Loose Meat (Maid-Rite) Sandwiches

So, this is DEFINITELY not Cajun cooking.  Loose meat sandwiches, as made famous by the Maid-Rite chain and Roseanne,  are definitely a Midwest thing.  Pretty simple stuff:  seasoned ground beef, mustard, pickles, bun. Boom.  Tasty stuff.  Not a Sloppy Joe, since those have a tomato base sauce.
Earlier in the year we were considering making a loose meat sandwich as a monthly special at The Scoop.  We tested out a few different recipes but could never quite find one that wouldn’t reduce down too much over the course of the day & change the flavor or dry out.  However, we did REALLY like this recipe fresh from the pot.  The steak sauce and the brown sugar make a nice sauce that helps to bind the meat a little bit so it’s not super-loose, and there’s a good balance of spicy, sweet & acid.

INGREDIENTS: (Makes 4 servings)

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1/2 yellow onion, finely diced (or 1 Tbsp dried onions)
• 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
• 1 Tbsp steak sauce
• 1 Tbsp spicy mustard
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp cornstarch
• For Serving:  hamburger buns, mustard, dill pickles

DIRECTIONS:
Combine the meat and onion in the bottom of a large pot; cook over medium heat until browned.  Add the remaining ingredients & heat to boiling, then reduce heat to low and simmer until liquid has evaporated.  Typically takes about 30 minutes.
Warm the buns in the oven (or a toaster oven), then spoon on the meat, and add  the mustard & pickles.


NutriFacts (per sandwich):
Calories 463.9
  Total Fat 26.1 g
  Saturated Fat 9.9 g
  Polyunsaturated Fat 1.0 g
  Monounsaturated Fat 10.3 g
  Cholesterol 85.1 mg
  Sodium 1,040 mg
  Potassium 424.7 mg
  Total Carbohydrate 29.8 g
  Dietary Fiber 0.4 g
  Sugars 7.6 g
  Protein 25.1 g