Homemade Sloppy Joes

I think it is safe to say that I have eaten my fair share of sloppy joes in my 39 years.  They kind of seem like a fun, retro kind of food to me that I often forget about...which is a shame actually, considering they are really good, and pretty easy to make!

Until a few years ago, I made mine the only way I knew how:  by adding a can of stuff to ground beef. After I began to modify my husband's and my diet to include less sodium, I started looking into how to make my own mixes, sloppy joes included. I found a couple of recipes that were pretty close to what I consider to be the *perfect* joe, but not quite what I was hoping for.  So I decided to piece a few different ones together and modify it a bit until I found what is, in my opinion, the perfect sloppy joe.

First let's look at the kind of meat you want to use.  I have made them with ground turkey and ground chicken...but in all reality I am a joe purist and prefer the taste of ground beef.

My mother smothers hers in mustard, ketchup, and diced onions...something that I have followed suit on.  She used to take the leftover meat mixture and put it all in buns, then put them in the fridge totally made so all you had to do was grab one. I have fond memories of grabbing one, peeling the top layer of bun off, squirting it with mustard and ketchup and eating it cold.

I'll admit it:  I am one of those cold leftover food eaters.  Cold spaghetti, hamburgers, hot dogs, and lasagna are my very favorites!
Er, does that make me strange?
If so, then color my hubby as much of a weirdo as I am, because he does it, too.  :-P

So, we're going to start with a pound of whatever ground meat you choose (although ground pork...I would have to say...probably not a great idea).   Now, chop up one small onion and one small green bell pepper.  Add 1/2 tablespoon of chopped garlic to the mix and throw it all in a pan. Turn that to medium heat and cook until meat is browned and cooked through.

Drain that and then return it to the pan.  Immediately add 3/4 cup water, 3/4 cup of ketchup, one tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1/2 tablespoon chili powder, two tablespoons mustard powder, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.  Let that simmer and cook down, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is about the consistency you want for your sandwiches.

Now here is where I add another tablespoon of mustard...only the prepared kind from the fridge. Stir that in really well, and you are ready to serve some sloppiness!  What is awesome with these is some barbecue beans, which honestly are super simple to make.  Grab a can of pork and beans and drain them.  Throw them in a pot and add a cup of your favorite BBQ sauce to them.  Heat them through and that's it.  Yummmm.

Enjoy!