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Sloppy Joes


SobaAddict70

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well, for those who couldn't, i did it for you.

i saw the "not-so-sloppy" brand, but decided to stick with hunt's manwhich. oh boy, was it good.

wilfrid will be pleased to know that i served it with a cold "newkie brown", which he no doubt "enjoyed as a teenager," but has since "grown out of."

also, baked beans, because there is just nothing wrong with beans. no fat, few calories, and lots of flavor.

and 2 pickles, because i love acidic stuff. i love acidic wine, lots of vinegar on sandwiches, and yes, pickles.

the next time i will try two brands side-by-side to compare.

fd41ab81.jpg

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tommy, does it actually slop off the sides or is it relatively stable? :unsure:

Nice picture, by the way.

"I've caught you Richardson, stuffing spit-backs in your vile maw. 'Let tomorrow's omelets go empty,' is that your fucking attitude?" -E. B. Farnum

"Behold, I teach you the ubermunch. The ubermunch is the meaning of the earth. Let your will say: the ubermunch shall be the meaning of the earth!" -Fritzy N.

"It's okay to like celery more than yogurt, but it's not okay to think that batter is yogurt."

Serving fine and fresh gratuitous comments since Oct 5 2001, 09:53 PM

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Surprised that no one has mentioned Maid-Rites on this thread...

i just looked up Maid-Rites and the first website said

"You had to be a teenager in the 1950's in Iowa or Illinois to know about these."

i don't recall ever being in Iowa or Illinois, and if i was, it certainly wasn't in the 50's! :smile:

very sloppy-joe like. i might try it actually.

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As a kid in central Missouri, we had a brand called Juicyburger. It was available canned and cooked, or as a spice mix to make your own. I think it was a local product, and have no idea if it's still made. It could be made without visivle tomatos, and that was a real plus for me at the time.

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you brown and drain the ground meat. i was going to grind my own, as i have been doing lately, but didn't have the time.

the stuff in the can is basically tomato puree/paste, sugar, garlic power, onion powder, green and red bell peppers, salt, like dat.

i tried to find Manwich on the Hunt's site, but they must be hiding it pretty well. :smile:

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Wow Tommy that is beautiful. The photo quality too--everything really just came together.

Gotta admire how Hunt's or whomever makes Manwich has hung on to that name all these years, NOT degenderizing it. And now, lookit, they end up with an absolutely authentic so-square-they're-cool reputation. Good on them, I say.

I have prepared the Heinz brand, I think it is, Sloppy Joe from the can. It was a real trip, cookingwise, I mean, how often do I get to brown the proverbial pound of ground beef? Not often--making Marcella Hazan's ragu Bolognese is a slightly different trip. And so you brown, brown brown brown, and pour in the can contents, and heat, and, hey presto, dinner is served! And not only that, the assembled eaters really like it.

The side o' baked beans is an inspired addition, too, I think.

Priscilla

Writer, cook, & c. ●  Twitter

 

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S&S Sloppy Joes

1 T Worsty

1 T dried onion flakes

1/2 t garlic powder

celery salt to taste

1/2 C catsup

1/4 t chili powder

1 T brown sugar

1 T vinegar

1 T yellow prepared mustard

6 oz cooked meat

Mix all ingredients and simmer in saucepan til thickened.  Serve hot or cold on buns (good picnic sandwiches), or in chafing dish with small rolls alongside.

Now - for the "cooked meat" you can use anything.  And I mean anything.  Sometimes I'd cut up weiners.  I've used leftover turkey after Thanksgiving.  I very frequently used a can of drained tuna.  

For the traditional ground beef, I brown the beef in the skillet, and saute the onions and fresh garlic, sometimes chopped bell peppers, just as you'd imagine, then simmer it all till thick.  But it's just as good with dried onions and garlic powder.

After all the talk about sloppy joes, I made this recipe last night.

They were very tasty and we'll be doing them again soon, especially as the weather gets colder.

I made the traditional hamburger meat ones, and added green peppers too like you said.

Thank you Jaymes.

:rolleyes::rolleyes:

edit - I had tried almost all the commercial brands like Manwich and the seasoning packets but wasn't that happy. these are much better.

