Made-Rite Madness

It started many moons ago - I developed a craving out of nowhere for a Made-Rite. This is a loose meat sandwich served on a hamburger bun with a spoon. Made-Rites are predominately in Iowa, which is where my father is from.

Problem #1 - I hadn't had a Made-Rite in probably ten years, probably more. Where this craving came from, I didn't know, but it wasn't letting up. Once I started making the Made-Rites, why this was a problem became apparent - I didn't really remember what they tasted like. All I could say was, "No, this isn't quite it." But I didn't have the foggiest what ingredient or flavor might be missing.

Problem #2 - of course the recipe would be secret. I fished around on the internet, found several people's guesses, and started there.

The following recipe is the latest incarnation. It already has its problems. Next round I will add back in some apple cider vinegar (previous attempts featured it too heavily, but it is definitely missed when not at all present). I am also really tempted to actually try steaming the meat, as suggested by many recipes. Usually I've taken the easy way and just cooked it in a nice big saucier like pan.

This recipe calls for two ingredients I never thought would cross my threshold - dried minced onions and Gravy Master. But both are very very necessary. I tried to do without - not worth it. Just make that trip down the grocery store spice aisle.

Made-Rites for six

2 lb lean ground meat
2 tbl vegetable oil
4 tbl minced onions
1 tbl Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tsp Gravy Master
2 tbl ketchup
2 tbl yellow mustard
2 tbl brown sugar
2 cups beef broth

Cook the meat in the oil, breaking it up very thoroughly. When it is mostly cooked through, add the rest of the ingredients, stir, then simmer uncovered for about ten minutes. Serve on buns with additional mustard and eat with spoons.

If you can handle waiting, the meat is definitely better the second day. It is fine to reheat in the microwave.