I had never tasted a Maid-Rite sandwich until I married Heather, but she always talked about how much she misses them here in Nebraska.

The Maid-Rite was invented in Marshalltown, Iowa where Heather was born, but it is a regional sandwich (like Nebraska's Runza) with only a limited number of restaurants in the chain. There are some in Iowa, Illinois & Missouri, so try one out if you see one in your travels....you'll be glad you did, I think.

There are 'sloppy joes' 'loose meats' and 'taverns,' but those are usually tomato-based and bear little resemblance to the Maid-Rite in taste or texture. The original recipe is a trade secret, but a few years ago, Alton Brown of the Food Network took a motorcycle trip up the Great River Road where he fell in love with the Maid-Rite in Davenport, Iowa.....and then made it his mission to replicate the recipe.

There are lots of copycat recipes for them out there, but this recipe comes closest to replicating the original....accordi
ng to Heather's recollection. It's ultra simple in the number of ingredients, but it's the METHOD that's key to it's preparation, so follow it closely if you decide to try it.
ALTON BROWN'S MAID-RITES
Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 medium onion, very finely minced (This is important: a fine chop won't do & don't be tempted to use a food processor or you'll end up with a watery mess.
1 Tbsp. prepared mustard
1/2 cup water
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 tsp. Kosher salt
Instructions:
Place the beef and onion in a 4-quart saucepan over medium heat. Cook until the beef is completely cooked through but not browning, 8 to 9 minutes, constantly mashing the beef with a potato masher in order to break the chunks into the smallest possible pieces...it should look like coarse cornmeal. Add the remaining ingredients and continue to steam & simmer for another 15 minutes. Remove from the heat. Using a hand mixer, mix for another 2 to 3 minutes on high. Serve on hamburger buns with ketchup, mustard, cheese and dill pickle chips.