These have been popular the hundreds of times I've made them since I was a 10-year old in 4-H (1962), where I got the recipe in a foods class. -Grainlady

Sloppy Joes

yield: 10-12

1/2 c. onion (chopped fine)
1/4 c. celery (chopped fine)
1-pound ground beef

Brown the mixture and drain the fat.

Add:

1 small can tomato sauce
1/4 c. ketchup
1 T. vinegar
1 T. sugar
salt/pepper to taste

Simmer for 20-minutes.

Thanks, Grainlady. I think this should do allright in a crockpot for a couple of hours on low, don't you?

I hate to admit it, but on the rare occasion I make sloppy joes, I usually use a can of Manwich. So from scratch will be good!

Linda

Linda, I often keep sloppy joes in the crockpot for 3-4 hours, at family parties and on nights like Halloween, when I want something quick for the kids before all that candy.

My kids like a pound of burger mixed with a pint of Sharon's Chile sauce, I don't supposed you canned some of that, did you? It's sure fast and good.

I use this one too, for big family parties when I don't want to sacrifice the chile sauce!

Sloppy Joes

1 pound lean ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
3/4 cup ketchup
3 teaspoons brown sugar
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste

In a medium skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef, onion, and green pepper; drain off liquids.
Stir in the garlic powder, mustard, ketchup, and brown sugar; mix thoroughly. Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

The kids like me to add a bit more brown sugar, but I do that to taste.

Annie

Crutches What did I miss?

I am having surgery on both of my feet tomorrow, Cathy. Bunion-ectomy on the left and hardware from an old ankle fracture removed on the right.

I'll be on crutches for about a week, but should be able to go to work on Monday as long as I am not too hopped up on "goofenthal"! LOL

Li da

Cathy, I was thinking the same thing.

Linda, what happened?

Nancy

I use pretty much Annie's recipe but the one from Grainlady is an old standby too. I usually use my bbq sauce and then add more ketchup since my bbq sauce is basically all the ingredients in Annie's sloppy joe sauce. I do like putting green peppers in as well as the onion. I like the celery too, like Grainlady's. Since I'm such a veggie nut, sometimes I even add grated carrot and mushrooms.

Haven't done them in a long while...and have never used my chile sauce!

No exact recipe but I use a pound, or so,of hamburger to a large can of stewed tomatoes and about a 1/2 cup ketchup. To that I add, minced garlic, chopped celery, onions and peppers, a good dose of Worcestershire, some brown sugar and a splash of hot sauce.

Oh, I brown the burger with the garlic first.

I do it in the crock pot for about two hours......maybe more. Tome dosen't hurt it.

Looks like the basic recipe is similar in all cases with a few different twists.

My mom always made them with just ketchup and mustard mixed with hamburger and sauteed onion. Okay, but not spectacular.

Thanks for all of the ideas!

Linda

I love this forum but sometimes, I feel like we're speaking 2 different languages LOL

"Our neighbor is coming over with his bobcat & backhoe to tear up our backyard on Saturday. (We are re-grading and putting in a new patio as well as a paver fire pit.)"

WWhat is a bobcat and a backhoe? and a paver fire pit, and what ever is a Sloppy Joe? Please?

LOL... we are... heh.. Ok, I'll give it a shot. A bobcat, besides being a brand of them, is a machine that usually has a sort of bucket on the front to push and move the earth. As wide as the machine so more like a trough. The backhoe is more of an attachment for a bobcat that has a big digging bucket on the front of it.. for.. digging.. lol.. so you can dig the dirt with one and push it around and smooth it out with the other one.

Paver fire pit. Wellll.. I'm figuring since they're putting in a patio they're going to use these sort of bricks called pavers because they usually use them to make a driveway, to make a surrounding to hold the fire... hence a fire pit.

Ok.. sloppy joes.. a meat mixture as described above usually served on a hamburger or other bun. Since the meat is in a red tangy sauce, it can be rather sloppy to eat. Sloppy Joes.

Hopefully that helps and doesn't make things worse.. lol.

Bobcat

Bobcats are small (16-30#) wild cats native to North America. Derive their name from the 'bobbed' tail.

Bobcat
{{!gwi}}

'Bobcat' is a brand name of compact sized tractor/ construction equipment. (Division of Doosan, Int'l.) Similar tractors are made by Case, John Deere... Kubota is another brand of compact tractor Bobcats are popular w/ landscapers, farmers... Being compact, they are ideal for use in suburban yards where they can squeeze thru gates and maneuver in tighter spaces. Usually seen fitted w/ a front end loader, at least in my neck of the woods.

Front end loader w/ Backhoe
{{!gwi}}

The digging 'hoe' is mounted on the back of the tractor, hence the term 'backhoe'. Popular combination of implements--dig with the backhoe & later load the dirt into a dump truck w/ the front-end loader. Common uses are digging basements, storm cellars, holes for septic tanks, sewer line trenches and farm ponds.

Paver Firepit

Thanks coconut and ci-lantro for explaining.

It rained last night so I am not sure how much the boys will be able to get done. When it's all finished in the spring I'll try to remember to take pictures.

