Loose Meat Sandwiches (also known as Maid-Rites, after the restaurant chain that made them popular) are a delicious treat from the American Midwest. They’re like a Sloppy Joe without the sauce, and they’re one of the easiest sandwiches in the world to make.
In fact, they’re so easy to make that I won’t even bother making a traditional numbered list for the steps:
Ingredients:
1-2 lbs. ground beef
1 small to medium onion, chopped
1 can Campbell’s Chicken Gumbo soup
Pickle chips (optional)
Bread
Hardware:
1 knife (to cut the onion)
1 large skillet
Simply brown the ground beef with the chopped onion, then drain off the excess fat. Return the skillet to the burner and add the can of soup (DO NOT ADD WATER!). Stir well and simmer over medium-low heat for 5-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Place heaping amounts of the meat mixture on the bread and top with pickle chips.
CONSIDERATIONS:
Meat: This sandwich became popular due to the high-quality meat available almost anywhere in the Midwest. While your average grocery store ground beef will do, for best results try it with ground sirloin from a quality butcher. The difference will be amazing!
Sauce: The meat should be dry in appearance, and not make the bread instantly soggy. If you pick up the sandwich and sauce gushes everywhere, you either added water to the mixture or haven’t cooked it long enough.
Bread: Loose Meat Sandwiches are traditionally served on regular hamburger buns, although almost any type of sandwich bread will do: Kaiser rolls, onion rolls, baguettes… even plain white bread. If you’re using plain old sandwich bread, you’ll find that it works better if the bread is toasted.
Scaling: It’s hard to say exactly how many sandwiches the above recipe will make, as it depends on how much meat the diners prefer, as well as what type of bread you’re using. You can scale this base recipe up as much as you want, however.