon cubes or two cups of broth
Instructions
- Put beef and onion in a large skillet along with water. Chop up beef really really fine while bringing it to a low boil over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring and chopping often, until no longer pink.3 pounds lean ground beef, 3 to 4 cups water, 1 whole onion, finely chopped
- Add everything else and continue lightly boiling, stirring often, until water is cooked down and the ground beef mixture gets thick.2 tablespoons cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1.5 tsp seasoned salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 2 beef bouillon cubes, 2 chicken bouillon cubes
- Strain beef out and press small mounds of beef onto cut Hawaiian sweet rolls. Top with your choice of condiments. Mustard is highly recommended.
Notes
Nutrition
So glad to see ya introducing these to folks who haven’t been to the Midwest. When I was a little kid in the 60’s we would drive (five kids in the car) from California to Iowa and we looked forward to getting to my aunt’s place so we could all hit Maid-Rite.
Christy, your next stop might need to be in Nebraska for Runzas. Sandwich involving cabbage, onions and ground beef. There’s a fast food place selling them there. Regional food!
Our country is so homogenized now that it feels special when ya run into a regional food!
~GULP~ That sandwich sounds like heaven to me! I’m going to have to look it up next! And you are so right, I’d have to stop once (or thirty times) to get one if I was in the area.
So happy to have a recipe to try for these sandwiches! I enjoyed Maid Rite when I lived in Iowa and Runza when I lived in Omaha! Now, I live in Illinois, so I only get them when I visit! I look forward to seeing how these compare!
Dear Jordan,
Reading your post today made my heart happy. I received the best laughter reading all the reactions from your family on to your relatives and then to your friends!
There is a big difference between Maidrite and Alley Canteen. (Roseanne Barr did experience the Alley Canteen and did try to duplicate it.)
Some People ( I have been told) that have moved from Ottumwa have called and had the Canteen frozen and flown to them.
Truly enjoyed reading all the Postings for your Loose Meat Sandwich Recipe.
I have a recipe for Runza. I will e-mail it to you. Bye For Now.
First time I had these was in a town in Iowa. I asked where I could get some lunch and was directed to a cafe that sold loose meat sandwiches. If I remember correctly, the loose meat was pure ground beef. The “pan” for cooking was stainless steel about 12 inches deep and 4 feet long by about 12-18 inches wide. As the beef cooked, it was macerated by the fry cook using a large stainless turner, by hand, and gradually moved to one end of the pan for dishing out on a hamburger bun–I have seen white bead used as well. Served with onion and pickles. As the cooked meat was moved to one side, another 10 pounds plus of hamburger was deposited on the other end to start cooking. The pan was hot!
Wow! they have big cast iron pans kinda like that in Dollywood and everything they cook on them smells wonderful. I think I need a pan about that size. 🙂 I love it when the locals steer ya to their favorite places!
I used to live in Oskaloosa Iowa. We used to go to The Canteen in Ottumwa and watch the ladies make the loose meat.
How come none of you ever saw then add loaf bread to the meat to absorb grease/moisture? We preferred theirs over Maid-Rite. You couldn’t even tell bread was added to it and they were simply delicious!
We always signed the guest book.
I add Ritz crackers ground fine to my hamburger loose meat and it’s good flavor.
Grocery stores there made loose meat sandwiches and you could find bread lumps in it,Lol! I miss living and fishing in Iowa, plus morel mushroom hunting! We moved from there in 2012.
Some great tips and memories you shared. Thank you for commenting!
I think I read somewhere that Kyrstal and White Castle (Krystal cousin from up north) steam their burgers so I can see the similarity.
There are White Castles in Nashville but not in North Alabama, can you believe that?
This recipe sounds really good. I grew up near White Castle and really do not like them. For some reason they taste like ground liver (ick) to me) but these sound way better than the traditional (if there is such a thing) sloppy Joes either from scratch or that canned starter.
White Castle started in 1921 in Wichita, Kansas, and then branched out to Minneapolis. Later the headquarters was moved Columbus, Ohio.
Forgvie my laziness…what 1-3 ingredients could I pour into that meat to make some loose burgers?! =) Like isn’t there a marinade to do the work of all the other ingredients? My kids love “Sandwich Wednesdays”, but I am not prepaerd. Your pizza, meatball, and philly subs have worked out nicely though…
This seems like an awful lot, especially compared to my usual recipes, but it is really just “add this, dash of that, spoon of this” and it comes together. Much easier than the recipe looks so don’t let it fool ya :).
You can always make up your own version to suit your needs.
Christy, I am glad you figured this out! I can’t wait to try them. I also think they would make a great little fund raiser for the youth group at the church bazaar.
And I think you are absolutely brilliant and SO RIGHT!
Hey, so excited to try! My son doesn’t care for sloppy joe’s, so hopefully these will suit him! 🙂
I’m sorta bummed, though, as I was just in Iowa last Saturday, and saw a sign for a Made Rite and didn’t stop! Oh well, next time….
Thanks, Christy! Love following you!!
Hey Bobbie!!! Do you go there on a regular basis? I had never heard of Maid or Made Rite until I got that email last week but you know if I ever see one now I’m stopping 🙂
Thanks for being here, I sure do appreciate you!
Oddly enough, I recently researched this online. I found people get pretty opinionated on how they should be. I would tend to make the “purist ” version first and adjust according to my own preferences. I did read where ketchup is frowned upon. The instigation that made me curious about loose meat sandwiches came from Roseanne when she had a diner on her old show.