# Sloppy Joes **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [January 21, 2021, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sloppy-joes/931121 "2021-01-21T17:35:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2021, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sloppy-joes/931121/141 "2021-01-26T16:55:13Z")
Chicken spaghetti? One of my favorites! My husband hates it though, so I don’t make it very often. I made it with leftover turkey in early December. DEE-lish! ---
**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:** [January 26, 2021, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sloppy-joes/931121/142 "2021-01-26T16:57:25Z")
Wow. I’d never heard of it. I was chatting with my MIL about ham barbecues and sloppy joes. She mentioned that my gf’s favorite meal growing up was chicken spaghetti and I asked for the recipe. ❤ ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2021, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sloppy-joes/931121/143 "2021-01-26T17:00:25Z")
> **[Chicken Spaghetti Is One of the All-Time Greatest Comfort Foods](https://www.thepioneerwoman.com/food-cooking/recipes/a11729/chicken-spaghetti-recipe/)** > > This really is a fabulous casserole, and the only one in existence that my husband will eat! BUT - I put lots more veggies in it - like celery and mushrooms. And I make homemade mushroom soup with almond milk for it. (I double the recipe and freeze half.) ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2021, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sloppy-joes/931121/144 "2021-01-27T14:48:47Z")
My mom would make a giant batch of spaghetti and meatballs for one meal and then with the leftovers she would cook chicken thighs in the sauce. Sometimes she’d put the thighs in the sauce right from the start. The meat would just fall off the bones. It was really good. I haven’t had that in probably 40 years! I just don’t think of it when I make spaghetti. When my sister and I were kids (elementary age) we HATED sloppy joes. I remember one night we had them for supper and we wouldn’t eat them. My dad got mad and said we couldn’t leave the table until we ate. So there we sat all alone, kind of crying, pouting, putting up a fuss. Then my sister took a bite and immediately threw up. Then I threw up because I saw her throw up! That was the one and only time my dad TRIED to force us to eat anything. I think it was a texture thing when we were kids. We both love sloppy joes now. Every time we have sloppy joes at a get-together we reminisce about that fateful night. ---
**Author:** ![tofor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tofor/32/13727_2.png) [@tofor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tofor)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2021, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sloppy-joes/931121/145 "2021-01-27T14:56:27Z")
Last night my 6yo wanted to add ketchup to the sloppy joe. I did go pretty light on the ketchup in the sauce, so I allowed it. Then she wanted to add vegetables from the salad “to make it more like a hamburger”. Yes, of course. I can’t object to adding vegetables to your sweet beef sandwich. She did ask for seconds, but eventually concluded, “I like hamburgers better. Can we have hamburgers tomorrow?” ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2021, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sloppy-joes/931121/146 "2021-01-27T19:43:23Z")
> [@TRC4941](#): > > Sometimes she’d put the thighs in the sauce right from the start. The meat would just fall off the bones. It was really good. I haven’t had that in probably 40 years! I just don’t think of it when I make spaghetti. [This version](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O56qgx1iQHc) came out pretty well when I tried it recently 🙂 . ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2021, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sloppy-joes/931121/147 "2021-01-27T20:39:19Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > [This version](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O56qgx1iQHc) came out pretty well when I tried it recently 🙂 . Mmm! I am so making this. That dude’s sing-songy voice about drove me up a wall, though! I turned off the sound and just read closed caption. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2021, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sloppy-joes/931121/148 "2021-01-27T21:31:00Z")
> [@Rebo](#): > > That dude’s sing-songy voice about drove me up a wall, though! It’s fairly polarizing 😆. Folks either find it soothing in a Bob Ross sort of way or aggravating as hell. It’s not his normal speaking cadence - he claims it mostly isn’t deliberate but rather an artifact of how he has learned to edit his videos with numerous takes spliced together. His very early lo-fi videos have a lot less of it. I like him, though. His humor is mildly amusing, but mostly its that his videos are concise while simultaneously being pretty thorough and methodical. And his various adapted recipes are mostly solid and easyish to execute. ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2021, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sloppy-joes/931121/149 "2021-01-28T14:49:53Z")
I’d never monkey around with a whole chicken. Picking it apart is way too much work for me. I would just use some skinless thighs. The meat falls off on its own. But it sure looks good! ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2021, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sloppy-joes/931121/150 "2021-01-28T16:11:32Z")
In today’s news feed was a recipe for Sloppy Joe casserole topped with Tater Tots: > **[Dean shares recipe for Sloppy Joes Casserole with Tater Tots](https://wgntv.com/morning-news/deancooks/dean-shares-recipe-for-sloppy-joes-casserole-with-tater-tots/)** > > On his weekly cooking segment, WGN Entertainment Reporter Dean Richards shares recipe for Sloppy Joes Casserole with Tater Tots. Ingredients: 1 pound ground beef1 large yellow o… ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2021, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sloppy-joes/931121/151 "2021-01-28T16:13:40Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > Sloppy Joe casserole topped with Tater Tots Basically a shepherd’s pie. ---
