Sloppy Joe’s were a reasonably new ‘thing’ with the masses when I was a kid. Families loved them so much, everybody had their own recipe – some of which were as simple as a can of ready-made ‘sauce’ from the store.
But at one time or another, everybody had them on the menu. One reason for that was, the concept had the bejaysus advertised out of it in the ‘Ladies’ ma-gazines as an ‘official test-kitchen recipe suggestion’ by the brand that popular-ized it and first sold it as the ultimate convenience meal in a can – Hunt’s.
I was further shocked to find, in the official product biography, that the canned product first appeared only in the 1960s. Way later than I had as-sumed!
But mine was a forgivable assumption, since the first in-print mention of what’s now considered an all-American deli-cacy first appears back around 1910, in a review of a Havana, Cuba, bar of the same name run by one José Abeal Otero. The original dish was definitely of Carib-bean-Mexican origin, inspired by ropa vieja or picadillo.
History becomes ‘sloppy’…
Here’s where history becomes a little sloppy… But – call me a romantic – it’s the version of the story I love most…
Fans claim the original Sloppy Joe’s bad had a regular who became a connoisseur of the dish, and brought it back home to Key West. Legend has it that Ernest Hemingway loved the sandwich so much that he convinced friend and Duval St. bar owner, Joe Russell, to change the name of The Silver Slipper to Sloppy Joe’s and start serving the sandwich as a headline menu item.
Ready for a come-back?
Of course. But not without the newstalgic touches I’ve discovered, scanning the multitudinous online recipes now showing’ on a monitor near you…
Foremost among the newstalgic touches for me is the ultra-glossy transparent sauce today’s recipe produces. That, when I was a kid, was a major ‘magical’ feature of the dish. For some reason, that visual feature – which I and other kids of the era considered ‘trademark’ – faded over the intervening decades. Bringing that red-tinged gloss back is a must!
An overall experience
Another must-have was simply the unique overall experience. I’ve been trying to nail down the single recipe feature that made the original Sloppy Joe so unique and mouthwatering. I’ve come to agree with recipe contributor Amanda, that, “some [in print today] were too sweet, others too spicy. Well guys, I finally got it. The perfect balance. This Sloppy Joe recipe is sweet, tangy, zesty and savory, with the perfect texture and consistency.”
For me, that includes what I’d call the perfect amount of drippy-but-not-runny glaze-come-sauce that never really was overly sloppy at all.
One newstalgic twist I can recommend, without question or pause, is the addition of a slice or two of classic American (Processed) cheese on top.You would also do well to upgrade the bun to something with a little character – anything with sesame seeds on top.
My take
Here’s a first: Today’s recipe is ‘advertised’ by the contributor as one of those everything you need for which is probably already in your pantry and fridge. I was shocked, but pleased to see, after just one glance down the ingredients list, that’s probably true. Though you may have to go to the store for the meat.
On the down side, there’s the inescapable ‘feature’ of this recipe that involves excess fat… Which pools on top of any leftover mixture and seizes up in little solid-white ice flows on a dark brown Arctic sea when cold. But for me, that just makes it all the more authentic…
~ Maggie J.