When I think of comfort food, I think of a hearty, stick to your ribs, family-friendly meal that reminds me of my childhood. For me, Sloppy Joes are that meal and the most comforting of comfort foods. As a kid, my mom would make huge batches of Sloppy Joes for me and my friends. They were meaty (usually made from venison), tangy yet sweet, and really good! I’d devour multiple sandwiches in one sitting without thinking twice. I absolutely loved them.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Now that I live in the Pacific Northwest, I don’t eat venison too often. The mule deer that you find out here aren’t the same as those corn-fed white tails from Wisconsin. So, I tend to use beef instead. Other than that, they’re essentially the same my mom’s. Rich, tangy, hot and messy…what’s not to like there?!
To make these sandwiches, start by finely chopping ½ green bell pepper, ½ of a sweet onion, 3 cloves of garlic and ½ a jalapeno that has been deseeded. Heat up 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a Dutch oven or large thick-bottomed stock pot. Add the vegetables, except for the garlic to the hot oil and sauté over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for one minute longer. Next, add the hamburger and brown. Remove any excess fat with a spoon or ladle. Add one cup of ketchup, 1½ tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce, ½ tablespoon of Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika, ¼ teaspoon of pepper, 1 tablespoon of tomato paste and ½ cup of water. Stir the ingredients together until well incorporated. Cover the pot and simmer gently for 2½ hours until thick and rich. Stir occasionally. In the last 30 minutes of cooking, remove the lid and simmer uncovered. This will allow the Sloppy Joes to thicken. Spoon generous portions of Sloppy Joe over hamburger buns and dive in (elbows out!).
Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ green bell pepper, finely chopped
- ½ sweet onion, finely chopped
- ½ jalapeno, deseeded and finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- ½ tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- ½ cup water
- 4 hamburger buns
Instructions
- Heat up 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a thick-bottomed stock pot and Dutch oven.
- Add chopped onion, jalapeno and bell pepper to the pot and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and sauté for one minute longer.
- Add the ground beef to the pot and brown. Remove any excess grease from the pot and a spoon of ladle and discard.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the pot, stir, cover and gently simmer over low to medium-low heat for 2½ hours. Stir occasionally.
- During the last 30 minutes of cooking, remove the lid from the pot and simmer the Sloppy Joe mixture uncovered to thicken.
- Spoon the Sloppy Joe mixture over hamburger buns and devour.
