How to Make Homemade Sloppy Joes

An excellent version of the famous Sloppy Joe recipe.

At one point in time in a person's life, virtually everyone remembers gathering around the table to glop massive amounts of soupy, spicy hamburger meat on buns and eating way more than they should. Yes, Sloppy Joes are the topic at hand today. No one really knows when the first Sloppy Joe was made, or who created the delectable treat that has pleased three generations of Americans. There are several theories as to the origin of the sandwich; however, there is little real verifiable information available.

Today you will learn how to make Sloppy Joes southern style. This old-style recipe makes its point without resorting to commercial products that contain too much salt and artificial preservatives or dangerous flavor enhancers. There are many different ways to make Sloppy Joes, and you should feel free to modify this recipe in any manner you desire.

Ingredients for Homemade Sloppy Joes

One pound of very lean ground beef (Suggested 93/7 meat/fat ratio)

One pound of lean beef sausage

One green pepper

One medium onion

Two large jalapeno peppers

Two cans of salt-free tomato sauce

Two cloves of garlic

One-half teaspoon of salt

Two cups of water

Directions for Making Homemade Sloppy Joes

1. Place your ground beef and beef sausage in a pan with a tiny amount of oil and brown. If the lean meat starts to brown too much before cooking thoroughly, add a little water, and cover with lid allowing the meat to steam for a few minutes.

2. Chop your green pepper, onion and garlic finely, and set to the side.

3. Slice your jalapenos in half, and remove the seeds to prevent the recipe from being too spicy. We are looking for flavor here, not the heat contained in the seeds of the jalapeno. Chop the peppers finely.

4. Once your meat is browned, remove from heat, pour your salt-free tomato sauce and water into a large pot, and turn the heat to medium low.

5. Add the cooked ground beef, vegetables and salt, and allow your homemade Sloppy Joes to cook for twenty minutes or until the mixture starts to thicken. You can add a little cornstarch to enhance thickening if you wish; however, the recipe will turn out better if you allow the cooking process to naturally thicken and meld the individual flavors with the ground beef and sausage.

6. Pour your homemade Sloppy Joes mixture into a heated bowl and serve hot.

Tips for Serving Homemade Sloppy Joes

1. Sloppy Joes are fast food and go great with side dishes such as french fries and cole slaw.

2. Use gourmet deli buns for your Sloppy Joes instead of store-bought buns so your buns taste as good as the filling.

3. Use care when cooking, serving and eating this dish. Tomato sauce will occasionally pop out of the pot during cooking. Hot Sloppy Joe mix is thick and will easily stick to skin, causing severe burns in some cases. No one wants to burn the skin off his or her tongue, so use care when eating this sandwich!