Perfect for loving moms with hectic weekends, the traditional Maid Rite sandwich can be as good as many popular weeknight recipes that are so easy to make. I’m pretty sure that you’re going to love this awesome loose meat sandwich recipe in the crock pot.
My Maid Rite sandwich recipe is, in fact, inexpensive, flavorful and sweet-tasting which your kids will definitely love to have for birthday parties and afternoon snacks. Not only that, this recipe can feed a lot of beef lovers in your family while making every weeknight meal pleasurable.
What’s a Maid Rite Sandwich?
Let me tell you what a Maid-Rite sandwich is and why it’s so popular among my kiddos. The classic Maid Rite refers to a sumptuous “loose meat” sandwich delight made with perfectly-seasoned ground beef served over a soft, roasted hamburger bun. Surprisingly, Maid Rite has become part of Iowa’s enriched traditions since 1926 and has been considered a well-known Midwest recipe inspiration for several years.
Do you know that I’m from Iowa and have never lived anywhere except for Iowa? I love Iowa since all of our immediate family lives here, so of course it would be hard to go anywhere else. And, if you’ve ever been to Iowa, you’re probably familiar with the Maid Rite sandwich, but you can’t get your hands on the coveted Maid Rite recipe. It’s like the secret recipe that will never be let out.
By the way, a Maid Rite sandwich should not be compared to “Sloppy Joe,” though both sandwiches are made from seasoned ground beef served on fluffy buns. This loose meat sandwich may appear drier than Sloppy Joe as the latter is made from the “formed” patty filled with tomato sauce and lots of cheese.
Stuffed over a warm tasty burger bun, The Maid Rite is the most delicious beef meat sandwich you can ever make in your kitchen without the fuss. The truth is, I didn’t appreciate the goodness of this recipe until I had done my first ever Maid Rite creation and turned everyone crazy for burgers! And, I think my own loose meat sandwich recipe even tastes better than the Iowa original, thanks to my precious crock pot for making this possible.
My durable crock pot does all the work for me, and this recipe only needs 10 minutes of prep time and four hours of cooking. And, the best part of this remarkable appliance, it makes all my favorite comfort food recipes taste so yummy!
I recently popped into our local Maid Rite to grab my fave ground beef sandwich, and found myself again, getting so excited to work on my own recipe. My crock pot Maid Rite begins with lean ground beef, slowly cooked in a great combination of beef seasoning, onions, sugar, vinegar, and chicken broth. What’s making this recipe so flavorful is the slow cooking process of my crock pot, deeply tenderizing the meat while infusing all the aromatic flavors of the broth into the meat. After a few hours, just scoop some of the mouth-watering ground beef filler onto the bun, and you can have that authentic Maid Rite sandwich ready to be served.
Remember that Maid Rite is a sandwich, and it needs some fresh toppings to complement the delectable beef flavors. Here are my topping suggestions that you may try:
- Red chili flakes (the real deal for spicy lovers)
- Cheddar cheese
- Chopped or diced onions
- Pickle relish
- Ketchup
- Mustard
Everyone, including me, is making their Maid Rite sandwich a bit different from the original look. I prefer to use dried minced onions or garlic flakes while others want to have barbecue sauce, melted cheese, and sour cream. I also realized that toppings were not enough to complete my ultimate loose meat sandwich experience, so I still added some of my favorite sides as listed below:
- Cheesy potatoes
- Mashed potatoes
- Sweet corn
- Coleslaw
- Garden salad or potato salad
- Mozzarella sticks
- French fries
Before I forget, you should realize that this Maid Rite sandwich recipe is suitable for a huge number of people, thus making this absolutely great for home parties without shelling out too much money. You’re going to love one of these, though, so pick it up now. You’ll thank me later.
Well, to be honest, I’ve tried replicating this famous Iowa meal favorite for years, and finally, I have created my very own Maid Rite sandwich recipe in the slow cooker! If you haven’t tried making this ground beef special, perhaps it’s about time to stop what you’re doing for the mean time and rush over to the kitchen to try this out!
Maid Rite Recipe in the Crock Pot
The Maid Rite sandwich recipe is an excellent family meal that’s easy to prepare using a reliable slow cooker. In this recipe, you can make eight servings, which seem more than enough to satisfy your beef cravings and feed the whole bunch of people at home.
Ingredients
2 pounds lean ground beef uncooked
1 cup warm water
3/4 T dried minced onion
1 1/2 T packed light brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon low sodium beef base (broth)
3/4 teaspoon low sodium chicken base (broth)
1 1/2 T apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 T Worcestershire sauce
3/4 T low sodium soy sauce
8 hamburger buns
Directions for Making this Fabulous Maid Rite Sandwich:
- Set your slow cooker to high cooking mode.
- Add your ground beef to the slow cooker, chop well.
- Add all other ingredients and stir to combine until the beef is completely covered and mixed in.
- Cover and cook on high for one hour.
- Uncover after 1 hour of cook time and break up meat to small pieces.
- Turn on low mode and then continue cooking on high (gradually increase the temperature) for 2 ½ – 3 hours with the lid off.
- Continue to stir occasionally and break up any chunks of beef.
- Serve a heaping spoonful on a warm bun and top with ketchup, pickles, mustard, and other burger toppings
- Combine the sandwich with your favorite side (pictured below my favorite cheesy potatoes)
Recipe notes:
When stirring the beef with the ingredients, make sure it’s thoroughly “mixed” to achieve consistency in taste.
Prior cooking of ground beef is not advisable as this would make it appear drier and rougher while cooking.
If bouillon powder is not available, you may use the cubes, but make sure to crush it well.
Beef tongue or beef heart can be combined to ground beef for added volume and texture.
This loose meat sandwich is an excellent freezer food that can be stored up to two months or longer. When reheating, don’t forget to put a little amount of water and stir in order to avoid getting the beef dried up.
What I didn’t expect is that the Maid Rite sandwich would become one of my most favorite slow cooker beef recipes that’s so easy to cook on every weeknight. Indeed, every beef fiber is so tender, made with flavorful ingredients that are easy to find at any local food shop. It feels like you’re enjoying that famous Iowa traditional specialty at home, but tastes even greater than its original hometown recipe.
Maid Rite Crock Pot Loose Meat Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 2 pounds lean ground beef uncooked
- 1 cup warm water
- 3/4 T dried minced onion
- 1 1/2 T packed light brown sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon low sodium beef base
- 3/4 teaspoon low sodium chicken base
- 1 1/2 T apple cider vinegar
- 1 1/2 T Worcestershire sauce
- 3/4 T low sodium soy sauce
- 8 hamburger buns
Instructions
- Set your slow cooker on high.
- Add your beef to the slow cooker, chop well.
- Add all other ingredients and stir to combine until beef is completely covered and mixed in.
- Cover and cook on high for one hour.
- Uncover after 1 hour of cook time and break up meat to small pieces.
- Turn on low and continue cooking on high for 2 ½ - 3 hours with the lid off
- Continue to stir occasionally and break up any chunks of beef.