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i'm with that gordon who cooks fellow:  extra onion is always a good thing.  (manwich has the onion).  little bits of celery wouldn't kill ya either, unless your name is sandra.

My all time favorite topping to use on a SJ has to be chopped raw onion.

=Mark

Give a man a fish, he eats for a Day.

Teach a man to fish, he eats for Life.

Teach a man to sell fish, he eats Steak

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Mmm, manwich, a forgotten epicurean delight from childhood. I had forgotten manwich, until friends in Manhattan reintroduced us. We get together about 4 times a year now for 'manwich night.'

Our last dip in the manwich pool was this past September 11th -- living in New York, and all having being personally affected in one way or another, I can't tell you how ideal the evening was -- rememberance without immersion, over comfort food ... no tv. Manwich, sweet corn on the cob, baked beans, salad. My favorite toppings are raw onion and jalapeno.

While on this thread -- does anyone remember Taco Bell's 'Bellbeefer'? Fond memories there as well, but unfortunately the Bellbeefer has gone to Taco Bell heaven with the Enchirito.

--m.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I think I might take the plunge tonight, as I spotted the amusingly named "Manwich" in my local pharmacy (I kid you not). And I am too infirm to eat anything fancy.

I have some home made baked beans to accompany it, and I can "phut" gently to myself while watching the ball game.

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Anyone know what Andrea Strong looks like? :biggrin: Foodie Babes (and hunks, don't want to be overly sexist), the new sex symbols.

Of course, the title of HRW's article is "The Truth About MY Dinner Party" (emphasis added). Yeah yeah, I know editors make up the headlines, it's not her fault, it's what her readers want. . . .

Would this fall under the broad definition of sloppy joe or is a tomato sauce a generic convention? Ground meat, either beef or turkey, oyster sauce, soy sauce, rice wine or dry sherry, chili sauce or sambal olek, green onions, onions, garlic, and ginger. If I want more sauce, then I add chicken stock and thicken it with a bit of corn starch.

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  • 2 weeks later...

God, Soba. Now I'm craving one. The best ones, or I should say the only ones I remember were in grade school in Barrington Illinios when it was snowing outside.

They'd be piping hot, and yes, the bun was cheap and would always fall apart.

They would melt in your mouth, and were just the perfect combination of savory and tangy and juicy and dripping.

When you were finished you always felt so sated in that sixth grade kind of way. Not tired, but full and happy.

I never eat crappy food anymore, but the memory of a midwest sloppy joe makes me want one, and makes me remember the Christmases there, and snow days, and these things called slush mugs where you would put grape fanta soda into this special cup and it would turn to slush. And hot chocolate. And getting your tongue stuck to icicles and your mittens stuck to the frozen metal chains of the swings in the playground.

After that we all want to middle school and listened to Peter Frampton and Rod Stewart and developed burning crushes on boys and all that.

But during the lunchroom sloppy joe days, I don't know, things seemed clearer, like the sky seemed really black and the stars were really white and the snow flakes were really big and wet and they stuck to you.

If I were going to make a sloppy joe I would have to have one just like that, cheap bun and all.

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Recipe: Sloppy Joes

Adapted from TriBakery

Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup finely diced onion

1 teaspoon minced garlic

2 pounds lean ground beef

1 cup tomato paste

2 3/8 cups tomato purée

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

1 teaspoon puréed canned chipotle in adobo

1 bay leaf

12 kaiser rolls or hamburger buns

12 slices cheddar cheese.

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, warm oil, and sauté onions until translucent, 5 to 6 minutes. Add garlic, and sauté for 30 seconds. Add ground beef, and sauté until well browned, 15 to 20 minutes.

2. Add tomato paste, tomato purée, chili powder, Tabasco, chipotle and bay leaf. Stir until blended. Raise heat to bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer mixture, stirring occasionally, until thick enough to spread on a sandwich, about 45 minutes.

3. To serve, heat a broiler. Slice the rolls open and place them under the broiler until lightly toasted, turning as necessary. Ladle about 1/2 cup onto the bottom of each roll, and top with cheddar cheese to taste. Return bottom halves to the broiler until cheese just melts. Top with the remaining halves, and serve immediately.

Yield: 12 servings.

