# A Sloppy Joe question **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [November 26, 2024, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-sloppy-joe-question/1010786 "2024-11-26T02:51:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2024, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-sloppy-joe-question/1010786/41 "2024-11-27T15:54:14Z")
There was a sloppy joe thread a year or three ago that induced me to make them for dinner one night. My gf was impressed, not having had one in a millennia or two. It started a bunch of comfort-food dinners, including Spaghetti Chicken (my gf’s entry), Barbecued Ham Sammies, Matzo ball Soup, and Chopped Liver (my three contributions). ---
**Author:** ![Grestarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grestarian/32/3227_2.png) [@Grestarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grestarian)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2024, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-sloppy-joe-question/1010786/42 "2024-12-25T22:09:57Z")
I was wandering through the store a few weeks back (around the time the OP posted this thread, actually) and thinking, “What shall I make to freeze for my _oops I forgot to plan for dinner_ nights?” and decided I’d make some Manwich into portions to thaw-and-reheat on short notice. And it occurred to me that the format of the bun with sloppy joe sauce leaking out the back was not condusive to my coding/gaming all-nighters at a computer keyboard. It also occurred to me that the hot dog buns on the shelf in front of me seemed to hold about the same volume of meat as the hamburger buns on the shelf next to them and they would do fine so long as I didn’t overload the sloppy mess. So I bought hot dog buns instead of hamburger buns, made my Manwhich ‘Extra Thick and Chunky’ sloppy joes with extra thick and chunky ground sirloin, and filled eight out of twelve divots on a cupcake pan with equal portions of the mess. After freezing them for a couple hours, I dumped the portions into cupcake papers\*, stuck the portions into a freezer ZipLock bag and stuck the bag in the freezer with the hot dog buns. When I fail to plan ahead and suddenly find myself hungry in the middle of a coding (or gaming) streak, I pull a bun and a sloppy joe portion out of the freezer and let them thaw for 45min on the counter. The meat is still half-frozen by then, so while I’m toasting the bun in a toaster oven for 3 min, I’m heating the sloppy joe mix in a ramkin (after peeling off the cupcake paper) in the microwave oven for 1 minute, stirring it, then blasting it for another 30 seconds. By the time the mix is ready, the bun is also ready. I learned to eat hot dogs by lifting them horizontally and biting off the end. Tipping the hot dog to eat it would always let the ketchup – yeah, I prefer my hot dogs with just ketchup; Pit me for it later – slide off the back and be lost forever. So I lift the Manwich-on-a-bun horizontally, too, in order to avoid losing the sloppy-joe stuff. I guess it’s kind-of a chili-dog without the dog? –G! \*In a previous attempt, I discovered that lining the cupcake tin with papers first resulted in soggy paper sticking to the food later on. Freezing the mix first, then using cupcake papers later helped to keep the pre-measured portions in separate units that didn’t stick to each other in the freezer. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2024, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-sloppy-joe-question/1010786/43 "2024-12-25T22:43:10Z")
There was a very short-lived product in the 50s(?) called “Weiner Wagons” which were like trough shaped buns. They would have been perfect for your application. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2024, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-sloppy-joe-question/1010786/44 "2024-12-25T23:18:25Z")
A version that _might_ work for the OP, or for a modification of what @Grestarian mentions: I have a set of silicone “ice stick” trays that are designed to make frozen rods about the size of a highlighter. > **[Amazon.com: Water Bottle Ice Cube Tray - 3-Piece Quick-Freeze Ice Trays with 10...](https://www.amazon.com/Water-Bottle-Ice-Cube-Tray/dp/B0843H8P6H)** > > Online Shopping for Kitchen Utensils & Gadgets from a great selection at everyday low prices. Free 2-day Shipping with Amazon Prime. I normally use them after making a big batch of saag in the slow cooker, and put it in trays and freeze. Easy to extract (comparatively) and we then wrap the rods in eggroll wrappers and pan fry for Saag eggrolls. Do the same with a pre-cooked sloppy joe (you’d probably want it to be cooked to a finer chop than usual though) and it should be easier to insert the rod into a soft roll for heating, or wrap it in whatever dough you have on hand for the same. ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2024, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-sloppy-joe-question/1010786/45 "2024-12-27T06:28:12Z")
Add [Pirozhki](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pirozhki) I’ve eaten Pirozhki from [here](https://piroshkybakery.com/), and I think a drier sloppy joe mixture would work well. Add [Borek](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%B6rek) Again, a drier sloppy joe mixture would work well. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2026, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-sloppy-joe-question/1010786/46 "2026-02-22T03:43:09Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > You know how pastries are injected with filling? Would it be possible to fill an uncut hamburger bun with Sloppy Joe mixture via injection? FYI, Alton Brown (of Good Eats fame) has a YouTube show called Alton Brown Cooks Food and [today’s episode](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuIrfFp5wpQ) is on the subject of Sloppy Joe buns. Pretty much what you’re describing except he’s baking the buns with the Sloppy Joe mix in them rather than injecting already baked buns. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2026, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-sloppy-joe-question/1010786/47 "2026-02-22T13:37:45Z")
