For some reason, I always forget about sloppy joes when planning our menus. Of course, we like them when we eat them, but it’s a treat. This particular recipe for sloppy sloppy joes came about because we ate hamburgers over the weekend and had extra buns that needed to be eaten (waste not, want not and all that).
The technique I’ve outlined below for browning ground beef at a higher heat to cook off the grease (rather than needing to drain it) came from a recipe in a cookbook I rarely use. The technique is a huge time-saver, and I don’t have to find a place to dispose of the grease—a complete “win” in my book.

Sloppy Sloppy Joes Recipe
Sloppy joes are my go-to snack when I have some minced beef and rolls in my kitchen. I like the flavour and I love how it fills me up quickly. And did I tell you I like my sloppy joes extra sloppy? Find out in this recipe why I call it sloppy sloppy joes.
Ingredients
2 pounds ground beef (minced beef)
1 yellow onion - chopped
1 green pepper (green capsicum) - any colour
4 cloves garlic - minced
6 ounces tomato paste
12 ounces beer
2 ½ teaspoon chili powder (chilli powder in British English)
1 teaspoon paprika
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
¼ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon oregano - dried
½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium or medium-high heat. As soon as it’s brown (with the grease still in the pan), add the onion and pepper and continue cooking until the grease evaporates or the onion is tender. Add the garlic and continue cooking for about a minute. If there is still grease, drain it, but I’ve never needed to do so when using this method to brown – by the time everything is cooked, the grease has cooked off.
- Add the tomato paste and beer and stir until well mixed. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Continue to cook everything over medium heat until the mixture has reached your desired consistency.
- I like to butter both halves of our buns and then stick them under the broiler for a few minutes until nice and toasty. I recommend you do this, too.
Nutrition
Calories: 488.3kcalCarbohydrates: 20.9gProtein: 28.3gFat: 30.7gSaturated Fat: 11.7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 13.4gTrans Fat: 1.9gCholesterol: 107.4mgSodium: 540.7mgPotassium: 835.2mgFiber: 2.4gSugar: 14.1gVitamin A: 1340.8IUVitamin C: 34.7mgCalcium: 71.1mgIron: 4.7mg
How did this recipe turn out for you?We’re eager to hear your thoughts!