Two cups of ketchup?? For how much meat? That's a LOT of ketchup!

I do make a sloppy joe with ketchup and mustard, but not nearly that much! I also make a Mexican flavors, barbecue, and Greek flavors, with no ketchup. ;)

I don't use recipes, though.

I usually use 10% max fat, high quality ground bison or beef and don't drain it. If there's more fat, it renders out and you generally have to drain it off, though you could use it for the sauce base.

One trick is to use dehydrated vegetables. They soak up the bit of water that the meat releases, as well as the fat, whereas fresh veg release a lot of water which steams the meat unless you cook them way down, and make it no longer a convenience meal.

Since you don't want ketchup, if you want tomato-y, you could use some condensed tomato paste, like the stuff in the tube, and thin it with some madeira or port wine. Just make sure to add it early enough to cook off the alcohol or it'll taste boozy. You could use a splash of white balsamic vinegar if you don't want to use wine. You'll need to add some spices too. More S&P than usual, allspice, cloves, corriander, cayenne, cinnamon, onion and garlic... It's so much easier using the bottle. :)

If you're going to resort to brown sugar, however, you might as well use a little ketchup or barbecue sauce. Like 1/4-1/3 cup per pound of meat. (I just squirt, but I have measured.) If you just don't want factory made, some of the folks here make their own less sweet ketchups, and if you do a search you should find some recipes.

My ketchup and mustard version has dehydrated onions, dehydrated mixed vegetables (has a lot of multi-colored bell peppers along with other bits), dehydrated jalapeños, a big handful of dried parsley, S&P, ketchup, mustard, and a little super hot barbecue sauce (think Tabasco). The flavor I'm after is that of a hamburger sandwich with the fixings (except pickles, which are better as a relish smear on the bun).

This is for a fairly stiff mixture. If you want runny, go ahead and use fresh veg, and add enough wine or water to get the consistency you want. Good luck figuring out how to settle your craving!

I think Sloppy Joes are like potato salad. There are endless variations and recipes and everyone has their favorite versions. Mine is very simple but after years of trying different recipes, the one I like best.

HAMBURGER BBQ (SLOPPY JOES)

1 pound ground beef
1 large or two medium onions, finely ground or minced
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Brown ground beef and onion together in skillet over medium-high heat, breaking up meat as it cooks. Meanwhile, mix remaining ingredients together.

When meat is no longer pink, drain off any excess fat and pour sauce over meat and onion mixture and mix thoroughly. Return skillet to burner and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until onions are cooked through and sauce is reduced by half, about 20-30 minutes.

Notes: Additional salt shouldn't be necessary. There's plenty in the ketchup and Worcestershire sauce. Sometimes, I'll mix in a tablespoon of sweet pickle relish before serving. It's up to you what type of ground beef to use. I use half chuck and half round.

For larger quantities, just double or triple all ingredients and use a bigger pan. Freezes and reheats fine.

Sloppy Joes aren't quite as sloppy when served in hot dog rolls rather than hamburger rolls.

Hey, thanks you two! I looked on Chowhound and the excessive ketchup came up. I like a fairly firm slop. Just don't want it to taste like chili.

I confess to liking sloppy joes made with the cheap seasoning packets and have always made them the way my friend's mom did when we had sleepovers, with onion, peppers and olives added. (one of those good memory comfort food things). I've tried lots of recipes trying to get that familiar flavor and ran across one in a free ebook I downloaded. I think it has the fewest ingredients of any recipes I've tried, but we like it best. Go figure.

1 1/2 lb. ground beef
1 small onion
1/2 green pepper
1 c. tomato sauce
1/2 c. ketchup
1/2 c. water
1 T worcestershire sauce (I use more)
S&P

Original recipe called for 1/4 c. brown sugar and some flour, but I don't use either....was way too sweet.

Sloppy Joe recipes are as different and varied as the people who make them. I've used this recipe for 52-years. It was in our cooking instruction manual when I took a cooking class in 4-H when I was 10-years old. My mother also used the recipe, as did my daughter, and now my granddaughter uses it.

-Grainlady

Sloppy Joes
(serves 10-12)

1/2 c. finely chopped onion
1/4 c. finely chopped celery
1 T. fat (if using extra lean beef)
1 small can tomato sauce
1 T. vinegar
1-1/2 t. salt
pepper
1-pound ground beef
1/4 c. catsup
1 T. sugar

Melt fat in skillet (if needed). Brown beef along with onion and celery. Drain fat. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer for 10-20 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

Thanks to all for taking the time to reply. I'm going to work my way through your recipes. I've never used vinegar in Sloppy Joes before. Maybe that's key to the sweet/sour balance.