Best Sloppy Joe Sauce
Rich, sweet-tangy homemade sloppy joe sauce — clings perfectly, tastes like childhood upgraded.
Ingredients
- Sloppy Joe Sauce:
- 1½ cups ketchup
- ½ cup water or broth
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 3 tbsp Worcestershire
- 2 tbsp yellow mustard
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp each garlic powder onion powder, salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Whisk all sauce ingredients.
- Brown beef + onion + pepper; break fine.
- Pour in sauce; simmer low 10–15 min until thick.
- Pile on toasted buttered buns + cheese + pickles.
Notes
- Simmer = thick, glossy sauce
- Freezes 4 months — dinner in 10 min
- Adjust sweet/tang/heat to your taste
- 80/20 beef = juiciest results
- Day 2 leftovers = even better