Sloppy Joes, Slop, Sloppy Joes

I just want you all to know that Mitch and I had that song stuck in our heads all day yesterday. He came over early yesterday afternoon to spend Election Day with us. That song just embedded itself in our brains. Yes we sang it just like Adam Sandler, over and over and over again. When Jesse asked what were having for supper I could have simply said “Oh Master Jesse we will be dining on the sloppy Joe’s tonight”. But did I say that…..Noooo. I had to have my hips a swinging, wooden spoon in hand like a microphone and belt out the tune that had been swimming around in my cranium all day long “Sloppy Joes, Slop, Sloppy Joes”. He then proceeded to give me a very strange look, sigh heavily, and slowly walked away. I think half the fun of making these was getting to sing that song over and over again.

If you haven’t heard the Adam Sandler Lunch Lady song then you probably have no idea as to what in the heck I am talking about. Don’t try looking it up on You Tube, we couldn’t find the cool version with Chris Farley dancing in it. It's a true classic.

So what led up to this whole Sloppy Joe night was that I decided that I wanted to make something fairly quick and easy for dinner last night. My guys love Sloppy Joes. I don’t make them as often as they would like so I decided it was time to give them some made from scratch (no Manwich in sight) Sloppy Joes.

I used a Dave Lieberman recipe and tweaked it to my likings as I always do. At first I was hesitant about the soy and Worcestershire, but in the end, I have to say, these were really flavorful and were busting with tangy flavor. A keeper for sure.

This recipe made a big old batch. Enough for 6 big buns, with a good amount of leftovers.

Sloppy Joes
Adapted from a recipe by Dave Lieberman
Printable recipe
3 pounds ground beef
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, roughly chopped
3 cloves crushed garlic
3- 4 tablespoons of tomato paste
2/3 cup BBQ sauce
¾ cup ketchup
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup soy

Heat the oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add the onions and cook until tender. Add the beef and garlic. Crumble and break up the beef as it cooks. Drain any liquid and return mixture to the pan.

Stir in the tomato paste until the meat is coated. Add the BBQ, ketchup, Worcestershire and soy. Bring to a boil and cook until sauce it thickened. About 3- 5 minutes.

You can make these in advance and just re-heat over low heat or nuke it in your microwave.