Sloppy Joes are one of those comfort foods that makes you think of family and home. This twist on an old classic is not to disappoint – Smoke compliments this dish quite well. Homemade Sloppy Joes beat the canned stuff hands down.
- 1 lb. ground beef and pork mixture
- 1 small onion chopped
- 1 small bell pepper chopped
- 6 oz. can tomato paste
- 1/3 cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon garlic (minced)
- Salt to taste
- Ground pepper to taste
- Bacon drippings
- Onion rolls (toasted)
- Apple wood chunks (optional)
- Marinated coleslaw (optional)
In a large mixing bowl, combine the meat mixture, chopped onion, chopped pepper, tomato paste, ketchup, chili powder, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix well. Store in the refrigerator for 2 hours to allow the flavors to form.
Set your Goldens’ Cast Iron Cooker up for baking using the diagram on this page and bring the temperature up to 350 degrees. If you are using wood for smoke, now is the time to add it to your hot charcoal. Adjust your Goldens’ Cast Iron Cooker, bringing the temperature down to 250 degrees. Carefully place an empty cast iron skillet on top of the grates and allow it to get hot. Brush the inside of your hot skillet with bacon drippings. Carefully spoon the Sloppy Joe mixture into the hot skillet and level the mixture for even cooking. You should hear sizzling as soon as the meat touches the hot skillet. Close the dome and bake for about 1 ½ hours stirring the mixture every 30 minutes. Be sure to burp the cooker before opening the dome fully. Baking this dish adds that wood smoke flavor we all love.
Carefully remove your skillet from the cooker. Spoon the Sloppy Joe mixture onto a toasted onion bun, top it with our Confetti Marinated Coleslaw and serve.
