MADE RITE SANDWICH RECIPE RECIPES

It's been an Iowa tradition since 1926, and today this sandwich has a huge cult following. It's similar to a traditional hamburger, but the ground beef is not formed into a patty. Instead, the lightly seasoned meat lies uncompressed on a white bun, dressed with mustard, minced onion, and dill pickles. Since the meat is loose, the sandwich is always served with a spoon for scooping up the ground beef that will inevitably fall out. When this clone recipe for Maid-Rite was originally posted on our website several years ago, it elicited more e-mail than any recipe in the site's history. Numerous Midwesterners were keyboard-ready to insist that the clone was far from accurate without the inclusion of a few bizarre ingredients, the most common of which was Coca-Cola. One letter states: "You evidently have not ever had a Maid-Rite. The secret to the Maid-Rite is coke syrup. Without it you cannot come close to the taste." Another e-mail reads: "Having lived in the Midwest all of my life and knowing not only the owners of a Maid-Rite restaurant but also many people who worked there, I can tell you that one of the things you left out of your recipe is Coca-Cola. Not a lot, just enough to keep the meat moist." On the flip side, I received comments such as this one from an Iowa fan who lived near Don Taylor's original Maid-Rite franchise: "The secret to the best Maid-Rite is the whole beef. Don had a butcher shop in his basement where he cut and ground all his beef. Some people still swear they added seasoning, but that is just not true. Not even pepper." Back in my lab, no matter how hard I examined the meat in the original product—which was shipped to me in dry ice directly from Don Taylor's original store in Marshalltown, Iowa—I could not detect Coca-Cola. There's no sweetness to the meat at all, although the buns themselves seem to include some sugar. When the buns are chewed with the meat, the sandwich does taste mildly sweet. I finally decided that Coca-Cola syrup is not part of the recipe. If it is added to the meat in the Maid-Rite stores, it's an insignificant amount that does not have any noticeable effect on the flavor. Also, the texture is important, so adding plenty of liquid to the simmering meat is crucial. This clone recipe requires 1 cup of water in addition to 1/4 cup of beef broth. By simmering the ground beef in this liquid for a couple hours the meat will tenderize and become infused with a little flavor, just like the real thing. When the liquid is gone, form the ground beef into a 1/2 cup measuring scoop, dump it onto the bottom of a plain hamburger bun, then add your choice of mustard, onions, and pickles. Adding ketchup is up to you, although it's not an ingredient found in Maid-Rite stores. Many say that back in the early days "hobos" would swipe the ketchup and mix it with water to make tomato soup. Free ketchup was nixed from the restaurants way back then, and the custom has been in place ever since. Just think of all the famous sandwiches you can make at home. I've hacked the Popeye's Chicken Sandwich, McDonald's Big Mac, Chick-Fil-A Chicken Sandwich, and many more. See if I've duplicated your favorite here. Source: Top Secret Recipes Unlocked by Todd Wilbur.

Provided by Todd Wilbur

Total Time 25 minutes0S

Prep Time 12 minutes30S

Cook Time 12 minutes30S

• Ingredients

Nutrition Facts : Calories 265 calories

This is a very TASTY, JUICY, LOOSE MEAT sandwich filling. In reading thru this recipe you will notice the use of both fresh and dried onion.....please use the onion type specified in the recipe step you are on for maximum flavor. Although traditionally served on hamburger buns, this filling can be messy for young children trying to keep filling in. Try using hotdog rolls for the youngsters. Mustard & Onions are the seasonings of choice for this recipe. Added 11/12/2008 Maid Rite sandwiches are made across the country. One would think as a franchise all would be made and served the same way. This is not the case.... we have Maid Rites being served that are boiled or steamed, with water, chicken broth, beef broth, coke, or beer. There are those that add vinegar or sugar to the mix. Some top with mustard, onions, ketsup, and pickles......well, move over McDonalds! This is the way I made my Maid Rite sandwiches....faux or real....the name stands. As they say,,,variety is the spice of life. You can make changes to suite your tastes, share your changes here with me, I will try them all...unless we have some bazarre ingredients. Chocolate syrup will not intice me no matter how much I love chocolate.

Total Time 25 minutes

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Yield 6 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 9

• Ingredients

Nutrition Facts : Calories 264.6, FatContent 9.8, SaturatedFatContent 3.6, CholesterolContent 49.1, SodiumContent 636.7, CarbohydrateContent 21.9, FiberContent 1, SugarContent 3, ProteinContent 20.5