Meet the Sloppy Otto, Sloppy Joe’s Tasty Cousin (and Your Soon-to-Be Favorite Sandwich)

Philly is renowned for its cheesesteak. Chicago is known for its Italian beef. (Fellow fans of The Bear get it.) New England is famous for its lobster rolls. And Iowa? It’s all about loose meat sandwiches.

As an Iowan, born, raised, and a resident for all but 2 years of my life, I grew up on my fair share of this unique style of sandwich. In fact, there was (and is!) an entire restaurant chain, Maid-Rite, that touts itself as “the home of the loose meat sandwich.” Their signature recipe involves sautéed or steamed diced and seasoned ground beef and onions, piled inside a hamburger bun, all garnished with ketchup, mustard, and pickles. 

The most popular loose meat sandwich of all is probably the Sloppy Joe, somewhat similar to a deconstructed burger. 

What is a Sloppy Joe Loose Meat Sandwich?

You might also know of this delicacy by its other monikers: slush burger, yum yums, wimpies, spoon burgers, tavern sandwiches, and more. One sandwich, countless nicknames.

No matter what you call this saucy, savory bite, it’s traditionally built on a hamburger bun, and made with ground beef (which is browned and broken down into small pieces, rather than formed into a patty) simmered in a sauce consisting of tomato sauce or ketchup, onions, spices and other accessories like mustard, Worcestershire sauce, molasses, garlic, or peppers.

That silly sloppy name? It’s a nod to how messy the sandwich can be to eat. The drippy sauce is what makes it different from the aforementioned Maid-Rite, and Joe has become such a fan favorite that the sandwich filling is now immortalized and available in those shelf-stable cans called “Manwich.”

Meet the Sloppy Otto, Sloppy Joe’s Tasty German Cousin

The Sloppy Joe has been remixed dozens of ways over the years, including as Sloppy Janes (essentially the same concept but with ground chicken or turkey replacing beef). Up until recently though, I’d yet to meet Joe’s cousin, Otto. As soon as I spotted this sandwich online, my Iowan heart (and stomach) fluttered.

As you might guess, Otto shares a lot of similarities with Joe. He’s stuffed with ground meat and is served on a bun. But this variation introduces a dose of German flair. That bun? It’s made of soft pretzel, which nods to the twisted snacks that fuel revelers at Oktoberfest each fall. Instead of beef, a Sloppy Otto recipe starts with crumbled spicy pork sausage, which is sautéed with onions, peppers, and no sauce. Instead, it gets a welcome dose of crunch and tang from my of our favorite fermented foods: sauerkraut. A slice of cheese is melted over the top to add creamy texture and buttery flavor.

While no one is quite sure when or where Otto was “born,” it’s highly unlikely that this sandwich has any direct ties to Germany. In fact, it’s believed to be a family heirloom recipe from the Midwest (perhaps among families with German roots) that’s been passed down for generations; most likely as a creative “mash-up” recipe of the Sloppy Joe and a Reuben.

How to Make a Sloppy Otto

This loose-meat sandwich riff is still flying relatively under the radar, but there appears to be an agreed upon recipe that a handful have shared online. I gave it a try in my own Iowa kitchen and can confirm that Otto is the man (sorry, Manwich), and will gladly be invited to my table moving forward.

Sloppy Otto Recipe

Serves 4.

Ingredients

• 4 burger-sized pretzel buns, split
• 8 ounces bulk spicy pork sausage
• ¾ cups sauerkraut, rinsed and well drained
• 1 medium green or yellow bell pepper, diced
• ½ medium onion, decided
• 4 slices provolone, mozzarella, or Swiss cheese

1. Preheat your oven to 350° F. If desired, add the split pretzel buns to a sheet pan, open side up, and allow them to toast as the oven heats up.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, cook the sausage, using a spatula to break it into crumbles, until no longer pink (about 5 minutes or so). Now is a good time to check in on those buns and remove them if they’re lightly toasted.
3. Drain off the fat from the pork, then add the sauerkraut, peppers and onion to the skillet. Stir frequently and cook for 7 to 9 minutes more, or until the peppers and onions have reached your desired level of tenderness.
4. Evenly distribute the pork filling onto the four bottom buns, add a slice of cheese on top of each, then place the top bun over the cheese. Bake for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Serve with a fresh cucumber salad to complete the loosely German-inspired meal.