Slow Cooked Shredded Beef Sloppy Joes With Pickled Jalape Os

Are you ready for big, messy, proper weekend food? Because that’s what we’ll be discussing in class today. I have had a serious, and I mean serious thing for Sloppy Joes ever since I was a child. As a South African, we didn’t know Sloppy Joe’s and I think it was “It takes two” (that classic Olsen twins movie) that got it started. That scene where the fancy one takes a bite of what she calls “the big gooey messy burger” and then falls in love, had me intrigued. And let me tell you, that fascination has never stopped. I’ve been making them every since (the first time with the help of my grandma who had no idea why I wanted “bolognese on a bread roll”). And now my kids love them as much as I do.

How do you make Sloppy Joes?

Instead of using beef mince (ground beef), I decided to make a really slow, almost-ragu with beef shin. When cooked low and slow, the shin becomes meltingly tender and enriches the sauce with its marrow and beefiness. To get some extra nutrition into the kids (and ourselves), I made a really vegetable-heavy base for the sauce consisting of onions, red bell peppers, carrots and a few turnips I had in the fridge. But you could add chopped courgette, aubergine, mushrooms and even leafy greens like kale or spinach. Because the vegetables also cook for hours and hours, they become so soft, you can just squish them with the back of your wooden spoon. This helps to thicken the sauce and is great for any picky eaters who pick out cubes of carrot and discard them with their noses turned up. The shredded beef is then added back to the sauce and cooked, uncovered, until the mixture has reduced. This is a fantastic alternative to pulled pork and all the vegetables add so much flavour and complexity to the finished dish. Not to mention that you’re getting a pretty hefty portion of veg in without even knowing it.

What can you put on Sloppy Joes?

I served the Sloppy Joes topped with grated mature cheddar (what else?!) and a few pickled jalapeños. You really need something sharp and acidic to cut through all the richness in the meat sauce. Any pickle will do, but I love the tangy bite the jalapeños add. You could serve these by themselves but I added potato chips because when is that not a good idea? Although this is a classic kid friendly dish, I think my husband and I enjoyed it even more. Add a few beers and good friends and you’ll have one helluva meal!