Think of these as adult sloppy Joe’s. None of that canned nonsense. My homemade bourbon sloppy Joe recipe, as you may call it, is legendary around my place. And it’s a super easy game day recipe that you can make no time at all! I chose to make my sloppy Joe’s with turkey to take a break from red meat, but you can use beef if you prefer.
If you’re wondering how to make homemade sloppy Joe sauce, it’s super easy. For mine, I did a simple mix of BBQ and ketchup, Worcestershire sauce (woo sauce), a squeeze of mustard, and a shot of bourbon. And don’t forget the most important ingredient of all time, Dan-O’s Seasoning! You will need to add some water to thin out the sauce, but you can use chicken broth for added flavor.
So about these veggies. You can use either a red or green bell pepper (I went green), and use roughly half an onion. I used the minced garlic that comes in the jar because I’m lazy. You should be chopping these very fine, so get out the slap chop! If you like heat, add a hot pepper. I used some fresh cayenne peppers from my garden and they added the perfect amount of heat and texture.
Don’t forget to add some Dan-O’s to your ground turkey! Because ground turkey is pretty flavorless. Definitely add 3 or 4 tbs to your sauce too! The filling will turn out bold, spicy, and sweet, with a mild bite of onion and a kiss of bourbon. You’ll get a nice herb and spice profile from the Dan-O’s too. This is the real deal!
I served these with no sides and I have no regrets. I made em extra sloppy too 😉 Hope you’re ready for the best homemade sloppy Joe recipe you can find! Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs of ground turkey (or beef)
- Half a large onion
- 1 small bell pepper
- 2 tbs minced garlic
- ½ cup BBQ sauce (sweet baby rays probably)
- ½ cup ketchup
- Squeeze of yellow mustard
- 2 tbs Worcestershire (woo sauce)
- A shot of bourbon (optional)
- Dan-O’s Seasoning
- Water or chicken broth
- Buns of choice
Preparation Instructions
- Finely dice pepper, onion and garlic. Set to side.
- Make sauce by mixing wet ingredients together. Stir in roughly half a cup of water or broth to thin out.
- Add Dan-O’s Seasoning to the sauce.
- Preheat skillet, and cook Dan-O’s Seasoned ground turkey until no longer pink. Drain after cooking.
- Add veggies and sauce to skillet and mix with ground turkey. Allow to simmer for roughly 10 minutes covered on medium-low heat. Stir and add water or broth as needed.
- Remove lid and remove from heat. Let cool down for roughly 5 minutes.
- Make your sandwiches extra sloppy.
- Enjoy!
I love sloppy joes and this recipe sounds delicious! I can’t wait to try it!