Sloppy Joe

Whenever I think of Sloppy Joes, it makes me think of the ones that were served in the school cafeteria. I never liked them as a kid, and never had any cravings for them either as an adult. That said, we had some ground beef and some condiments that needed to be used, so I decided to give Sloppy Joe's a whirl from scratch. They turned out really good, and even Dr. Sweetpea said he'll eat them again too. 

Sloppy Joes

(Source: Cooks Country)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 medium onion, chopped fine

1/2 teaspoon table salt

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1 pound 85 percent lean ground beef

Ground black pepper

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1 cup tomato puree

1/2 cup ketchup

1/4 cup water

1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

4 hamburger buns

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion and salt and stir until coated with oil. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft, about 10 minutes (if onion begins to burn after 5 minutes, reduce heat to low). Add garlic and chili powder and cook, uncovered, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add beef and cook, breaking up meat with wooden spoon, until just pink, about 3 minutes. Add 1/4 teaspoon pepper, brown sugar, tomato puree, ketchup, water, and hot sauce. Simmer until Sloppy Joe sauce is slightly thicker than ketchup, 8 to 10 minutes. Adjust seasonings. Spoon meat mixture onto hamburger buns and serve.