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Sloppy Joe Sandwiches with Dill Pickles

Growing up as a kid, I always enjoyed eating a good Sloppy Joe sandwich. Normally, we would just eat the canned version. The recipe here requires some patience and love, but is definitely worth the effort.
If you are in a rush to make these more quickly, simply brown the ground beef and combine with the green peppers and onions until the beef is cooked. And then add the sauce.
The version described below involves a slower-cooked ground beef product that is softer than the quickly-sauteed version.

Ingredients

  • 3 Tbsp salted butter
  • 1 whole large white onion, small dice
  • 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
  • 16 oz ground beef, roughly 75-85% lean
  • 1.5 tsp kosher salt
  • ½ cup whole milk
  • ½ cup chicken stock
  • 1 Tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • ½ green bell pepper, small dice
  • 2/3 cup ketchup
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 2 Tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tsp dried yellow mustard powder
  • ½ tsp ground cayenne pepper
  • 2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tsp Tabasco sauce
  • Kosher salt & freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
  • 5 fresh brioche burger buns
  • 5 Tbsp softened butter
  • 1 cup sliced dill pickles, as garnish
  • 3 scallions, finely sliced, as garnish

Instructions

  • Add the salted butter to a saute pan and add the diced white onion.
  • Cook on medium heat for 15 minutes, or until the onions are translucent.
  • Remove onions and set aside for later.
  • Wipe out saute pan and turn heat to high.
  • Add vegetable oil when the pan is hot and wait until the vegetable oil is nearly smoking.
  • When vegetable oil is really hot, salt the ground beef and brown it in very large chunks quickly on two sides.
  • Turn heat to medium-low, add the onions back in and add the whole milk and chicken stock.
  • Simmer on medium-low heat until all of the liquid has evaporated and the meat is softened to your desired consistency.
  • Add the tomato paste and garlic and green bell pepper and continue to cook for an additional 10 minutes.
  • Add the ketchup, water, brown sugar, yellow mustard powder, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, Worcestershire sauce, and Tabasco sauce and stir to combine.
  • Cook for an additional 15 minutes.
  • Taste and season with salt & freshly-ground black pepper.
  • When the saucy ground beef mixture is seasoned and ready, butter the brioche buns with softened butter and place under the broiler or on a medium-heat saute pan until they are golden brown.
  • When the saucy ground beef mixture is seasoned and ready, butter the brioche buns with softened butter and place under the broiler or on a medium-heat saute pan until they are golden brown.
  • Spoon Sloppy Joe ground beef mixture onto toasted and buttered buns.
  • Top with dill pickles and a sprinkling of freshly-sliced scallions.
  • Serve immediately.

Notes

Any extra Sloppy Joe mixture can be frozen for later use. You might even want to make a double batch of the meat mixture and freeze half of it.