While most people call these sandwiches Sloppy Joes, I grew up in Wisconsin knowing these sandwiches as Hot Tamales, which is hilarious to me now. These are neither the addictive spicy cinnamon candies that have been known as mandatory road trip munchies, nor are they anything remotely close to the Central American bundles of corn dough wrapped in corn husks. They are in fact easy (they only take ONE pan!), quick to make delicious barbecue sandwiches that always have me wanting more than one!
A rich barbecue sauce generally takes a good variety of sweet and savory components. From the tang of the vinegar, to the sweet of the brown sugar to the umami contribution of the Worcestershire sauce, they all work together for a flavor that has your taste buds asking for more!
Start your Sloppy Joes with some onions sauteed just until they begin to soften and turn yellow, about 5 minutes. Then add your garlic. I like to make a little hot spot in the center of my pan (clear out a spot in the center and add maybe a teaspoon of oil) and place the garlic there. Stir garlic for about one minute. The goal is to take your garlic to a slightly golden brown color, without burning it.
Once the onions and garlic are sauteed, add the green pepper, allow them to soften a bit, then brown your burger and once that is cooked through add the remaining ingredients except the lemon. That’s it, your cooking job is done! You simply give the Sloppy Joes time to simmer and develop their flavor!
And just a little aside, making this recipe reminded me of why I get annoyed with cans of tomato paste. If you’re anything like me, you open the can, use 2-3 tablespoons, pop the remainder of the paste in the fridge for just long enough to grow a nice mold and then toss it! Arghhhhh! And yet, I’m not always in the habit of purchasing paste in a tube, which seems infinitely more economical. So, note to self and all of you, keep a TUBE of tomato paste on hand at all times!
Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
- 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 green pepper, diced
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 14 oz can tomato sauce
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons vinegar I use cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon Dijon (or regular) mustard
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons oregano
- 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium high heat pour enough EVOO to just cover the bottom of the skillet. Saute onions until soft, about 5 minutes. Add minced garlic and saute 1 minute. Add green pepper and cook for another couple of minutes.
- Add ground beef and cook until beef is cooked through. If there is excessive fat rendered from the ground beef carefully pour off.
- Add remaining ingredients, tomato sauce, tomato paste, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, brown sugar oregano, salt and pepper, except lemon. Bring to a boil and then cover and allow to simmer at least 30 minutes to develop flavor.
- Just before serving add lemon juice.