The Best Homemade Beef Sloppy Joes Recipe - Food.com (2024)

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Community Pick

Submitted by Hey Jude

"I've tried many recipes, this is the best. I once 'dec-tupled' (10x) this recipe to sell sandwiches at a craft fair at my church. People were waiting in line to buy leftovers. Freezes well, goes up to the lake or camping well and is a hit on Halloween...it's no-fail. Easy to double, triple, etc. I've been making Joes this way for over 20 years.***03-08-09, I just reinvented this recipe tonight when I went to make it for dinner and found I didn't have an 8-oz. can of tomato sauce (shame on me). The family was upset with me when I subbed an 8-oz. can of pizza sauce and told them to suck it up and call them 'Pizza Joes' and then served them up with shredded mozzarella cheese on the toasted buns, top and bottom. They loved it. I left out the BBQ sauce in this preparation and just used a 1/2 cup ketchup. Pizza Joes are good to go!"

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Ready In:
45mins

Ingredients:
11
Serves:

4

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ingredients

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 2 -3 stalks celery, chopped
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
  • 14 cup ketchup
  • 14 cup barbecue sauce (your favorite, we use Open Pit)
  • 1 tablespoon firmly packed brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon dry mustard
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon vinegar

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directions

  • In a large skillet, brown ground beef, celery and onion.
  • Drain the fat, who needs it?.
  • Stir in remaining ingredients, simmer covered, 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • If Joes appear too'loose', leave cover off and let moisture evaporate.
  • Cook until it's the consistency you like for serving on toasted buns, with french fries and cole slaw.

Questions & Replies

The Best Homemade Beef Sloppy Joes Recipe - Food.com (13)

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Reviews

  1. We love this recipe. I will never buy the canned stuff again. I like to use a spicy bbq sauce and give it some zing. I have made large batches the night before and then put it into the crockpot on low to have for gatherings. It stays really moist and delicious.

    Carrie Holton

  2. After making this about 50 times, I need to review it. WE LOVE THESE!! It is the best sandwich around. I let it cook down till it gets all "ooey gooey" and then put it on a nice warm toasted bun...YUM! The only thing I do is add a bit of green bell pepper, just think it needs to be in there. Serve with coleslaw or fries...the BEST!!! Thanks for such a great recipe!

    cincasue

  3. My girlfriend and I made them for lunch and we couldn't get enough so we made them for dinner too! Delicious! Love the celery in there, never would have thought of that!

    jmbflame21

  4. Followed recipe exactly and got perfect sloppy joes. Served on buns with shredded velveeta and they were delicious. I would probably add some diced green pepper the next time only cause I love green bell pepper, not because the recipe needs adjustment. Served with macaroni salad on the side. Great dinner!

  5. These were good! I chose this recipe mostly because I was low on ketchup and this one calls for very little in comparison to other recipes. I too liked the addition of the celery. Quick & easy to put together,thanks for a tasty recipe!

    Rhonda J

see 724 more reviews

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Tweaks

  1. I was out of dry mustard and vinegar, so I added a couple squirts of yellow mustard instead, and it was great! Also considering adding some tomato paste next time to thicken it a bit more.

    albarnes90

  2. Swapped vinegar for A1. Left out celery. Used a little garlic and slightly heavier on the brown sugar. Bit of smoked sea salt. Delicious! Definitely making again.

    David S.

  3. I left out the celery, as I didn't have any, but added half of a red pepper, chopped, and it added the perfect flavor! I also used homemade jarred tomato sauce

    Jenn H.

  4. Needed something quick, easy, and delicious to make for lunch today, so whilst searching I found this little treasure. I changed up a few things based on what was in the fridge and my lordy did it taste fantastic. My family is vegetarian so we never keep meat. The veggie base mock beef is a great sub. I also put honey mustard instead of dried mustard. It tastes much sweeter! Overall great recipe!

    Danni W.

  5. This was wonderful! The whole family loved it! I used ground turkey instead of ground beef.

    jclopez5

see 35 more tweaks

RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

Hey Jude

Winter, Wisconsin

  • 94 Followers
  • 881 Recipes
  • 45 Tweaks

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The Best Homemade Beef Sloppy Joes Recipe - Food.com (2024)

FAQs

What can I add to sloppy joe to make it taste better? ›

Well, it's as easy as incorporating a splash of apple cider vinegar to upgrade the savory Sloppy Joe flavors. By adding apple cider vinegar, you introduce a tangy acidity to sugary Sloppy Joe sauce, effectively balancing its sweetness and enhancing its overall flavor profile.

Is there a difference between Sloppy Joes and Manwich? ›

Sloppy Joes are the sandwich, while Manwich is the store-bought canned sloppy joe sauce, produced by ConAgra Foods and Hunt's. While the brand markets this product as a quick and easy one-pan meal, I strongly recommend you make the sauce from scratch.