> [@Disinfectus](#): > > I had an aunt who used to make what she called “kraut burgers” She would roll out Pillsbury dough, cut into squares, fill each with a dollop of seasoned ground beef and top with cabbage. Then fold into a pocket and bake. These are called _pirozhki_ in Russian, the diminutive of _pirozhok_, or “pie.” They can be either baked or deep-fried (I prefer the latter) and contain other ingredients like onions and rice. They’re fairly common street food throughout Eastern Europe, I don’t know if it’s still there, but there was once a “Russian tea room” on University Avenue in St Paul, MN. They flogged pirozhki as “Russian hamburgers.” I ate there sometimes when I was in college back in the '80s. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2026, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-sloppy-joe-question/1010786/48 "2026-02-26T23:55:59Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Burritos > Tacos > Uncrustables > Steak and kidney pie > Pizza rolls And pasties. Don’t forget pasties, Cornish and otherwise! ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-sloppy-joe-question/1010786/49 "2026-02-27T09:07:23Z")
> [@Die\_Capacitrix](#): > > Add [Borek](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%B6rek) And their cousins, the [Bourekas](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bourekas). ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-sloppy-joe-question/1010786/50 "2026-02-27T12:23:37Z")
> [@LurkMeister](#): > > My aunt, in a humorous attempt to sound classy, used to call Sloppy Joes “Untidy Josephs”. On the TV show “Family Affair”, the very [proper butler Mr. French called “Sloppy Sams” “Untidy Samuels”. Either your aunt was quoting the show, or Great Minds Think Alike. I’ve never understood why the show changed “Sloppy Joes” to “Sloppy Sams”. It‘s not as if they were trademarked or anything. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-sloppy-joe-question/1010786/51 "2026-02-27T15:56:31Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > On the TV show “Family Affair”, the very [proper butler Mr. French called “Sloppy Sams” “Untidy Samuels”. Either your aunt was quoting the show, or Great Minds Think Alike. I’m not sure if she could have been quoting the show, since I seem to remember hearing her say it before “Family Affair” was on the air. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-sloppy-joe-question/1010786/52 "2026-02-27T20:08:13Z")
I searched the thread and didn’t see it posted so…. Alton Brown basically just did this on his [new channel.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuIrfFp5wpQ) ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-sloppy-joe-question/1010786/53 "2026-02-27T20:09:41Z")
I mentioned it upthread. > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > FYI, Alton Brown (of Good Eats fame) has a YouTube show called Alton Brown Cooks Food and [today’s episode](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuIrfFp5wpQ) is on the subject of Sloppy Joe buns. Pretty much what you’re describing except he’s baking the buns with the Sloppy Joe mix in them rather than injecting already baked buns. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-sloppy-joe-question/1010786/54 "2026-02-27T20:50:15Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I mentioned it upthread. gdamn it. I literally used “search this page” and nothing came up. And weirdly, it still doesn’t except for after my post. ::shrug:: ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-sloppy-joe-question/1010786/55 "2026-02-27T21:31:34Z")
The local version, which is injected with cheese, rather than sloppy joe mix, is called a “juicy lucy”. It was featured on Guy Fieri’s show. You bite into it and molten cheese scalds your chin. I don’t see why you couldn’t put anything you like in the middle. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-sloppy-joe-question/1010786/56 "2026-02-27T23:12:03Z")
That’s a hamburger with cheese in the middle ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2026, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-sloppy-joe-question/1010786/57 "2026-02-28T00:21:35Z")
I misread the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Disinfectus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/disinfectus/32/11085_2.png) [@Disinfectus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disinfectus)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2026, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-sloppy-joe-question/1010786/58 "2026-05-02T01:06:45Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > These are called _pirozhki_ in Russian, the diminutive of _pirozhok_, or “pie.” They can be either baked or deep-fried (I prefer the latter) and contain other ingredients like onions and rice. They’re fairly common street food throughout Eastern Europe, That’s quite interesting. The side of my family that makes them are of Czechoslovakian descent, but I don’t know if there is any krautburger lineage, or if they just got the recipe off of a box of Pillsbury dough. Regardless, thanks for sharing that! ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2026, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-sloppy-joe-question/1010786/59 "2026-05-02T12:13:33Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > I’ve never understood why the show changed “Sloppy Joes” to “Sloppy Sams”. It’s not as if they were trademarked or anything. Probably for the same reason the British called US soldiers in WWI “Sammies” instead of “Tommies”—in reference to Uncle Sam. The appellation was not adopted by American troops, who preferred “Doughboys.” The name stuck because their high-collared khaki uniforms with large buttons up the front made them look like ginger cookies. “Tommies,” BTW, came from “Tommy Atkins,” roughly the British equivalent of “GI Joe.” The term was supposedly coined by the Duke of Wellington in 1843, in honor of a soldier with that name. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2026, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-sloppy-joe-question/1010786/60 "2026-05-02T12:40:50Z")
When I was teaching English in Czechoslovakia 30+ years ago, the most popular street food seemed to be _langoš_—deep-fried dough topped with shredded cheese and ketchup, in lieu of proper tomato sauce. They were cheap and quite good! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-sloppy-joe-question/1010786.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-sloppy-joe-question/1010786.md?page=4)