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A Different Take on Sloppy Joes

freshly ground chuck

onions

lots of garlic

chilli sauce (degree of heat depends on kids' tolerance)

soy sauce

worcestershire sauce

S&P

tomato sauce or puree

fresh bean sprouts

Brown chuck, onions and garlic; add remaining ingreds except bean sprouts and simmer til very thick and deep red/brown.

Stir in 3 or 4 fistfulls of bean sprouts and simmer until either soft or just heated through (dependent upon your kids' preferences of soft or crunchy)

Our kid #1 preferred the sprouts soft and the mixture served on a soft roll; kid #2 liked the sprouts super crunchy and the mixture spooned over oven-crisped torn bread chunks

Had no idea that prepared sloppy joe mix (?manwich) was available -- given the track record of canned foodstuffs, it doesn't sound too appealing. If I'm going to eat junky (different than 'junk') food, at least it should be something I've made!

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  • 4 years later...

I want sloppy joes. I've got some chile con carne spice mix from Penzey's. They say

Spicy flavor, but no heat. A great way to give chili flavor to other dishes. Just sprinkle on chicken, fish or chops, 1-2 tsp. per pound, add salt to taste. Good on grilled vegetables. Hand-mixed from: Ancho chili pepper, tomato powder, ground cumin, Mexican oregano, garlic, coriander, minced onions, red and green bell peppers, Tellicherry black pepper, allspice, cilantro and cloves.

Can I adapt this to make sloppy joes? Any idea how I would do it? I would guess to use 2 tsp/lb of meat, then add some tomato paste and water, and perhaps some sugar. I was thinking 1 can of tomato paste, but how much water? Maybe 1/2 cup?

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Yep....

Last few times I made Sloppy Joes I started with 50 pounds of ground meat (beef, pork, turkey) and a bunch 'o canned 'maters. Filled up two 20 gallon pots... to about 80% and stirred with paddles for 2 hours. Fed lunch to about 600 guys. What didn't get fed... became the starter for dinner beans. Was a great lunch meal for a huge crowd. Better 'n the typical hamburger bun tho' is to use a Kaiser roll split in half. Since we did this in the desert-- dessert was Popsicles on dry ice... hard enough to nail through hundred year old wood. Several thoughts about the actual recipe. You want the actual mix to be a cousin to chili, to spaghetti sauce (but without the sweet and oregano flavor)... to have a hearty quantity of chopped fresh onion and garlic... and enough hot pepper to give a bite, but not a sting. If you need to thicken it... consider using a corn meal slurry. If you want to sweeten it, try molasses. And if you want it to be richer... butter the buns. But... fer crying out loud--- don't put greens in it, no bell pepper, no green leafy spices, this is supposed to be reddish brown trail like food. It's supposed to be on top of yer beer belly, yer boots and the shelf of yer blouse! And if you walk away clean it's like the 1960's -- if you remember 'em-- you weren't there! (Harumph!) And in fall... it goes great with fresh sweet corn! Now excuse me.... I've got to finish my hot and sour soup and get back to work.

hvr

"Cogito Ergo Dim Sum; Therefore I think these are Pork Buns"

hvrobinson@sbcglobal.net

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Like HVRobinson said, sloppy joes are a definite hybrid of the flavors of chili, spaghetti sauce, plus I would say a bit of bbq sauce flavor thrown in as well. Here are my two suggestions.

1) When you got a powerful craving and don't feel like making them from scratch, order this stuff: Sloppy Boudreaux Sauce from the Cajun Power Sauce company. I tried it and it's really good. I haven't had Manwich sauce for years so I don't know how it stacks up against it, but it tastes authentic enough to me.

2) Okay, DON'T KILL THE MESSENGER :raz: , but I've made Rachel Ray's version of sloppy joes and it was good. I tweaked the recipe a little bit 'cause I usually don't follow any recipe to the letter anyway; can't remember exactly how, probably just added a pinch of this or a dash of that until I got the taste I was looking for. Give it a try Rachel Ray's Sloppy Joes. Tyler Florence did a recipe for them years ago on TFVN's Chef du Jour--I think it included a little beef stock and homemade ketchup--but I can't find the recipe anymore.

Inside me there is a thin woman screaming to get out, but I can usually keep the Bitch quiet: with CHOCOLATE!!!

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