When I was a kid, one of my favorite meals was sloppy joes. It had been a long time since I had last had sloppy joes and I had been craving them for a while. Sloppy joes are basically ground beef cooked with onions, a sweetened tomato sauce and various other seasonings and they are served in buns. After looking at a bunch of recipes the common ingredients in the sauce seem to be ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, mustard and brown sugar. Now a days I like to add vegetables to anything that I can and I wanted to add some to the sloppy joes. I had some celery in the fridge that needed to be used so I decided to go with my three favorite base forming vegetables, onions, carrots and celery. Next up was the bean decision. There seems to be a bit of controversy as to whether beans should be included in sloppy joes or not and I decided to try them both ways and I split the recipe in half and added beans to one and not the other.
From there you have a bit of playing room with the flavours. The sloppy joes would be great just like that but I was thinking of adding some Texmex flavours and a bit of heat with some smokey chipotle chili powder and some ground cumin. That was the plan anyways. I don’t use my ketchup very often and as I was digging to the back of my fridge to get it I came across my gochujang (a Korean fermented chili and bean sauce) and I thought that using that in the sloppy joes would be a great idea. So on the spur of the moment I switched from Texmex flavours to Korean flavours.
Of course the sloppy joes were super quick and easy to make. (This meal is easily doable on a weeknight.) The sloppy joe sandwiches were pretty messy, and I really filled those buns with the sloppy joe filling, but they tasted great so the mess was well worth it. I like the way that the gochujang worked in the sloppy joe both with regards to the flavour and to the heat. As for the beans, I enjoyed the version with the beans and I added the second half of the can of beans to the batch without.
Sloppy Joes
ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup onion (chopped)
- 1/2 cup carrot (chopped)
- 1/2 cup celery (chopped)
- 2 cloves garlic (chopped)
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 2 cups tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon mustard
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons gochujang (optional or 1 tablespoon chili powder and 1 teaspoon cumin)
- 1 (19 ounce) can kidney beans (optional)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4+ hamburger buns
directions
- Brown the ground beef in a large pan and set aside.
- Heat the oil in the pan.
- Add the onion, carrot and celery and saute until tender, about 10-15 minutes.
- Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
- Add the ketchup, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, mustard, brown sugar, gochujang, beans, salt and pepper and simmer for a few minutes.
Mark Garso 3570 says
May 2, 2009 at 12:15 amI’ve never tried cumin and chili powder. Am interested in how that will spice things up!
Mark F Garso 3570
Helene says
May 2, 2009 at 12:17 amThis is one of my boys favorite meals also. You have a different recipe than mine. I’ll have to try it because it looks full of flavors.
Jo says
May 2, 2009 at 12:49 amHi Kevin,
Wow these look great – we don’t eat such things down here in Australia but I am sure that my kids would definately give them a go.
Great photo’s too…… as always!!
Jo
Ciao Chow Linda says
May 2, 2009 at 12:56 amLooks great Kevin. I never heard of that gochujang. Is that hard to find? I made some sloppy “Giuseppes” and posted about them on Jan. 17. Take a look when you have a chance.
giz says
May 2, 2009 at 1:02 amNow that’s what I call a sloppy joe. You definitely need a big to bite into this one.
Lisa says
May 2, 2009 at 2:08 amThat is one good looking sloppy joe! Biting into that I think I would have one sloppy face:)
Poornima Nair says
May 2, 2009 at 2:53 amI too love them..Urs has great flavors and looks delicious.
Bob says
May 2, 2009 at 3:11 amWow, those look amazing. I haven’t made sloppy joes in forever, I need to whip some up.
Marjie says
May 2, 2009 at 3:28 amI too enjoy sloppy joes, but I wouldn’t go for the beans. Yours looks overstuffed and delectable!
Rabbittrick says
May 2, 2009 at 3:42 amwow, this is a burger? Looks best eaten with a spoon.
This recipe looks great; can’t wait to try it but I’d like to serve mine with rice!
Rosa's Yummy Yums says
May 2, 2009 at 3:42 amOMG, these look incredibly scrumptious!
