Tavern sandwiches may include slices of Swiss cheese.
A tavern sandwich, also known as a loose burger or loose meat sandwich, is a combination of ground beef and onion served on a bun with pickles, mustard, and ketchup. It was originally developed for sale at a restaurant in Iowa in the 1920s. A defining characteristic of the tavern sandwich is the way the meat is ground to uniform, little grains that stick together when placed inside a bun. . Many home recipes attempt to mimic the dinner version of the sandwich, and nostalgic cooks actively reject the use of low-fat or inauthentic ingredients. Other recipes attempt to elevate the tavern sandwich by using expensive ingredients or more elaborate cooking methods.
A tavern sandwich can be seasoned with vinegar.
The basis of a tavern sandwich is minced meat. The original sandwich had the meat ground and cooked so it could be loaded into rolls with a scoop of ice cream. The actual method of how the meat was ground is not known, but the original cooking method began by browning the ground meat in lard with chopped onions. After cooking the meat and onions, water was added to the pot until it barely covered the meat, after which it was left to boil until the water ran out. The meat, now very moist, was seasoned with salt, pepper, and vinegar to give it a different flavor than a regular hamburger.
The roll used is a Kaiser roll cut in half. The authentic preparation has the roll steamed until hot and quite pliable. Updated versions of the tavern sandwich have the bread baked or even fried in butter to create a crispy surface for the meat to sit on. Each side of the inside of the roll is smeared with yellow mustard and then ketchup. Slices of pickled dill are placed on bread and occasionally a slice of Swiss cheese.
The meat is then gathered into a scoop of ice cream and placed inside the steamed bun. The top of the roll is then pressed down, wrapping much of the meat in the center so it can be eaten without much of a mess. Home cooks and other restaurants often modify the original tavern sandwich recipe by adding other condiments such as mayonnaise or horseradish. Non-traditional recipes also sometimes use Dijon or stone-ground mustard instead of yellow mustard, or substitute vinegar for salad dressing.