A few months ago, I had a hankering for some sloppy joes. I called up my sister to ask if she knew how my grandma made them when we were younger. She did, because she has a way better memory than I do and I think they were a more favored dish of hers. She also told me a couple of things that she does differently than my grandma. This recipe is a combination of my sister’s additions and the way my grandma always makes it. If you feel ambivalent about sloppy joes, but you have some ground beef in the freezer, and you are wondering what’s for dinner, give this a try!
Notes
Other additions from my sister: a little chili powder or half a jalapeño. Direct quote from her: "Also, serve on Potato Rolls if you're awesome because they are best that way."
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground beef (any fat content is okay)
- 1 onion (white or yellow)
- 1 red bell pepper
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 1 1/4 cups ketchup
- 1 1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- hamburger buns
Instructions
- First, finely dice the onion and red bell pepper.
- Drizzle about a tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet or saute pan. (A pan that is large enough for the 2 lbs of ground beef to brown evenly and has a lid)
- Add the onion and red pepper, and cook for a few minutes until the onions turn translucent.
- Add the ground beef, and use some sort of utensil to break up the ground beef into very small pieces. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Once the beef is browned, drain as much fat as you can, then add the ketchup and Worcestershire sauce. Cover and simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. You'll know it's ready when you taste it and the ground beef is tender.
- Spoon onto your favorite buns and enjoy a messy dinner!
Now for some interesting facts about sloppy joes for your dinner conversation:
- You may already know a few aliases for sloppy joes like beef barbecue and steamers, but I never heard of these names: dynamites, gulash (I think of ground beef, tomatoes, and noodles, right? And spelled goulash? Anyone?), sloppy janes, slushburgers, wimpies, yum-yums, yip yips, hot tamales, taverns, and spoonburgers.
- The Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink can’t pinpoint the exact birth of the sloppy joe, but traces it to about 1935.
- Apparently there is an unrelated sandwich also called Sloppy Joe running around northern New Jersey that consists of deli meat with cole slaw, Russian dressing, and Swiss cheese on three slices of rye bread.
- In the 1940’s inexpensive eateries and lunch counters were commonly called sloppy joes.
Who knew? (Well someone knew, I found this information on the world wide web, after all.)
Uncle Doug says
What about your Grandmas cheesy Lima beans? Now that’s good stuff!
Pris says
One day I will post that, too! I took the time to write it down when I helped her make them last Thanksgiving! Though I’m not sure the world can handle such deliciousness yet!