Cheers,
Rosa
Coleen's Recipes says
May 2, 2009 at 7:25 amYour photographs are excellent.
Manggy says
May 2, 2009 at 7:46 amI’ve only eaten sloppy joes once– but I really, really loved it. Now that I know how to cook I should really give it a shot! 🙂
My Asian Kitchen says
May 2, 2009 at 7:53 amthis snack is my hubby favourite!! now you remind me to make for him again! I like you add in the beans!
Risa says
May 2, 2009 at 10:07 amTheese look great Kevin. I love that you made them your own and added the veggies, beans, and Korean flavors. Which did you prefer, the one with beans or the one without?
oneordinaryday says
May 2, 2009 at 11:26 amLooks great. I think you’re going to need a fork!
Michelle
Natashya says
May 2, 2009 at 11:55 amNot only does it look delicious, but so much fun to eat! It’ll have you licking your fingers, palms, plate.. I might need a bib.
Melissa says
May 2, 2009 at 12:35 pmI have been craving sloppy joes all week! These look amazing!!
Joanne says
May 2, 2009 at 1:28 pmI would say the beans are a definite YES. I’ve also made these with a buffalo sauce flavor and they were fantastic with a little blue cheese on top.
Dawn says
May 2, 2009 at 1:39 pmmy hubby would love you right about now. now that’s what a sloppy joe should look like.
Junglefrog says
May 2, 2009 at 1:44 pmOk, now that looks seriously good, but the eating part… How on earth do you eat a sloppy joe without having everything and I mean everything, falling of the sandwich before you took the first bite? I guess they are called sloppy joe’s for a reason! We don’t have them here, but I am very tempted to make one (as long as we can eat them outside! lol)
Suzer says
May 2, 2009 at 2:09 pmThe best is with Bennett’s Chili Sauce.
Sharon says
May 2, 2009 at 2:42 pmMmmm, I really want one of these. 😛
Christina Kim says
May 2, 2009 at 3:01 pmKevin, kudos for using the gochujang! Us Koreans use it in just about every dish. Sloppy joes bring back memories of grade school lunches… but I would definitely prefers yours! That is one HUGE sandwich, definitely a fork & knife kind of a meal.
Anonymous says
May 2, 2009 at 3:20 pmGreat Meal Kevin !!
Kerstin says
May 2, 2009 at 3:44 pmSloppy joes remind me of growing up too. Yours look super flavorful and I love how you overstuffed them – yum!
mikky says
May 2, 2009 at 3:53 pmyours is a very interesting version… 🙂
Sweta says
May 2, 2009 at 4:59 pmSpicy!!!!Looks very filling-that would be my entire days meal!!
Marta says
May 2, 2009 at 5:37 pmI just love switching up the classics. I like your idea of adding Korean flavours, I can see how the two styles would go well together. It looks very moist and sloppy, I think you did a terrific job 🙂
Lori Lynn says
May 2, 2009 at 6:09 pmI ate one every day from the high school cafeteria. Don’t think I’ve had one since.
Doesn’t come close to yours. Looks great, and sloppy!
LL
jordan says
May 2, 2009 at 6:41 pmWhoa, that’s the sloppiest Joe I’ve ever seen!! Looks yummy. 🙂
mirtilla says
May 2, 2009 at 7:25 pmSembra delizioso…
Juliana says
May 2, 2009 at 7:51 pmWow, looks good…although I never had those, but the pictures that you feature looks so yummie.
Anonymous says
May 2, 2009 at 8:21 pmI enjoy a good sloppy joe. Never had them with beans though. Interesting twist.
tamilyn says
May 2, 2009 at 10:37 pmThey look fabulous Kevin!
Shelly says
May 3, 2009 at 12:51 amThese look delicious! So much better than the cruddy Manwich stuff from a can. They might be thought of as kid food, but this adult likes chowing down on them too 🙂
Leslie says
May 3, 2009 at 2:19 amI adore sloppy joes! I think everyone has had them at one time or another when they were kids! YUM
nicole says
May 3, 2009 at 3:29 amI’ve never actually wanted a sloppy joe- like never really craved one- until now. I’ll be putting this into my recipe box :). Thanks!
we are never full says
May 3, 2009 at 4:06 amwow! awesome! childhood memories!
