Sloppy Joes - Betty's style

Name: Sloppy Joes - Betty's style
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 6-8
Ingredients: 2 lb ground chuck or sirloin (can use ground beef); 1/2 red pepper, diced; 1/2 green pepper, diced; 1 onion, diced; 2 cups, ketchup; 4 Tbsp mustard, yellow (or less to your taste); 3 Tbsp vinegar (apple cider or white); 3 Tbsp sugar (white, & you can use brown if you prefer); 1 tsp liquid smoke flavoring (or just a little less than 1 tsp); 1 tsp montreal burger or steak seasoning; 1 tsp celery seed; dash of garlic powder, and a dash of chili powder; 2 tsp worcestershire sauce

By Michelle Koletar/Mertz
@Mertzie

There are so many sloppy joe recipes out there. So many great ones! But, I always go back to the way my mom (Betty) made them. These are just your simple, old school bbqs--nothing secret or creative here. But, oh, so good. My son doesn't like any other kind of sloppy joe, so this is how we do it. Now, you can see in the pic that I don't dice my peppers & onions really, really fine. If your family is not veggie lovers, then grate those babies up & they'll never know they're in there. Sharing in case anyone wants a basic recipe, and these go great w/ the Aldine Hotel Baked Beans!

Rating:

★★★★★ 2 votes5

Serves:

6-8

Prep:

20 Min

Cook:

45 Min

Ingredients

Add to Grocery List

2 lb

ground chuck or sirloin (can use ground beef)
1/2

red pepper, diced
1/2

green pepper, diced
1

onion, diced
2

cups, ketchup
4 Tbsp

mustard, yellow (or less to your taste)
3 Tbsp

vinegar (apple cider or white)
3 Tbsp

sugar (white, & you can use brown if you prefer)
1 tsp

liquid smoke flavoring (or just a little less than 1 tsp)
1 tsp

montreal burger or steak seasoning
1 tsp

celery seed
·

dash of garlic powder, and a dash of chili powder
2 tsp

worcestershire sauce

How to Make Sloppy Joes - Betty's style

Step-by-Step

Salt your onions & peppers & get them sauteeing in a Dutch Oven or large pan. You want them to get softened. I don't add oil or butter to the pan.
In separate frying pan, get your ground chuck cooking up. I add salt & the worcestershire sauce @ this point. When the onions & peppers are done, remove them from the Dutch Oven & set aside. Now, take a slotted spoon & transfer the ground chuck to the Dutch Oven, leaving all that grease or juice behind in the old fry pan.
Really get your ground chuck sizzling now. Mama Betty always told me the good flavor came from getting your meat "really brown." I add more worcestershire sauce & some ground black pepper. You really shouldn't have any grease to drain @ this point & the meat should be getting nice & brown. Add a few sprinkles of hamburger seasoning, garlic powder & the celery seed.
Mix the ketchup, vinegar, mustard, liquid smoke & sugar in a bowl. When the beef is browned to your liking, pour this sauce overtop of it in the Dutch Oven & stir well. I then transfer everything to a crockpot & just keep it on warm. It gets really nice & moist that way, but Mama Betty always just cooked it low on the stove for about 45 minutes.
If you forget to add an ingredient as you're going, don't spazz out. Just go back & add it whenever you remember. (They're called SLOPPY Joes, not PERFECTLY NEAT Joes.) :) Plus, you will want to taste it throughout to suit your taste buds. I always salt the veggies & the meat, but then I don't add more salt unless I really think it needs it at the end. Black pepper -- I'm generous w/ that. Load this onto hamburger buns & enjoy!