Get ready to indulge in a classic American favorite – easy sloppy joes! This quick and flavorful recipe is perfect for cooking over a campfire, busy weeknights or casual gatherings. With simple ingredients and minimal effort, you’ll have a crowd-pleasing meal in no time.
Nothing beats this childhood classic, the Sloppy Joe. This filling is made with a hearty beef and bacon mince sautéed with onions, peppers, and a pinch of spice. It’s the perfect messy campfire meal to bring you back to your childhood.
From these Whiskey Brats to this Pit Beef Sandwich, we’re all about taking the classics to a whole new level with a little campfire magic. Take these Classic Sloppy Joes, for example. Made with a few basic ingredients like ground beef, bell peppers, bacon, and ketchup, these easy homemade Sloppy Joes are anything but ordinary. Forget the canned sauce and soggy hamburger buns. This hot take on an old favorite will make you fall in love with these loose meat sandwiches all over again!
What Are Easy Sloppy Joes?
This simple Sloppy Joe recipe starts off with cooking the potatoes in foil over a campfire. Obviously, if you’re not camping, you can totally make this recipe at home on the stovetop ahead of time or on a propane camp stove. Next, we make our homemade Sloppy Joe sauce with real ingredients like ground beef, bacon, onions, bell peppers, Worcestershire sauce, spices, and more. Sayonara, can of manwich! Lastly, we top our piping hot baked potatoes with the cooked meat mixture and garnish with crispy onions.
Ingredients
This campfire Sloppy Joe recipe is made up of an easy ingredient list that’s perfect for a camping trip.
- Bacon – Cut into 1” pieces.
- Onion
- Green Pepper and Red Pepper
- Jalapeño
- Garlic
- Cumin
- Over Easy Spice Blend
- Ancho Chili Powder
- Ground Beef – You can use lean ground beef if you prefer!
- Ketchup
- Mustard
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Crispy Onions – For topping, if desired. But seriously, use them.
How to Make Easy Sloppy Joes
All you need is a cutting board, aluminum foil, and one cast iron skillet from start to finish for this one!
COOK THE POTATOES
- Wash and dry the potatoes, then poke with a fork and wrap each potato separately in foil.
- Place the potatoes over well-maintained embers and cook, rotating every 10-15 minutes.
- After 25 minutes, carefully remove the potatoes from the fire and place them onto a baking tray.
- Allow them to sit for 5 minutes before carefully peeling back the foil. Brush with oil and season with salt.
- Wrap the potatoes again and return to the fire to cook for another 25-30 minutes.
MAKE THE SLOPPY JOES
- Place a large cast-iron skillet over the fire and allow it to preheat.
- Add the bacon and cook, stirring often, until crispy.
- Mix in the onions, red peppers, and green peppers. Season with a pinch of salt and sauté until soft. Add in the minced jalapeño and cook for 30 seconds longer.
- Add the spices: cumin, Over Easy, paprika, and Ancho chili powder, and stir to coat the onion mixture.
- Mix in the ground beef and cook for 10-15 minutes, until evenly browned.
- Add the ketchup, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce and stir to combine, then allow the mixture to simmer over the fire for 10-15 minutes to thicken to desired consistency.
ASSEMBLE
- Carefully open each foil-wrapped baked potato.
- Cut a line in ⅔ of the way through the center of the potato and fluff the potato with a fork to break it up.
- Spoon heaping portions of the Sloppy Joe mixture on top and garnish with crispy onions if desired.
girlCarnivore Expert Recipe Tips
- Make the filling ahead of time, then reheat it in a cast-iron skillet over indirect heat on a campfire, in a pan on the range over low heat, or in the microwave in short bursts. The filling will last up to 3 days in the fridge.
- Measure your spices ahead of time and pack the spice blend in pre-mixed baggies or reusable jars.
- Prep your veggies and garlic (slice and mince) beforehand and store them in resealable containers.
- Chop the bacon at home, then pack it up so it’s ready to go. This makes for easier prep and much easier cleanup.