Should you drain meat before adding sloppy joe sauce? ›

Do you drain the meat for sloppy joes? We suggest draining the browned beef, because excess grease serves as a barrier to sloppy joe seasonings. You'll want the beef to absorb these wonderful flavors as it cooks.

What's the difference between a sloppy joe and a sloppy Jane? ›

If you're aiming to eat a lower-fat diet, then consider fixing yourself a sloppy jane. This variant on the sloppy joe swaps out regular ground beef for leaner beef. It also places a higher focus on vegetables and other low-calorie ingredients.

How do you doctor up canned Sloppy Joe mix? ›

In addition to sweetness, the diced Gala apple also contributes some textural variety to the recipe.
  1. Spice Your Sloppy Joe Up With Chile Flakes Or Canned Chiles. ...
  2. Sneak Extra Veggies Into Your Sloppy Joes. ...
  3. Throw In Some Liquid Smoke. ...
  4. Deglaze Your Sloppy Joes With Beer. ...
  5. Add Salsa To The Mix.
Feb 28, 2024

How do you thicken up sloppy joe sauce? ›

  1. Flour can be used similar to corn starch.
  2. Other thickeners used are bread crumbs, potato flakes and oats. ...
  3. Go gradually with these. ...
  4. Use oats to thicken sloppy-joes as to absorb the excess but it will be thicker the next day.
  5. Barley can be used but is more expensive.
Oct 29, 2021

What was the original Sloppy Joe made with? ›

Many believe the Sloppy Joe is the namesake of a Sioux City, Iowa cook, who in 1930, combined the regionally popular loose meat sandwich with tomato sauce. It's less messy predecessor, the loose meat sandwich is a Midwestern favorite of steamed or sauteed ground beef, onions, mustard and pickles.

What is the New Jersey version of Sloppy Joe? ›

There are minor variations depending on the deli, but it is always a double-decker thin sliced rye bread sandwich made with one or more types of sliced deli meat, such as turkey, ham, pastrami, corned beef, roast beef, or sliced beef tongue, along with Swiss cheese, coleslaw, and Russian dressing.

What is the fancy name for sloppy joes? ›

Manwich, slush burger, yum yums, dynamite, spoonburgers, tavern sandwich; a Sloppy Joe can be called by many other names. The most well-known however is Manwich.

Do you season beef before or after you drain it? ›

post draining or before it's to be made into the final product, otherwise draining will send the flavors down the drain. That would be a waste of good seasoning.

Do you cook ground beef before putting it in sauce? ›

Ground beef should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160ºF. Color is not a reliable indicator of ground beef doneness. Stir in tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, tomato paste and crushed red pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 20 minutes to develop flavors, stirring occasionally.

How do you thicken tomato sauce for sloppy joes? ›

If you follow this homemade Sloppy Joe recipe, you should have the perfect consistency, but if it comes out too watery, try adding a small slurry of cornstarch with water. That should thicken it right up!

What do Canadians call Sloppy Joes? ›

Several variations of the sloppy joe exist in North America. In Quebec, Canada, sandwiches of stewed ground beef such as pain à la viande and pain fourré gumbo are usually served on hot dog buns.

What is Sloppy Joes famous for? ›

Sloppy Joe's opened in 1933 and is famous for being Hemingway's favorite watering hole. These days it's more famous for its good music, cold drinks and the dropping of the Conch on New Year's Eve.

What do people add to Manwich? ›

Tweaks
  1. I used red pepper instead of green. ...
  2. More garlic is better! ...
  3. I really wanted something for my slow cooker but couldn't find a manwich copycat specific to slow cooker recipes. ...
  4. Add chopped green, red bell pepper, hot sauce or cayenne and some white vinegar along with 1 tsp of msg....

How do you tone down sweetness in Sloppy Joes? ›

If you like Sloppy Joes a little less sweet, you can reduce the brown sugar to 1 teaspoon. If you keep the mustard at 2 teaspoons, the result will be a tangier Sloppy Joe. Add a piece of sliced American cheese for over-the-top comfort food creaminess.

What is Sloppy Joe supposed to taste like? ›

Once you've gathered the ingredients, it's basically like making Bolognese. And the flavour is somewhat reminiscent of it too, except Sloppy Joes taste a bit more like BBQ Sauce. The one big difference is that the sauce is cooked right down so it's really thick and not saucy at all.

What can I use instead of tomato paste for Sloppy Joe? ›

How to Substitute Tomato Sauce or Puree for Tomato Paste. You don't have to dash out to the store if you're out of tomato paste; tomato sauce and tomato puree are both an excellent substitute. For every 1 tablespoon of tomato paste needed, use 3 tablespoons of tomato puree or sauce.

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