A Most Delicious Sloppy Joe Recipe

A classic Sloppy Joe recipe is just plain essential when you’re feeding a crowd of kids and teenagers. Or when you’re craving a little childhood comfort food. And, let’s face it, I haven’t met a man yet who didn’t love a delicious Sloppy Joe.

Perfect for Friday nights, when you’re feeding a crowd, or busy nights when you need something easy.

Sloppy Joe recipes, popularized in the early 20th century, were known by many different names and were featured in restaurants from the United States to Cuba and even China. With few exceptions, sloppy joes are essentially recipes with a base of “stewed meat.” The sauce and its seasonings, however, distinguishes one recipe from another, or one culture from another.

Here are a few examples of the different names sloppy joe “type” recipes have held in early 20th century American cookbooks: Toasted Deviled Hamburgers, Chopped Meat Sandwiches, Hamburg a la Creole, Beef Mironton, and Minced Beef Spanish Style. Sound familiar? I haven’t come across those names in my early cookbooks, although I’m still searching.

As to its origins, Marilyn Brown, Director of the Consumer Test Kitchen at Heinz in Pittsburgh, says their research at the Carnegie Library suggests that the sloppy joe recipe we know today began in a Sioux City, Iowa, cafe as a “loose meat sandwich” in 1930, the creation of a cook named Joe.

For my family, no matter what you call it, they love a uniquely seasoned Sloppy Joe. And this recipe is exactly that. It’s easy, can be substituted with ground turkey although I almost always use a lean ground beef, and features some unique ingredients that give this “stewed meat” a sauce with a twist of something unusual. Balsamic vinegar lends a touch of sweet and yet tart flavor that makes this recipe… a delicious Sloppy Joe.

A Most Delicious Sloppy Joe

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5 from 1 reviews

• Author: Stephanie Wilson

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Description

Perfect for Friday nights, when you’re feeding a crowd, or busy nights when you need something easy.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (white or cider vinegar works well too)
• pinch of cloves
• pinch of cayenne pepper (optional for added heat)
• 6 hamburger buns

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Instructions

In a large skillet combine the ground meat, celery, onion, and garlic. Cook over medium heat until the meat is thoroughly cooked. About 8-10 minutes. Drain any moisture.

Add remaining ingredients: brown sugar, salt, ketchup, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and vinegar. Stir to incorporate all the ingredients, using a spatula to break up any chunks of meat into smaller bite sizes. Add cloves, and cayenne pepper (optional) or freshly cracked black pepper.

Cover and simmer 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve in buns.