Dinner Tonight: The Blue Mill Tavern Loosemeat Sandwich

Tonights dinner came about because of my son's crazy TV viewing habits.  For some reason, he is a huge fan of the old Rosanne Show, which he found somehow on NetFlix.  On the show Rosanne and her sister start a Loosemeat restaurant called "The Lunch Box", where they serve only trays and trays of this midwest classic.​

The mixture of sugar, vinegar, and old fashioned yellow mustard caramelize once the water evaporates to leave a nice crust of flavor on the meat, and keeping it moist in the process.  Think sloppy-joe without the slop and you are on the right track with the mess this will make, but it is a great easy to make sandwich that would serve well on any pub menu.​

The Blue Mill Tavern Loosemeat Sandwich

YIELD

4-5 servings

TOTAL TIME

30 mins

INGREDIENTS

• • 1 lb of real good ground chuck or 1 lb ground beef round or 1 lb ground sirloin
  • 1 tablespoon fat like lard (if meat is round or sirloin) or 1 tablespoon Crisco (if meat is round or sirloin)
  • 2 teaspoons salt, just enough to lightly cover bottom of your skillet
  • 1 onion, chopped fine
  • 1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
  • 1 tablespoon vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • water, to cover
  • salt and pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

• 1. Get out a cast iron skillet-they are the best for loosemeats-or other kind if you have no iron skillet.
  2. Melt fat over medium heat and lightly salt bottom of skillet.
  3. Break ground beef up in skillet and start crumbling it with the back of a wooden spoon-this is very important-the meat must end up being cooked up into small crumbles.
  4. Add chopped onion while browning meat.
  5. Keep working with the back of spoon to break up meat.
  6. When meat is browned, drain off any fat and return meat to skillet.
  7. Add mustard, vinegar, sugar, and just enough water to barely cover meat in the pan.
  8. Cook, at a simmer, till water is all cooked out-between 15-20 minutes.
  9. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
  10. Heat your hamburger buns-they're traditionally steamed for loosemeats-I like mine toasted lightly-do it the way you like it.
  11. When buns are warm, put yellow mustard on them and add some dill pickle slices-I put on lots!