Loose meat

[Illuminations_Rocks]

I use my pampered chef mix and chop! It chops up the meat realy fine as it cooks. I used it at one of my hosts party recently and I sold 11 of them!!!

I have this too and it really does work well at getting the meat very fine!

 

[Micca]

I grew up in Wichita, Ks where the loose meat sandwich is known as Nu-Way.
If you like burgers, there is really nothing gross about them at all. It is simply a juicy, flavorful hamburger crumbled up instead of in a patty. Nu-Way has several restaurants in Wichita and they've been in business forever(way before McDonalds). Don't let the "loose meat" term stop you from trying them, they're really tasty.

 

[AshleyW]

Mmm, I love a good maid rite. Definitely an Iowa thing!

 

[mum4jenn]

Is there a trick to crumble it up fine? My husband loves when he gets a taco from Taco Bell and how fine the meat is and always wants me to replicate it at home

As a side note though, these "loose meat" sandwiches sound fine to me. Just never made them.

Cook the meat with water to get it small. Drain the water off after it is done.

 

[ozarkmom]

The only time I've ever heard of loose meat was on Roseanne.

That's the only time I've heard it too.

 

[maslex]

I use my pampered chef mix and chop! It chops up the meat realy fine as it cooks. I used it at one of my hosts party recently and I sold 11 of them!!!

I do have the mix & chop and use it all the time (I do love that thing) BUT hubby still wants it even finer (think Taco Bell meat lol) I'll have to try the food processor or cooking it with water (how much water?)

 

[allyphoe]

Amount of water isn't really important. Even a half-cup or so works.

My spaghetti sauce calls for adding a cup of milk with the meat, and it makes the meat really tender and fine-grained.

 

[sunnyday123]

Just the words 'loose meat' makes me throw up a little in my mouth. Ack.

OMG me too. But then I have an aversion to ground meat, so I thought it was just me.

But then, we eat crabs here, and I usually get this reaction from people who don't live in coastal states.

 

[chamonix]

Roseanne DID open a "loose meat" restaurant.....in Iowa. She discovered Maid Rites when she was married to the guy from Iowa (forgot his name) and they would visit his hometown. She had to call them "loose meat" sandwiches because Maid Rite wouldn't allow her to use the brand name.

They are delicious, and so easy to make it's scary. I take a crockpot full to tailgates, etc and everyone loves them. I tried a bunch of recipes until I found the right one....the perfect one.....the one where the meat is tiny......here it is:

1 1/2 lbs ground beef
2 tbsp beef soup base (probably find it in a small jar, I use "Better than Bouillon" brand)
1 tsp ground pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1 1/2 cups water

Place ground beef in unheated 2 qt saucepan with lid. (I use a dutch oven) Add the seasonings and water. Mash with a hand potato masher until blended. (this looks kind of weird at first, don't stop! This is how you get the perfect tiny meat crumbles)

Over high heat, continue to mash/stir the mixture until it changes color
throughout which indicates the meat is fully cooked.

Cover and reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 20-25 minutes or until water has reduced. Removing the lid during last the few minutes helps to reduce the liquid.

Use slotted spoon to place mixture on buns. Add sliced pickles and mustard for a true Maid Rite sandwich. (we also love fresh diced onion on ours)

 

[chamonix]

Is there a trick to crumble it up fine? My husband loves when he gets a taco from Taco Bell and how fine the meat is and always wants me to replicate it at home

As a side note though, these "loose meat" sandwiches sound fine to me. Just never made them.

I'm sure the potato masher would work well for crumbling taco meat finely as well, though I've never tried it. I use the kind with holes, like this one....they are really cheap and you can find them everywhere.....

http://www.amazon.com/Best-Manufacturers-Waffle-Potato-Masher/dp/B000KI8E0K

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=14263225

 

[mum4jenn]

I do have the mix & chop and use it all the time (I do love that thing) BUT hubby still wants it even finer (think Taco Bell meat lol) I'll have to try the food processor or cooking it with water (how much water?)

The amount of water really depends on how much meat you have. You want enough to that the meat won't stick to the pan. You really want to think of it as almost boiling it but yet not quite...if that make sense!! At home if I am browning 1-2 pounds of beef I will use a drinking cup of water...maybe 2 cups or more. At work in the school lunchroom we would use 80-100 pounds of beef but 4-5 gallons of water.
It really helps break of the meat into small crumbs instead of the hunks you get without the water.

 

[Lauralee]

I'll have to try this recipe with beef soup base instead of the chicken broth some time. As far as getting the meat super fine, I've used a potato masher before and it works. But I don't want to scratch the bottom of my pan so I usually use a flat-ended wooden spoon. You will find that simmering the meat in the broth really loosens it up a lot. It's during the simmer when I get to work and break it up to a fine consistency.

The meat never gets a dark brown, "crusty" texture, like the outside of a home grilled burger. It stays very moist and tender.

The actor/comedian from Iowa who Roseanne married was Tom Arnold.

And if the term "loose-meat" makes you nauseous, call them beef burgers or tavern burgers.

 

[chamonix]

My potato masher is actually plastic, so it won't scrape your pan. I don't know where I got mine, it's ancient, lol! Lots of plastic ones out there, I've noticed.

I don't even use non-stick pans, so scraping a pan isn't a concern.

I think the chicken broth or the beef broth would work great, you're basically just adding salt with them. I'll have to try the chicken broth next time.

 

[kacaju]

I do have the mix & chop and use it all the time (I do love that thing) BUT hubby still wants it even finer (think Taco Bell meat lol) I'll have to try the food processor or cooking it with water (how much water?)

I am making sloppy Joe's tonight and tried the food processer to make the ground beef fine. I never tried cooking it in water, but I think the food processer is exactly what your dh is looking for. It took all of 30 seconds for the meat to be finely chopped..it does look like taco bell meat now!!