Sloppy Joes

keith has a few meals that he's perfected, and his Sloppy Joes are right at the top of that list. The original recipe was from Bobby Flay,  but keith has made a few changes to the recipe - including changes just this past weekend after making them again. For instance the original calls for serving these on toasted & garlicky sourdough bread. Instead keith went old-school and served them on big, white, fluffy hamburger buns!

This is one of those dishes that makes me think of my childhood. Of course we had Manwhich from a can - but to a kid in Whitehall, Ohio that was pretty decadent. And I think I usually got more of the Sloppy Joes on myself than I did in my mouth - which is another reason I loved them so much and we had them so rarely growing up. :)

We served these with some simple roasted potatoes. Comforting and delicious meal all around.

Sloppy Joes
1 Tbl. canola oil
2 lbs. ground beef (calls for 80/20 - we used 90/10)
Salt
Pepper
1 C red onion, small dice
1/2 C celery, small dice
1/2 C red bell pepper, small dice
1/2 C yellow bell pepper, small dice
1/2 C poblano pepper, small dice (we used an Anaheim instead)
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 Tbl. chili powder
1 1/4 C BBQ sauce (keith suggests using more next time)
1/4 C water
1/4 C ketcup
1 Tbl. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbl. honey
1 Tbl. brown sugar
1 Tbl. molasses (keith suggests using a tiny bit less next time)
2 Tbl. apple cider vinegar
1/2 C flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Heat the oil over high heat in a large, high-sided saute pan until the oil begins to smoke. Add the beef, breaking it up into small pieces using a wooden spoon. Season with salt & pepper to taste, and cook until golden brown. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon to a plate. Drain off all but 1 Tbl. of the fat from the pan.

Add the onion and celery and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the peppers and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the chili powder and stir it through cooking for about 30 seconds. Add the BBQ sauce, water, and ketchup and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring often, for about 5 minutes until thickened. Reduce the heat to medium-low and stir in the mustard, Worcestershire, honey, brown sugar and molasses. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the cover and continue cooking until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes longer. Add the vinegar, and season with salt & pepper. Stir in the parsley, and serve on bread.