RIDGE & ROOT RECIPES: SLOPPY JOES
- Matt Welsch
- Jul 9
- 2 min read
Sloppy Joes don't need reinventing.
They need doing right, the kind of right that gets lost when everybody's rushing. Real ground beef, mashed fine, tenderized the same way a diner cook would, and a sauce built layer by layer instead of dumped from a can.
This is the version we make in the kitchen, scaled down for your stove. Watch how it comes together, then go make a mess of it.
I can't think of homemade sloppy joes without remembering the first time I made them with WV bison from Riffle Farms. This was a good time!
Recipe — Serves 8
Ingredients:
2 T water, divided
1 t plus ¼ teaspoon baking soda, divided
2 lb 85 percent lean ground beef
1 t plus ¼ teaspoon table salt, divided
4 t vegetable oil
1 ea onion, chopped fine
4 ea garlic cloves, minced
4 t packed brown sugar, plus extra for seasoning
4 t paprika
½ t red pepper flakes
½ C tomato paste
⅔ C ketchup
2 T red wine vinegar, plus extra for seasoning
2 T Worcestershire sauce
1 t cornstarch
Method
Combine 1 tablespoon water and 1 teaspoon baking soda in a small bowl.
In a large bowl, toss beef with baking soda mixture and 1 teaspoon salt until thoroughly combined. Set aside.
Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pan or pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and the remaining ¼ teaspoon of baking soda, and stir to coat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in sugar, paprika, pepper flakes, and the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, and cook, stirring constantly, until the paprika is fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until paste is rust-colored, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the beef and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
Mash the beef with a potato masher until finely textured, about 1 minute. Add ketchup, vinegar, and Worcestershire and stir to combine, scraping up any browned bits. Combine cornstarch and the remaining 1 tablespoon of water in a small bowl, then pour the cornstarch mixture over the beef and stir to incorporate.
Cook, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens and coats beef, about 1 minute. Season with salt, extra sugar, and extra vinegar to taste.
Spoon beef mixture onto buns and serve.
ENJOY!
-- Chef Matt