From Scratch Sloppy Joes

SKU:

Ditch the pre-made seasoning packet.


An unlikely yet perfectly balanced sweet/sour/salt trinity of Bulldog Tonkatsu sauce, Worcestershire sauce and red wine vinegar is what gives these Sloppy Joes their yum.

Ingredients

Splash of olive oil
1 one-pound package of ground beef, turkey or chicken
1 onion, chopped
1 small red bell pepper, cored and chopped

​¼ cup brown sugar
2 good squeezes of Bulldog Tonkatsu Sauce
2T red wine vinegar
2T Worcestershire sauce
1 large can (14.5oz) tomato sauce
Green onion slab bread, herb slab bread, ciabbatta, or King’s Sweet Bread sandwich rolls

Condiments (all optional)
Sliced tomato
Slices or grated sharp cheddar cheese
Your favorite mustard
Relish

What To Do

Add just enough oil to coat the bottom of a pan very lightly. Add meat and break it up as much as possible. Add the onions and cook until soft.

Add red peppers, Bulldog sauce, red wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, and tomato sauce. Bring to a low boil and then simmer for at least 10 minutes, and ideally 20. 

Toast bread the bread of your choice, and build your own Sloppy Joes, with or without condiments.

Notes

  • The best I can describe the flavor of Bulldog Sauce is a mash-up of catsup, American BBQ sauce, and maybe shoyu. Bulldog Tonkatsu Sauce is found in most Asian grocery stores and some Safeways. 
  • To get to the no-packet recipe, I used to my favorite research tool, Google—182,000 hits. I went through the ‘biggies’: Food Network, AllRecipes, Epicurious, plus a bunch of church cookbooks.
  • I tried catsup, shoyu, chili powder, honey and mustard until I got to Bulldog sauce, Worcestershire sauce and red wine vinegar. The experimentation process was very un-tasty at times, but I haven't used a seasoning packet since.
  • My preferred version is open-faced with a slice of extremely sharp cheddar cheese, a drizzle of mustard and relish. However, my children think this is just plain gross, and eat it traditional sandwich style with slice of cheddar.

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