Yummy and EASY Sloppy Joes
ByCall me weird, but I’ve about decided that Sloppy Joes are one of my favorite things to eat. I know…it’s just this spoonful of messy meat on a bun…but I love it.
They are just so simple to make and easy to eat, and they have such good flavor. I love making them for lunch. They freeze well. They reheat easily. Ah, Sloppy Joes…what’s not to love?
Sloppy Joes
2 lbs ground meat (beef, turkey, venison or lamb)
2 T. minced onion
1 cup ketchup (I’m experimenting with making my own ketchup, but in the meantime I love this brand.)
1 teaspoon mustard
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 Tablespoon worchestershire sauce
sea salt to taste
Brown meat and onion together. Add remaining ingredients, stirring well. Allow mixture to simmer in the skillet for a few minutes.
We love Sloppy Joes served on these homemade buns. Shucks, I like them without a bun. Sloppy Joe in a bowl! Yum!
Okay, question…
Just about everytime I serve Sloppy Joes, my kids ask me why they are called sloppy joes. Who was this Joe character? Was he a sloppy kind of a guy?
Anybody know the reason behind the name of this dish? Even if you don’t…do you feel like making something up? Anything’s better than what I’ve got (which is “I dunno.”).
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This post is linked to Frugal Fridays.
Couldn’t resist researching this one. The Original Sloppy Joe Sandwich was invented at Sloppy Joe’s Bar in Key West. The bar opened the very day that Prohibition was repealed, and it was a favorite of Hemingway.
I personally think that the first person to make one was named Joe, and the sloppy part pretty much explains itself!
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Here in Australia a Sloppy Joe is like a tracksuit top. Also called a jumper or a pullover. Usually worn for doing gardening or some other dirty work.
I’ve wondered for years why Americans eat pullovers.
But now I know what Sloppy Joe food is, I think my tribe would love it! (After I explained to them that we are NOT eating their old jumpers.)
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thank you so much for this recipe. have been looking for a good one for s.j.’s. and i KNOW yours will be good.
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To go along with Catherine, in South Dakota where I grew up they are known as taverns, and in Iowa where my mom’s family is from they are called maid-rites. I also remember someone calling them loose meats too, but I don’t remember where we were living then. Strange how a sandwich can go by so many names…
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We love sloppy joes at our house! They are so tasty and so easy. Here in PA I have heard them called sloppy joes, steamers and also beef barbecue. Maybe we’ll try your recipe tonight. Thanks.
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The buns in the pic look great! any chance I could get your recipe? I’ve been trying to find something good for sandwiches.
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Laura Reply:
September 18th, 2009 at 11:51 am
Here’s the link to the bun recipe!
http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/whole-wheat-hamburger-buns
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Yum! That looks so so good.
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I am so glad you posted this recipe! Sloppy Joes are on the menu for next week!
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I grew up in Northeast Nebraska and we called them tavern as well. When I was in college and served them, no one knew that I was talking about. One of my friends from Southeast Nebraska calls them loose meat sandwiches. Some girls would put biscuits in a cupcake tin, add meat mixture and cheese and bake the popovers until brown. Yum!
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Too funny about the Aussie pullovers! =)
Would you believe I am in the process of cooking up 6# of sloppy joes for Sunday night’s college student supper?!
The recipe I usually make (vs. BBQ sauce in a bottle) is very similar to yours, but has brown sugar and chili powder instead of garlic and mustard.
My mom used to make sloppy joes with cream/mushroom soup instead of BBQ – probably b/c it was easier to dump a can and gave it some stick-together-ness. (Doesn’t appeal to me so much now–I’d rather have a maid-rite!)
Oh, and Maid-Rites don’t have BBQ sauce as far as I know. Just browned ‘loose meat’ with onion, salt and pepper – sometimes beef broth but enough salt and meat juice serves the purpose. Then you add ketchup, mustard, pickles, onions, etc. when served.
y.u.m.
~an Iowan
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I’m from SD and, like Sonja reported, they are called Taverns in SD. Isn’t it fun the different names we give to food and other items.
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Hey you South Dakotans, hi there! I grew up in Montana and we called them sloppy joes. Working with my kids in the 4H food booth when we lived in SD, taverns were on the menu. Since we were selling them, I thought I should know what they were. They showed me, and I said, “These are sloppy joes!” And lots of people buying food would ask what a tavern was. So not every SDan calls them taverns, and no one I asked knew how they got their name. Maybe they are only called taverns when they’re sold at the fair!
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Tried out this recipe for Sloppy Joes last night. It’s a Keeper! Thanks!
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My family calls them “wimpies” and I don’t know how they got that name, either! The best way to eat sloopy joes, however, is not on a bun or a spoon, but on a thick rippled potato chip. Yum.
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I have a recipe that is very similar, but has 5Tbs of BBQ sauce. You have to try it.
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We love Sloppy Joes here at my house. They are a standard freezer meal for me now. I am making your Sloppy Cornbread version tonight…can’t wait!
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Very easy and tasted good. This is the only sloppy joe recipe I have been able to get my kids to eat. I made it with ground turkey.
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We haven’t had sloppy joes in sooooo long. I’m going to try this recipe. I’ve been interested in making my own ketchup too and can’t wait to see what you come up with!!!!
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