Homemade Gizmo's

I recently got an e-mail from a "Road Tips" reader (who asked me not to mention her name) who told me she used to work in the Carl's Gizmo stand at the Iowa State Fair a few years ago.  She said she found the "Road Tips" site doing a search for Carl's Gizmo on the Internet. 

The person who wrote me said that she used to work at the fair for Carl Cardamon at state fairs for a few years when she was in high school and during summer breaks from college. She said Carl was a great guy to work for, but she also said that for years she couldn't even stand to smell a Gizmo for months after working at the fair.

She said my recipe for a Gizmo that I wrote in this post was not accurate and gave me the one she uses at home that closely approximates the sandwich at the fair.  She said, "I don't know exactly what spices and herbs they put into the sauce, but I've just added Italian seasonings from Tone's Spices and it seems to be close."

Well, I have even better Italian seasoning from Urzi's Italian Market in St. Louis and I thought I'd give it a try.  I took her recipe and did some things similar and some things a little different.  They actually came out pretty well.

First of all, for the unintiated, a Gizmo is a hoagie-type sandwich that Carl Cardamon came up with a number of years ago.  Although most people credit Jennie DePhillips of Des Moines for coming up with the first "Guinea Grinder", as they were originally called, Cardamon took the recipe and made it better, in my opinion. 

It consists of equal amounts of ground beef and Italian sausage, topped with a seasoned tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese, then broiled for a few minutes in the oven.  Being that Jennie DePhillips copyrighted the "Guinea Grinder" name and sold them at a restaurant in Des Moines - and the fact that the term "Guinea" was becoming a disparaging term for Italian Americans - Carl renamed his sandwich the Gizmo.  He began to sell them at the Iowa State Fair in 1946.

Now, most people around the U.S. think of an Italian grinder as a sandwich that consists of salami, pepperoni, and other Italian cold cuts that is topped with lettuce, tomatoes and Italian dressing.  And that's correct.  But when you talk to people in Des Moines about a "grinder" they immediately think of the Gizmo, or a similar sandwich.

So basically, here's the recipe that I got - and tweaked - for homemade Carl's Gizmos.  Actually, it's pretty easy:

6 soft hoagie rolls (I got them from Hy-Vee in the bakery)

1 lb. ground beef - 85% lean

1 lb. ground Medium/Hot Italian Sausage (You can also substitute sweet Italian sausage.  The person who sent me the recipe says the "authentic" Gizmo uses sausage from Graziano's on the south side of Des Moines.  Click here to read about Graziano's.)

2 - 15 oz. cans of Contadina pizza sauce

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, or 12 slices mozzarella cheese

2 tablespoons fennel seeds

2 tablespoons Italian Seasoning (Urzi's Italian seasoning consists of dried onion, basil, marjoram, parsley, oregano and a little sage)

In a medium sauce pan, add the pizza sauce and Italian seasonings.  Heat at low temperature, stirring occasionally. 

In a large frying pan, heat to medium temperature and pour the fennel seeds in the pan allowing them to warm up.

When the fennel seeds are beginning to get pungent, place the Italian Sausage in with the fennel seeds and mix thoroughly.

Add a half to a full cup of water and the ground beef.  Mix thoroughly.  Cook until brown, then drain off excess water or grease in colander.  Return to pan and keep meat on low heat.  

Take the hoagie rolls and cut about 3/4 of the way through the bread length-wise.  Open the bread and place on a baking sheet.

Turn the oven on low broil and place the top rack about 1/3 above the bottom of the oven. 

Spoon the ground beef/Italian sausage onto the bread.  Top with a layer of seasoned sauce.  Place either shredded mozzarella or two slices of mozzarella on top of the sandwich.

It should look something like this when it's ready to go into the oven.  (Actually, I sort of screwed these up - you should place the meat, sauce and cheese over both sides of the bread.  I cut these a little too deep. You'll see why in a moment.)

Place the sandwiches in the oven and let broil until the cheese begins to caramelize on top - about 5 minutes.  Be careful not to overcook the cheese.

And here's what they looked like when I pulled them out.  As you see, I burned the bread a little bit.  But on subsequent Gizmo's that I made, I didn't make such a deep cut and sort of put the meat, sauce and cheese in the "pocket" of the sandwich.  Actually, the picture at the top of the post is what they should actually look like.

My wife and I like to add jalapenos to the sandwich.  I added jalapenos after broiling them, and she suggested the next time to add the jalapenos to the sandwich before broiling.  I tried that, adding the jalapenos to the sandwich before topping with cheese and it was very all right, but I liked it better adding them after broiling.  

If you don't or can't make six sandwiches right away, the extra meat and sauce will keep for four to six days when placed in containers in the refrigerator.  However, you can also make the sandwiches, but don't broil them.  You can wrap them individually in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag to freeze for later eating.  Just thaw in the refrigerator for 24 hours, and instead of broiling them in the oven, place them in the oven at 350 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes.  They aren't the same as doing them fresh, but for most people it works fine. 

You'll also probably find that you may need more mozzarella cheese and you will probably have some sauce left over.  You can use the sauce on grilled chicken, if you like, as well.   

The homemade Gizmo's were - in a word - killer.  These were about as close to the taste of getting a fresh Gizmo at the Iowa State Fair.  The combination of the flavors - and the Graziano's medium/hot sausage - was just outstanding.  

So, thanks for the heads up on the Gizmo recipe, "B.C."  I used to make them with the meat and the sauce combined.  They're much more close to the original Gizmo with this recipe.  But I have to suggest that if you can get your hands on some Urzi's Italian Seasoning, give that a try in the sauce.  It really helps it out.   

Comments

[DaVo]

As a 43 year old native of Des Moines and pretty much raised on Grinders I have to say Graziano's Sausage is what makes the sandwich. Their seasoning plays a big part in the taste of the sandwich. Without it, it will not be the same regardless of how it is prepared or seasoned.

[Conner_jr_71]

I will not go an Iowa State Fair without a Gizmo. I actually just had a pizza from a local joint that was a Grinder pizza, based off of the Gizmo. It's only available in August though, so I had to find the recipe to make it myself. I can't wait to try this! Thank you!

[Kerry Petersen]

NorthernLights Pizza sells "Grinder pizzas, Sandwiches and Cavatelli year round in Des Moines, Kansas City and many small towns in the midwest. YUM!

[Louis Dyer]

My wife makes her version of Guinea Grinders with 100% hot Italian sausage and fennel seeds to make for much hotter sandwich. After cooking it down and draining the fat, she dumps in some spaghetti sauce and Italian seasonings. She then lets that simmer for a while until thick like a Manwich. Next, she portions off what we'll eat that day and portion the rest into smaller freezer containers to be frozen for use later. I then slice the bread into a nice, deep pocket and spoon the meat/sauce mix into it. Last, we top it with either shredded or sliced mozzarella cheese. After that, we just warm the whole concoction in the microwave oven to melt the cheese and warm the bread. It makes for a warm and gooey sandwich.

Ginny always wrapped her sandwiches in foil and kept them in a steamer/warmer until sold at the Fair. I don't recall her ever using a broiler. I always thought her version was tastier than Campbell's version (too dry). I can't recall ever eating a Carl's version at the Fair or in a restaurant in DSM. I have a vague recollection they existed back in the 70s and 80s at the ISF, but that's it.