Arch says
May 3, 2009 at 4:59 amThats one real ‘sloppy’ joe ! Brilliant pic and makes me hungry all over again !!
judyfoodie says
May 3, 2009 at 6:00 amI have not had sloppy joes in forever. Yours looks great. It’s making me hungry
CORA says
May 3, 2009 at 6:46 amKevin, that has to be one of the most mouth-watering photos I have ever seen. We don’t have Sloppy Joes in Australia but I saw it served in a movie once.
I’m curious about how it tastes but my imagination is working overtime and they just look irresistible.
Jamie says
May 3, 2009 at 7:00 amBeautiful and mouthwatering! I have long wanted to introduce my kids to that great bonfire specialty Sloppy Joes. Yours sounds and looks so delicious, spicy and filled with so many incredible flavors! I do love the addition of kidney beans.
Anncoo says
May 3, 2009 at 7:31 amHi Kevin,
Have never try this recipe before but will definitely try it out.
pigpigscorner says
May 3, 2009 at 10:12 amWow, looks so mouth-watering, how do you even eat that =P Love how you used kochujang here, love that paste too.
Mrs Ergül says
May 3, 2009 at 3:39 pmThe cool thing about you is that you go with your instinct, not necessarily the recipe!
Stephanesia says
May 3, 2009 at 10:56 pmMy friends often make sloppy joes– not completely from scratch, as this is, but they tend to do their own spices. I think they’ve decided to add cinnamon and chili-cayenne type spices to give it a “Cincinnati” feel.
So they say.
Anyway, might be a thought!
Street Foodie says
May 4, 2009 at 8:59 amI currently live in Korea and I like the thought of adding Gochujang to a chilli recipe – I must try it sometime. Your sloppy Joe looks great btw!
Jeff says
May 4, 2009 at 3:03 pmEverytime someone says sloppy joes I instantly think of the part of Billy Madison where the lunch lady goes I made them extra sloppy.
Yours are way better than the ones I grew up with from the lunch cafeteria.
I enjoy the beans too.
Laura P. says
May 4, 2009 at 3:43 pmI love sloppy joes and am always looking for new ways to make them…thanks for sharing your recipe! : )
Paula says
May 5, 2009 at 3:22 amOh, I like your variation! Sloppy Joes are great kid fare, too. Like how you diced up veggies in yours. YUM!
Kevin says
May 5, 2009 at 10:01 pmStephanesia: I definitely like the sound of the Cincinnati style version!
Kevin says
May 5, 2009 at 10:04 pmJoanne: Adding blue cheese sounds great!
Deborah says
May 6, 2009 at 3:05 amI LOVE sloppy joes! But I’ve never had them with beans – I’ll have to try that.
ChichaJo says
May 6, 2009 at 9:14 amThere was literally a sharp intake of breath when I saw this photo…whoa sloppy joe! That looks delicious!
Mochachocolata Rita says
May 7, 2009 at 4:08 amis it weird that i haven’t had a sloppy joe before but i am craving it now? hehe…
Jeanne says
May 8, 2009 at 4:22 pmOMG, that looks like pure comfort food! I would go for the “with beans” option 🙂
TheRoosterChick says
November 19, 2009 at 9:25 pmI'm a bit of a Lazy Joe maker, but this recipe sounds like a winner.
Jiyeon Kim says
January 21, 2011 at 4:48 amHey Kevin, as a Korean I admire at ur recipes how beautifully adding gochujang/Korean flavour on sloppy joes! thats a brilliant idea(plus thats so Korean! haha)! thanks for the recipes! YUM!! XD
ricette leggere says
April 13, 2012 at 10:35 pmI have no words for this plate…. I think is wonderful, but I'm not sure that italians can be eat it!!!! Nice blog!!!! See you sooon!! 🙂
Tanya Walker says
March 2, 2013 at 2:13 amI just made it tonight! I had to cover so I would not eat the whole thing! Very flavorful and simple good tastiness!