Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Maid-Rites - an Iowa tradition



3 lbs ground beef
1 pkt onion soup mix
2 T Worcestershire sauce
1 T soy sauce
2 T pickle juice (or vinegar)
1 tsp dill weed
2 T brown sugar

Hamburger buns
Ketchup
Mustard
Pickles
Cheese slices (if desired)

Brown the ground beef and onion soup mix in a large pot, smashing with a potato masher so the meat is a fine texture. Drain the grease away and add the remaining seasonings. Bring to a simmer and serve on hamburger buns with your choice of condiments. This is an Iowa staple and it seems nobody outside of Iowa has ever heard of a Maid-rite. I've compared it to a sloppy joe without the slop. Okay, that's not true. These are FAR messier than a sloppy joe, but it's so good you won't care.They're easier than hamburgers and I believe much tastier.

You can also cook these in the crock pot. Combine all the ingredients and smash the meat up. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6-8. Use the potato masher to smash the meat into a fine texture as you cook it. Serve as above.