Iowa Style Maid-Rite Sandwiches Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the original Maid-Rite? ›

History. Fred Angell was a butcher in Muscatine, Iowa, who combined a special cut and grind of meat with a selected set of spices and created the Maid-Rite sandwich, which is not a traditional hamburger. Rather, it is called a "loose meat" sandwich.

Classic Iowa Pork Tenderloin Sandwich.

While both are made with seasoned ground beef, Sloppy Joes feature a rich tomato-based sauce. The meat mixture is slightly sweet and often enjoyed without additional toppings. Loose meat sandwiches like Maid Rites, on the other hand, have no sauce at all.

“The Loosemeat Sandwich of Iowa is technically not a burger. It does however exhibit many burger-like characteristics so we consider it a member of the hamburger 'family'. True to its name, the loose meat sandwich is basically an unformed hamburger.

There are a total of 20 maid-rite locations in United States as of April 26, 2023 The city with the most number of Maid-Rite locations in the United States is Davenport with 2 locations, which is 10% of all maid-rite locations in United States.

There's no question that Iowa is the birthplace of the loose-meat sandwich — that beefy, slow-cooked and wonderfully messy American comfort food served on a hamburger bun.

The Wichita, Kansas-based chain Nu Way Cafe serves a version of the tavern/loose meat sandwich called a "Nu Way". In Illinois, the sandwich is also known as a "loose hamburger sandwich". In Iowa, it is sometimes referred to as a Maid-Rite.

sloppy Joes. Some in southeastern and central Wisconsin call these "barbecue" sandwiches. For those who say Spanish hamburger, there's a good chance they grew up in the Fox Cities. Outside of Wisconsin, sloppy Joe is the dominant name.

1. Taverns = Sloppy Joe. What other Americans call a Sloppy Joe, South Dakotans call a tavern (or loosemeat). It's like a Sloppy Joe but without the tomato!

Iowa doesn't officially recognize a state food, yet we can likely agree that our most famous local food is the Iowa Chop.

What is Iowa's signature dish? ›

Iowa is known for Sour Cream Raisin Pie, Iowa Ham Balls, Scotcheroos, Maid Rite sandwiches, Steak de Burgo, taco pizza, snickers salad, and corn, lots of corn.

What's America's favorite sandwich? More cheese, please. Grilled cheese, according to the data which revealed that 79 percent of people either "like" or "somewhat like" the ooey-gooey sandwich. That's no surprise, given that it's one of the most classic comfort foods.

Manwich, slush burger, yum yums, dynamite, spoonburgers, tavern sandwich; a Sloppy Joe can be called by many other names. The most well-known however is Manwich.

If you're aiming to eat a lower-fat diet, then consider fixing yourself a sloppy jane. This variant on the sloppy joe swaps out regular ground beef for leaner beef. It also places a higher focus on vegetables and other low-calorie ingredients.

In Central PA, what we call a barbecue sandwich is what most of the rest of the world calls a sloppy joe. We don't mean to offend those of you who believe that “barbecue” can only mean a smoked meat, such as pork or beef brisket or ribs. It's just what we call it. We know it's weird and we don't care.

There are minor variations depending on the deli, but it is always a double-decker thin sliced rye bread sandwich made with one or more types of sliced deli meat, such as turkey, ham, pastrami, corned beef, roast beef, or sliced beef tongue, along with Swiss cheese, coleslaw, and Russian dressing.