Summertime is almost here! That means it’s time for picnics and cookouts, for grilling and kicking back in the evening. One of Phillip Wiglesworth’s favorite recipes for summer picnics is homemade Sloppy Joes. His kids love it, and so will yours!
Cooking the beef
Phillip Wiglesworth recommends draining the fat from the sloppy joe meat as it browns. This keeps your sandwiches from getting too greasy and your buns from getting too soggy. However, if that’s something you don’t mind (or even enjoy), by all means, keep the fat in there!
You can also experiment with the type of meat. Some people don’t like beef. If you’re one of those people, you can sub out the ground beef for ground turkey or ground chicken instead.
If you don’t like too much of a crunch in your meat, you can also chop the green peppers more finely. Phillip cuts his about the size of a pinkie fingernail, so you can get that nice crunch in every bite.
Seasoning your Sloppy Joes
When adding all the seasonings to your meat once it’s cooked, you can experiment liberally here. You can use whatever kind of ketchup you’d like for your sloppy joes, although Phillip Wiglesworth likes making his own ketchup best. And if you don’t like brown sugar, you can sub out maple syrup. If you want more of a kick, you can add a bit more Worcestershire sauce and ramp up the cayenne pepper.
You can serve them with pickles on your favorite hamburger buns or freshly baked hoagie rolls.
What else should I eat with them?
You can eat literally anything with your sloppy Joes, Phillip Wiglesworth says. You can make tater tots or French fries. Or if you’re trying to eat a bit healthier, you can eat your favorite fruits and veggies, like strawberries, carrots and celery. You could then finish up your meal with some freshly made raspberry ice cream.
The perfect summertime lunch recipe that your kids will love!
- 1.5 lb. ground beef
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1 green pepper, chopped (about 1 cup)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups water
- 3/4 cup ketchup
- 1 Tbsp packed brown sugar
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- dash of Worcestershire sauce
- pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
- 6 hamburger buns
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Add beef and onion to a large skiller over medium heat. Cook, stirring to break up lumps, until beef is browned, about 10 minutes. Drain excess fat.
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Add green pepper and garlic; cook, stirring, until softened, 2-3 minutes. Add 1 cup water and bring to a boil, scraping up browned bits from bottom of skillet.
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Stir in ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Add remaining 1 cup of water and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and continue simmering, uncovered, until liquid has evaporated and mixture thickens, about 40 minutes. Stir occasionally.
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Stir in cayenne (if desired). Serve on buns with pickle slices!
