Zesty Sloppy Joes
Originally published in Taste of Home August/September 1995, these sandwiches are a hit for big family gatherings. I have never served them without getting recipe requests. A fantastic blend of seasonings in a hearty sandwich means no one can eat just one.
Originally published in Taste of Home August/September 1995, these sandwiches are a hit for big family gatherings. I have never served them without getting recipe requests. A fantastic blend of seasonings in a hearty sandwich means no one can eat just one.
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 3 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
- 3/4 cup brown sugar packed
- 1 cup onion chopped
- 1 tablespoon prepared mustard
- 8 oz tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon ground mustard
- 4 pounds ground beef
- 1 cup green pepper finely chopped
- 21 1/2 oz condensed tomato soup undiluted
- 15 oz thick and zesty tomato sauce
- 20 hamburger buns
- Carbohydrate 111.977396997759 g
- Cholesterol 181.141439686009 mg
- Fat 48.5462834233384 g
- Fiber 2.05141079803501 g
- Protein 52.1046515765925 g
- Saturated Fat 24.766220743369 g
- Serving Size 1 1 - (652g)
- Sodium 2253.27546358134 mg
- Sugar 109.925986199724 g
- Trans Fat 3.99550150866312 g
- Calories 1090 calories
Step-by-step
- In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink.
- Add green pepper.
- Cook and stir for 5 minutes; drain.
- Add the next 10 ingredients; bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
- Serve on buns.
Controlling Moisture and Meat Texture
Rushing the initial browning phase creates unevenly cooked meat with excess water content. Ground beef contains substantial intramuscular fat and moisture that must render out before aromatics enter the pan. Cook the four pounds of beef over medium heat rather than high heat to prevent the proteins from tightening too quickly into hard pellets. When breaking apart the meat with a wooden spoon, aim for a fine, uniform crumble so the sauce can coat every particle evenly. Introducing the chopped green peppers after the onions and beef have begun to brown ensures the peppers retain slight structural integrity instead of dissolving entirely into mush during the long simmer.
The Science of the Hour-Long Simmer
Abandoning the saucepan too early leaves the sauce watery and disjointed. Combining ketchup, brown sugar, tomato soup, and multiple tomato sauces creates a high-sugar liquid base that requires precisely one hour of covered simmering to break down. Stir the mixture every ten minutes during this reduction phase to prevent the dense sugars from scorching at the bottom of the Dutch oven. Visual doneness is achieved when the sauce transitions from a bright, separated red to a deep, glossy mahogany and clings thickly to the spoon without pooling runny liquid at the edges.
