You found it here first: Loose Meat Sandwiches by Rich

This great recipe was birthed by my husband Rich after visiting Philadelphia earlier in the summer, and making sloppy joes for dinner one night. I know, go figure! Sometimes our inspirations come from all kinds of places! :)

For the sandwiches you will need:

• 1 lb  ground beef
• 1 Tbs. oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 2 tsp. brown sugar
• salt & pepper
• 8 slices provolone cheese
• 4 hoagie rolls

Heat the oil in the skillet, add onions, and cook until just slightly browned. Now add garlic and chili powder, and cook for about 1 minute longer.

Add ground beef, salt, pepper, and brown sugar. Reduce the heat, and cook until the meat is done, about 4-5 minutes. Make sure to be breaking up the beef into tiny pieces.

To make these loose meat sandwiches truly exceptional, use bakery-fresh hoagies. The ones from the bread isle (in the bag) are too soft and will get soggy fast. Plus you really need that soft squishy inside, but nice, slightly crunchy crust to achieve the intended flavorful result. Both Safeway's and Fred Meyer's bakeries carry nice fresh rolls which are actually cheaper than a bag version!

We toasted our rolls in the oven, at 350F, for about 3-4 minutes. Next, slice the roll, put a couple of slices of provolone, and stuff with beef filling. This final step has to be done fairly fast, so that you get that wonderful beef-cheese meltiness going :).

What will you serve your sandwiches with? A side of steak fries? Wala Wala onion rings? A good crunchy pickle? Enjoy! And please let us know your feedback! :)