This sweet sloppy joes recipe is completely homemade and tastes like homemade BBQ sauce. Kids and adults will beg for it!
When it comes to easy beef recipes, it doesn’t get much easier than sloppy joes!
What Are Sloppy Joes?
Sloppy Joes are a childhood favorite! It’s basically ground beef in a tangy sauce. It reminds me of summer camp and one of my favorite school lunches. Surprisingly, it originated in Havana!
Kids love sloppy recipes, don’t they? I sure did!
While you can always just grab a can of Manwich, my recipe helps you make it homemade, which always tastes better.
What’s In Sweet and Smoky Sloppy Joes?
I took a Sloppy Joe recipe I found and married it to my mother in law’s meatloaf sauce recipe and made these. They are sweet and tangy and finger lickin’ good!
To make the sloppy joe sauce, I used the following combination of ingredients:
- Ketchup
- Brown Sugar
- Liquid Smoke
- White Vinegar
For the meat, I used ground beef. But you can use ground chicken or turkey. I don’t recommend using sausage. It won’t give you the same soft texture.
What To Eat With Sloppy Joes
I served my sloppy joes with some steamed veggies. But some kids like to eat them with french fries. For a healthier version, serve them with some zucchini fries or roasted kohlrabi fries.
Sweet & Smoky Sloppy Joes
This sweet sloppy joes recipe is completely homemade and tastes like homemade BBQ sauce. Kids and adults will beg for it!
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1/4 bag chopped frozen onion
- 3 cloves garlic pressed
- Salt
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons liquid smoke
- 1 Tablespoon white vinegar
Instructions
Brown the meat with the onions and garlic. Drain.
Add the meat to the sauce.
Serve on hamburger buns of your choice.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 471Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 101mgSodium: 812mgCarbohydrates: 42gFiber: 1gSugar: 36gProtein: 32g
Yum the sauce sounds yummy. We make homemade sloppy joes all the time!
Oddly enough, my husband doesn’t like them, but me and the kids sure do!
This is RIGHT up my alley Annie!! (A reason my blog isn’t food related as well LOL!)
Thanks for sharing this one 🙂
LOL Marcie, so glad I am not the only “non cooker” blogger. I go to so many blogs with delicious but difficult to make meals and I am like, “um, not me.” I hope your family enjoys this!
I love the idea of using liquid smoke!
The liquid smoke is what makes it almost taste like BBQ sauce. My MIL shared that secret with me :
YUMMY!
Kas
What the heck is liquid smoke? Sounds like a yummy recipe but I’m lost as to what that is.
In my grocery store it is near the BBQ sauce and salad dressings. It is a liquid that adds a smokey flavor to whatever you put it on 😉 I never knew this product existed until I met my mother in law. It is a must have for homemade BBQ sauce!
Definitely going to check it out. Thanks for the yummy recipe and for enlightening me on what liquid smoke is. 🙂
Ooh, I love sloppy Joe’s…bad girl, I gave up meat for Lent and you are TEMPTING ME! lol…I can’t wait until next week.
This sounds and looks delicious! I’m really in the mood for sloppy joes and can’t wait to try this recipe!
Wow, you actually make your own sloppy joe sauce? Way to go! I’m a lazy Mamwich mom. lol
These look yummy. I have not had sloppy joes in a while.
yummmmm!!