Sloppy Joes are made up ground beef, onions, ketchup and tomato sauce, served on a bun. When I hear the name Sloppy Joes, I think of comfort food that is usually messy to eat, but oh so good. You can find this sandwich at school lunch rooms and concession stands. But where did this sandwich originate? I did a little searching to find out.
Depending on the area you live in, or are going through, sloppy Joes differ greatly from the ones that I know and love to make and eat. If you order a Sloppy Joe in New Jersey, it is made of lunch meat such as turkey ham, or roast beef served on rye bread and you are given the choice of one, two or three layers. They do not add tomato sauce or ketchup to theirSsloppy Joe version. Instead they serve it with Swiss cheese, cole slaw and Russian dressing. For me, this is no where near the sloppy Joes that I know and love.
A little further digging I discovered that in the 1920s’, Floyd Angell, an Iowa restaurateur, made a sandwich that consisted of loose ground beef, sauce and spices. This was served on two pieces of bread. It wasn’t until the 1930’s that ketchup or tomato sauce was added to the mixture.
Some say that the Sloppy Joe came about in World War 11. During this time, food was rationed and people had to cook creatively with what they had and housewives learned to stretch the meal to feed more by using less. They used ground beef and added different sauces.
Nowadays, many people simply brown up some ground beef and add a prepared can of sloppy Joe mix. This is designed for the busy cook in mind. In this way he or she is still be able to make a satisfying meal, but they can do it in as short a time as possible.
For myself, I like the Sloppy Joe recipe that calls for ground beef, onions, tomato sauce, tomato paste, ketchup and spices. Because it has tomatoes, onions and peppers mixed in, you have a healthy serving of vegetables in every bite. Tomatoes have lycopene. This is an important ingredient because it helps fight against cancer by attacking the free radicals in your body. So, not only does this sandwich taste good, they are good for you. This is another wonderful reason to make them for you and your family often through the month.
Now that the days are getting colder, I am thinking of making Sloppy Joes for dinner or as we call it, supper . This is one meal that the entire family enjoys eating. This recipe is easy to make and very satisfying. The original recipe was found by my dad while he was reading a farming newspaper. He brought the recipe over and wanted me to make it that night. He was a meat and potatoes man, but he did like Sloppy Joes. The next time I made the recipe, I experimented with it and made some changes. This revised recipe is something that the entire family liked eating. I usually double the recipe and rarely had any thing left over. Although this recipe of Sloppy Joes has a lengthy list of ingredients, it’s worth trying.
Not so Sloppy Sloppy Joes
Ingredients:
1 lb. Hamburger
1 medium Onion chopped fine
2 cloves Garlic minced fine
1/4 tsp. Garlic powder
1/4 tsp. Onion powder
1/2 tsp. Seasoning salt
1/2 tsp. Black pepper
1/8 tsp. Cayenne pepper
1 Tbs. BBQ sauce of your favorite kind
1/3 cup Ketchup
1 Tbs . Honey
1 tsp. Mustard
3 Tbs. Salsa
1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. Liquid smoke
1/4 Cup Pizza sauce or spaghetti or tomato sauce
1 Tbs. Tomato paste
Directions:
In a cast iron skillet, brown the hamburger and onions. Crumble the hamburger with a spoon. When the hamburger is browned, remove the fat.
Combine the garlic powder, onion powder, seasoning salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper in a small dish. Sprinkle this over the beef mixture and stir to combine.
Add BBQ sauce, ketchup, honey, mustard, salsa, Worcestershire, liquid smoke and the sauce of your choice. Mix well as you add each ingredient. Stir well to combine each ingredient as you add them. Turn the heat to low and simmer for about 5 minutes. Stir the mixture occassionally to keep it from sticking andf burning ont he bottom of your skillet. Mixture will thicken slightly. Serve on hamburger buns or plain bread.
Extra Notes
If you want your Sloppy Joes to be sloppier, omit the tomato paste. I use hot salsa, but if you don’t like hot spicy foods, you can choose mild or medium salsa. Also if you don’t have sp aghetti, pizza, or tomato sauce on hand just use extra ketchup. Sometimes, if I have the extra time, I make my own buns. The left over pizza, spaghetti or tomato sauce you can put in a plastic bag and frozen for later use.
