Sloppy Joe Day And A Recipe For The Iconic Dish
This edition of Dishin’ With Debbie checks in on a favorite sandwich with a storied history. And, it just so happens there’s a national day celebrating it. It’s time for Sloppy Joe Day with a history lesson about its origins and a recipe to make at home.
Origins Of The Sloppy Joe And National Sloppy Joe Day
So, how did we get the sloppy joe? And, how did it get a national day of celebration? Well, story has it the sandwich got its start in 1920 in Havana, Cuba. A bartender concocted the dish based on a Cuban recipe of shredded beef, tomato sauce and spices. His name was Jose and supposedly, he kept a messy floor wet from melted ice and he got the nickname ‘Sloppy Joe.’
Other stories claim it may have been inspired by the loose meat sandwich in Sioux City in the ’30s. Then, ketchup maker Hunt’s marketed the sauce in a can in 1969. It was a convenient way to whip up the sandwich just by reheating the canned sauce.
So, however the sloppy joe came to be, I’m certainly glad it did. It’s always been one of my favorite comfort foods. I ate plenty of it as a kid. And, a few years ago I came across some variations of a sloppy joe. And, I decided to merge some of the recipes to give it a try. Oh my, it was delicious.
Therefore, I figured it’s only fair that I share it with you. And, since March 18 every year is National Sloppy Joe Day, it’s good to have a solid Sloppy Joe recipe in your back pocket.
You can use any ground protein of choice. I use a lean ground beef. But, it would work with ground turkey or ground chicken or pork as well. What really matters are the components of the sauce that flavors the meat. Then, as an added bonus, I like to put some mayo on a fluffy bun and melt a slice of American cheese on top of the Sloppy Joe mixture. Bon Appetit!
