BBQ Sloppy Joes swap the usual tomato sauce for barbecue sauce: ground beef browned with onion and red bell pepper, simmered in barbecue sauce loosened with a little ketchup and water, then piled onto buns and topped with melted cheddar. It takes 20 minutes and feeds 6.
How to make them: Brown and drain 1 1/2 pounds of ground beef, soften the onion and pepper in the pan with salt and pepper, and stir in a cup of barbecue sauce, 1/4 cup of ketchup and 1/2 cup of water. Simmer uncovered for 5 to 10 minutes, then spoon onto buns and top with shredded cheddar.
Why You’ll Love It
- 20 minutes: 5 minutes of prep and 15 in one skillet.
- Your favorite sauce: any bottled or homemade barbecue sauce works as the base.
- Feeds 6: a pound and a half of beef fills six buns.
- Freezer friendly: make a double batch and freeze the rest for a quick dinner later.
Ingredient Notes
Ground beef: One and a half pounds, browned and drained.
Onion and red bell pepper: Half an onion and half a red bell pepper, both finely chopped, cooked with the beef until soft.
Barbecue sauce: One cup, the flavor base. Use the one you like best on ribs or chicken.
Ketchup and water: A quarter cup of ketchup and half a cup of water loosen the barbecue sauce into a spoonable sloppy joe sauce.
Salt and pepper: Half a teaspoon of each. Barbecue sauce is already salty, so taste before adding more.
Buns and cheddar: Six hamburger buns and a cup of shredded cheddar for the top.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
- 1/2 onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup barbecue sauce
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1/2 cup water
- 6 hamburger buns
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
How to Make Barbecue Sloppy Joes
1. Brown the beef. In a medium skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef until browned and no longer pink (160°F). Drain off any excess grease.
2. Soften the vegetables. Add the onion, red bell pepper, salt and black pepper. Cook until the vegetables are softened.
3. Add the sauce. Stir in the barbecue sauce, ketchup and water and mix well to combine.
4. Simmer. Reduce the heat to low and cook uncovered for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the flavors are well combined.
5. Serve. Serve the mixture on the hamburger buns and top with the shredded cheddar.
Can You Just Use Barbecue Sauce for Sloppy Joes?
Yes. Barbecue sauce makes a good sloppy joe base on its own; it just needs a little help to turn into a loose, spoonable filling. These are the things to adjust.
Loosen it. Straight from the bottle, barbecue sauce is thick. This recipe thins it with 1/2 cup of water and adds 1/4 cup of ketchup. Another way is 1/4 cup of water with 1 1/2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and a tablespoon of yellow mustard for a tangier sauce.
Go easy on the salt. Barbecue sauce is already salty. Add salt sparingly while the beef cooks, then taste after simmering and adjust.
Break up the beef. Use a wooden spoon to break the meat into very small pieces as it browns.
Simmer to the thickness you like. Keep it at a gentle simmer on low, uncovered, stirring now and then, for 5 to 10 minutes, until it is as thick as you like.
Tips for Success
- Drain the grease: pour off the fat after browning, before the vegetables go in.
- Toast the buns: while the sauce simmers, toast them in a toaster oven or a dry skillet.
- Chop the vegetables small: the onion and pepper go in finely chopped.
Make It Ahead and Freeze
The cooked filling freezes well, so it is worth making a double batch. Freeze the leftovers, then reheat and serve on buns on a busy night. For a slow cooker freezer meal, brown the beef and let it cool, put it in a freezer bag with the rest of the ingredients, and freeze. On cooking day, the frozen bag goes straight into the slow cooker to cook all day.
Variations
- Tangy: use 1 pound of lean ground beef, a whole finely diced onion, 1 cup of barbecue sauce, 1/4 cup of water, 1 1/2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and 1 tablespoon of yellow mustard. It makes 4 sandwiches.
- With tomatoes: simmer the beef with a can of diced tomatoes, 2/3 cup of ketchup, 1/3 cup of barbecue sauce, 2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce and diced green bell pepper, covered, for 10 minutes. Add diced pickled jalapeños and a little of their juice for heat, and serve on Texas toast.
- Slow cooker: brown the beef, then add it and everything else to the slow cooker.
Storage & Reheating
USDA FSIS says to refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow, covered containers and eat them within 3 to 4 days, or freeze them for 3 to 4 months. Reheat the filling to 165°F, or bring it to a rolling boil as FSIS advises for sauces, before serving on fresh buns.
What to Serve With It
Serve with baked zucchini fries or a bowl of pasta salad. For more sloppy joes, try slow cooker Amish beef sloppy joes or Philly cheesesteak sloppy joes, and for other ground beef dinners, patty melts with secret sauce or hamburger steaks with onion mushroom gravy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I just use barbecue sauce for sloppy joes?
Yes. Thin a cup of barbecue sauce with water and a little ketchup, or with water, cider vinegar and mustard, and simmer it with the browned beef.
What is the difference between BBQ and regular sloppy joes?
The sauce. BBQ sloppy joes use barbecue sauce as the base. Our slow cooker Amish sloppy joes, for comparison, are made with ketchup, brown sugar, yellow mustard and cider vinegar.
Can I make them in the slow cooker?
Yes. Brown the beef first, then put it in the slow cooker with the rest of the ingredients.
Can I freeze BBQ sloppy joes?
Yes. Freeze the cooked filling, then reheat it and serve on buns.
Final Notes
Drain the beef, loosen the sauce, and taste before you salt. If you make them, tell me how they turned out in the comments.
BBQ Sloppy Joes
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Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
- 1/2 onion finely chopped
- 1/2 red bell pepper finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup barbecue sauce
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1/2 cup water
- 6 hamburger buns
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
Instructions
- In a medium skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef until browned and no longer pink (160°F). Drain off any excess grease.
- Add the onion, red bell pepper, salt and black pepper. Cook until the vegetables are softened.
- Stir in the barbecue sauce, ketchup and water and mix well to combine.
- Reduce the heat to low and cook uncovered for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the flavors are well combined.
- Serve the mixture on the hamburger buns and top with the shredded cheddar.