**Author:** ![FriendlyCurmudgeon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friendlycurmudgeon/32/5786_2.png) [@FriendlyCurmudgeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriendlyCurmudgeon)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2021, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sloppy-joes/931121/152 "2021-01-28T23:22:42Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Basically a shepherd’s pie. Sans the corn or celery. ---
**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:** [January 29, 2021, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sloppy-joes/931121/153 "2021-01-29T01:15:22Z")
Shepherd’s pie is made with ground lamb. If it’s made with beef, it’s a cottage pie. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2021, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sloppy-joes/931121/154 "2021-01-29T15:00:48Z")
Depends on where (and when) you are, really. Here in the US, the distinction isn’t really made that strictly and hasn’t been for at least a hundred plus years, at least in the cookbooks that I’ve consulted (and some have a different distinction between shepherd’s and cottage pie, with the former being topped with mashed potatoes, and the latter being topped with layered slices of potatoes, imitating the titled roof of a cottage.) Originally, the term “shepherd’s pie” referred to the pie regardless of what type of meat was used. But, more important, corn? OK, I’ll put corn occasionally in a shepherd’s/cottage pie, whatever you want to call it, but I was pretty sure that’s a decidedly controversial addition. I don’t think celery is standard, either (that one I skip – not because I don’t like celery, but because I just wasn’t taught to cook it with celery.) ---
**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:** [January 29, 2021, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sloppy-joes/931121/155 "2021-01-29T17:13:44Z")
Taco Johns makes a “Taco Burger” which is their regular taco ingredients but on a bun which is steamed for some reason. I crave one now and then. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2021, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sloppy-joes/931121/156 "2021-01-29T19:25:13Z")
The bun is steamed so the taco meat nestles into it and just doesn’t fall out when you try to take a bite. Del Taco did the same thing with their dear departed “Bun Taco.” ---
**Author:** ![mtnmatt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a3d4f5/32.png) [@mtnmatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mtnmatt)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2021, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sloppy-joes/931121/157 "2021-01-29T20:12:38Z")
Jimboy’s Tacos, a local chain here in CA, offers burger patties with the usual fixings, but in taco shells instead of buns. This is (now) billed as a gluten-free offering. To further confuse things, they dust the taco shells in parmesan cheese. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2021, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sloppy-joes/931121/158 "2021-01-30T05:16:21Z")
Yes Eonwe, and furthermore it’s amazing. Folks, you gotta check out this culinary masterpiece from Essex County New Jersey. - 3 slices of thin rye bread - Sliced turkey, sometimes ham, sometimes both. Remember you have 2 layers to work with. - Cole slaw. This is the key ingredient, combining with the meat with both texture and flavor - Swiss Cheese - Russian Dressing, not too much I think I see from google that the Millburn Deli now ships these out nationwide, but I wouldn’t recommend that as freshness is key (the bread can get saturated after a while). Instead, try making your own. Won’t be as good, but still worth the effort I say. Best sandwich in New Jersey: [Millburn Deli Has 'Best Sandwich In NJ,' Report Says | Millburn, NJ Patch](https://patch.com/new-jersey/millburn/millburn-deli-has-best-sandwich-nj-report-says) Available as an individual sandwich or catering style. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2021, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sloppy-joes/931121/159 "2021-01-30T05:46:29Z")
> [@FriendlyCurmudgeon](#): > > Once the ground beef is brown, it’s not done cooking yet. Once all the moisture is gone you’ll hear the crackling of the beef cooking in its own fat. Stir for about a minute then it’s done. You’ll find there isn’t as much to drain after that as well. Personally I don’t drain it the fat adds flavour - I know it’s not healthy but whatever. My experience is that, if I don’t I don’t remove the juice, the hamburger meat never quite gets that slightly harder shell that I love–kinda like a steak sear. The juice seems to contain too much water or something that keeps it too moist. If I drain it, within a very short amount of time, I have that slight sear. Granted, the sear is more important in some applications than others. It wouldn’t be as important in Sloppy Joes due to the sauce, and is harder to do when the hamburger meat stays in crumbles, as it’s so easy to overcook and make it into dry crumbles. ---
**Author:** ![FriendlyCurmudgeon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friendlycurmudgeon/32/5786_2.png) [@FriendlyCurmudgeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriendlyCurmudgeon)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2021, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sloppy-joes/931121/160 "2021-01-30T06:35:47Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > My experience is that, if I don’t I don’t remove the juice, the hamburger meat never quite gets that slightly harder shell that I love–kinda like a steak sear. The juice seems to contain too much water or something that keeps it too moist. If I drain it, within a very short amount of time, I have that slight sear. Yeah that juice is mostly water, small portion of it is fat. I’d want to keep that fat. > [@BigT](#): > > Granted, the sear is more important in some applications than others. It wouldn’t be as important in Sloppy Joes due to the sauce, and is harder to do when the hamburger meat stays in crumbles, as it’s so easy to overcook and make it into dry crumbles. Once it’s start searing, if you don’t take care of it quickly it will over cook. Once I hear it start, I stir for about a minute non-stop and it’s done. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sloppy-joes/931121.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sloppy-joes/931121.md?page=9)