- Use leftovers over skillet eggs in the morning for breakfast with a side of cast iron chorizo o’brien hash.
- Add hamburger buns, kaiser rolls, or brioche buns for the ultimate sloppy sandwich. Or pile it on and make Sloppy Joe Garlic Bread!
- Swap out the baked potato for some toasty tater tots!
What to Serve With Easy Sloppy Joes
We love to serve the sloppy joe filling over fluffy baked potatoes and topped with crispy onions! But if you’re not a fan of baked potatoes, feel free to serve it on a traditional bun with a side of smoked baked beans or potato salad, over the top of french fries for a fun twist on chili fries, or even in taco shells with a sprinkle of taco seasoning mixed into the filling!
Leftovers & Reheating
Leftover Sloppy Joe meat will last in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. If you have access to a freezer, put it in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 6 months.
Recipe FAQs
You can use ground chicken or ground turkey to make your Sloppy Joes!
No worries! You can use a mixture of soy sauce, ketchup, and white wine vinegar!
Absolutely! If you want to get super fancy, you can even make your own ketchup by making a mixture of apple cider vinegar, tomato paste, brown sugar or maple syrup, and a spice blend!
More Campfire Recipes
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Seafood
Charcoal Grilled Tilapia
Recipes With Pork
Camping Make-Ahead Breakfast Burritos
This simple recipe is anything but ordinary. Even picky eaters will appreciate the sentiment of the smoky Sloppy Joe sauce on top of a hot baked potato. Whether you need a quick recipe for busy nights or need another camping recipe to add to your list, these easy Sloppy Joes will bring you back to those childhood days when life was just a little more carefree. Fire up your skillet and experience the good old days with every sloppy bite. Also, please rate the recipe card and leave a comment below to help out the next reader!
Cast Iron Sloppy Joe Baked Potatoes
Recommended Equipment
- Reynolds Wrap® Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil
Ingredients
For the potatoes
- 4 Idaho® potatoes russets
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- Salt
For the sloppy joes
- ¼ lbs Bacon cut ito 1” pieces
- ½ Onion chopped
- ½ Green pepper chopped
- ½ Red pepper chopped
- 1 jalapeno seeded, stemmed and minced
- 3 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 tbsp Cumin
- 1 tbsp Girl Carnivore Over Easy Spice Blend
- ½ tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp Ancho chili powder
- 1 lbs ground beef
- 1 cup Ketchup
- 1 tbsp Mustard
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- Crispy onions for topping
Instructions
Cook the Potatoes
- Wash and dry the potatoes. Poke with the tines of a fork and wrap each potato in foil.
- Place the potatoes over well-maintained embers and cook, rotating every 10-15 minutes.
- After 25 minutes, carefully remove the potatoes from the fire and place them onto a baking tray.
- Allow the potatoes to sit for 5 minutes before carefully peeling back the foil.
- Brush with oil and season with salt.
- Wrap the potatoes again and return to the fire to cook until tender, about 25-30 more minutes, depending on the heat of your campfire.
Make the Sloppy Joes
- Place a large cast-iron skillet over the fire and allow it to preheat.
- Add the bacon and cook, stirring often until crispy.
- Add the onions and red and green peppers, season with a pinch of salt, and saute until soft, about 5 minutes.
- Add in the minced jalapeno and cook 3 minutes longer.
- Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds longer.
- Add the cumin, Over Easy, paprika, and Ancho chili powder and stir to coat the onion mixture.
- Add the ground beef and cook, 10 to 15 minutes, until evenly browned.
- Add the ketchup, mustard, and Worcestershire and stir to combine.
- Allow the mixture to come to a simmer over the fire and cook down for 10 to 15 minutes.
Assemble the potatoes
- Carefully open each foil-wrapped baked potato.
- Cut a line in ⅔ of the way through the center of the potato and fluff the potato with a fork to break up.
- Spoon heaping portions of the Sloppy Joe mixture on top and garnish with crispy onions if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
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