How to Make Quick and Easy Beef Sloppy Joes To Eat While Binge-Watching Sloppy Jones

As a producer on a web series, one has to wear many hats. On the shoot for the Sloppy Jones Teaser, Producer Susan Nation worked on Props and Food Preparation/Management.

Sloppy Jones Grill really only serves cocktails, beer, and basic meat, bread, and potatoes. Their signature dishes are a range of iconic Sloppy Joes. The most popular on the menu is the basic beef Sloppy Joe.

Fun Facts

A Sloppy Joe is a sandwich consisting of ground beef, onions, tomato sauce and/or ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and other seasonings, served on a toasted bun. The sandwich may have begun as a variation of the “loose meat” sandwiches that were popular in the 1950s. According to internet stories, a cook named Joe at Floyd Angell’s café in Sioux City, Iowa, added tomato sauce to his “loose meat” sandwiches to make them moist and flavourful. 

Creator and Actor, Sophie Nation‘s first ACTRA gig as a child was a Sloppy Joes commercial for McCormick’s Canada. Producer Susan Nation worked in marketing creating recipes and content for both Ragu Spaghetti Sauce and Prego Spaghetti Sauce early on in her career.

See below for Susan’s basic beef Sloppy Joe recipe.

Quick and Easy Beef Sloppy Joe Recipe

Ingredients

Meat

• 2 lbs Ground beef

Produce

• 5 cloves Garlic
• 1 Green Bell Pepper, whole large
• 1 Onion small -medium
• 1 Celery Stalk
• 1 cup Crushed Tomatoes or 2 tbsp Tomato Paste

Condiments

• 1 cup Ketchup
• 1 tsp yellow Mustard
• 1 tsp Tabasco Sauce
• 2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 2 tsp Sriracha or hot sauce to taste (optional)

TIP: If in a hurry or not available, feel free to use a pre-prepared tomato pasta sauce like McCormicks.

Baking & Spices

• 1/2 tbsp Black Pepper, freshly ground
• 1 – 2 tbsps Brown Sugar
• 1 tsp Chili Powder
• 1 tsp Salt

Bread & Baked Goods

• Bread Rolls

Liquids

• 1 cup Water

Method

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over med/high heat. Add beef and brown, breaking apart with spatula as you cook (5 min). Drain and set aside.
2. Add onion, celery, and bell pepper to the same large skillet and cook 2-3 minutes, until soft. Add garlic and cook until fragrant.
3. Add beef back to the skillet and add tomato paste. Stir until combined.
4. Add ketchup, water, brown sugar, mustard, chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, salt, black pepper, Tabasco and Sriracha (to taste). Stir well.
5. Cook over medium heat for 10-15 minutes or until the mixture has thickened to your liking and remove from heat.
6. Serve over toasted buns. Enjoy!

How do you make your Sloppy Joes? Share your Sloppy Joe recipes and tips in the comments below!