Linda

Thank you!!!
The fire pit looks wonderful- could be useful in this climate!
I think I could give the sloppy Joes a miss, though LOL

gee, all I've ever done for sloppy joes is this:
saute chopped onions in a little bit of butter, add hamburger & fry it down & crush it to small pieces till it's a good dark brown color ( not red anymore) & then add a can of tomato soup to it. spoon that thru till it's warmed all the way thru. drain off any hamburg grease & put it into hamburg buns. sometimes topped off with tomato slices. that's all you need. just butter, onions, tomato soup, & hamburg. really easy & really good. give it a try.

My mother made this for years so haveI,'
2Lb ground chuck,
1/2c br sugar,2 T vinegar,1 T of a good mustard.2T worchstershire sause,1 c ketchup,,put chopped green [peppers in a little oil,fry,then add chopped onions,once soft add other ingred.simmer.sometimes best next day.

Probably late but I'll throw in my version of a sloppy joe.

Crumbled hamburger browned and drained. Add equal parts catsup, Open Pit bbq sauce, and A-1.... enough to coat all the meat. More a bbq loose meat then traditional sloppy joe. If it seems dry add more catsup... adjust bbq sauce and A-1 to suit your taste. Squirt of maple syrup and sprinkle of cayenne pepper if you fancy.

Fast and a total cheater but people love it. Works really well when the burger is frozen and you have to cook it under a cover scraping it down with a fork as it thaws. Best to drain the grease or it will be drippy.

: )
lyra

In case there's any interest, the generic term for a "Bobcat" loader is a "skid loader".

When I make a more traditional "sloppy joe" I like to add celery, green peppers and onions. Occasionally I'll add more onion close to the end or a little for topping for the extra crunch. I don't use a real recipe. I forgot the old recipe I used to use - I just experiment. Much depends on what I have on hand, how much I'm making and time constraints. Sometimes I'll cheat a bit and use some Manwich or canned/jarred spaghetti sauce or mix some tomato paste with beer. Sometimes I like a more "pizza" flavored one so I go heavy on Italian seasoning and put in some pepperoni. I like to mix sausage with the hamburger. Hot sausage picks up a bit of zest without being too hot for people. Mix in any kinds of meat you have left, much like when I make chili. A shredded beef or pork makes a great addition or substitution. I usually add a touch of Louisiana Hot Sauce, Worcestershire sauce, possibly Teriyaki, steak and BBQ sauces on occasion. Lemon pepper, garlic or garlic powder and bacon bits add a lot to it. What DOESN'T bacon help? I seldom add sugar, but some add a touch to cut the tomato bitterness and I like just a touch of mustard but not much. Dry works well. Vinegar is great although you could put some lemon juice in there too. Or both.

An easy one that is very different is what I just refer to as "Taco Joes". I use basically a taco meat and if you really want to cheat, use the seasoning packet.

I like them better with less "slop". But I like the sauce well-infused. BTW, some places call sloppy joes "Maid Rites" or loose meat sandwiches although they usually are less wet. Roseanne Barr used to call them sloppy joes without the slop. If it's nice and thick they're great as sort of a dip. Pick the meat up with chips and eat or mix with cheese for a dip.

I think letting them go in the roaster (or crockpot if you don't have a roaster) helps blend the flavors. Be careful to not over-season. If it drys out too much add some beer, water, V8 juice, tomato juice or something and mix in.

The last suggestion I have for a better sandwich: A good bun or at least toast the bun (fry it in butter to brown it). Makes a much better sandwich. Top with cheese if you like. Or toast some bread or buns, top with the meat mixture, top with cheese and broil it until bubbly.

Cynic, they also call them "skid-steers" here. Not sure why this piece of equipment has so many names!

It was dreary and rainy, so all they got done was to remove about 1/2 of the old patio (which they had, earlier in the fall cut into 2 x 3 slabs. They used them to make a retaining wall near the garage. So we still have a lot to do.

Tim made the Joe's. I believe he used Grainlady's recipe. Said they were good. I dozed off and on all day so I was of no help whatsoever. They had those along with some vegetable soup from the freezer. Filled them up nicely.

Linda

For the future, I have used Opkikid's Slow Cooker Shredded Beef recipe like a sloppy joe, served it on buns. I've posted it on some of the slow cooker threads. That one uses cubed beef chuck roast.

Linda, I hope you're feeling better now. Oh, and that "Bobcat" is a "skid steer" here too.

cynic, my kids always use sloppy joe filling as chip dip, or to dip with Ritz crackers. For some reason it has to be Ritz...

Annie

I think I could give the sloppy Joes a miss, though LOL

LOL is right!! Sloppy Joes are great for kids. They sort of give them the green light to be, well, sloppy! My son used to call them Sloppy Jones when he was little and now I can't think of them any other way.

Sorry the weather didn't cooperate Linda. I do look forward to pix when it's all done!

+Bobcat is a brand name ,skid loader is all small loaders,theres jd,cat,2 I know of.We have a cat loader.My hubby has had one all his business for 40 years.not the same one.

Posted recipes... all sound good. I just want to add a few things. First, sloppy joes are even better the 2nd or 3rd day. And they don't just have to be a sandwich. A nice big baked potato, topped with sloppy joes, cheese, sour cream... a meal on its own.

There now, on a potato - that sounds more like it!
The bobcat does look so cuddly.....