Saucy Janes

Saucy Janes

Hello! The Girl Child loves sloppy joes. I’m not a huge fan of the canned stuff, not even the bold and spicy version. Did you know there are anchovies in there?? I like to make mine from scratch. So, meet Saucy Jane, Sloppy Joe’s sassy sister!

Saucy Janes are ground beef, red onions and green bell peppers cooked in a sauce that has a little kick to it. I like knowing what’s going into my food and I like customizing things to what my family likes. These aren’t over the top spicy, they’ve just got enough heat for you to feel a little kick. You can control that kick by adjusting the seasoning to your preference. My Man doesn’t like things that are extremely spicy and he loves these.

Here’s what you’ll need:

2 – 2 1/2 lbs ground beef

1 large green bell pepper (diced)

1/2 large red onion (diced)

5 cloves garlic (minced)

Hot sauce (I use Frank’s Red Hot)

Worcestershire sauce

Salt and black pepper (to taste)

2 TBSP packed brown sugar

1/2 cup ketchup

1 cup BBQ sauce

1 cup water

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp dry mustard

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Corn starch

Buns for serving

Ok. Let’s do this!

Brown the meat in a large, deep skillet over medium high heat. Salt and pepper to taste. Drain off any fat.

Add the green peppers and onions to the skillet. Stir and allow to cook for a couple of minutes.

Beef, onions and peppers

Pour in water. Add ketchup, BBQ sauce and garlic. If you don’t have BBQ sauce, just use all ketchup. Stir to combine.

Next, add the brown sugar, chili powder, dry mustard, red pepper flakes, a few dashes of hot sauce and a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce. Stir to combine.

Give it a taste. If you find the sauce too spicy, try adding a little bit of red wine vinegar to take the edge off.

Saucy Jane mixture

Cover and simmer over medium low heat for 20 – 25 minutes.

After simmering

If the sauce isn’t as thick as you’d like, add corn starch. Start by adding a teaspoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency.

Serve by spooning mixture onto buns. I use a slotted spoon to drain any excess “juice”. We also like to add shredded cheese to ours.

Saucy Jane

These aregreat for lunch or a quick dinner. Chips and cole slaw are great alongside these!

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Thanks for stopping by!

Saucy Janes

Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: lunch, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: easy recipe, hamburger, saucy Janes, skillet meal, sloppy joe
Servings: 8 Servings
Author: Country Girl
Cost: $5

Ingredients

  • 2 – 2 1/2 lbs ground beef
  • 1 large green bell pepper diced
  • 1/2 large red onion diced
  • 5 cloves garlic minced
  • Hot sauce I use Frank’s Red Hot
  • Worcestershire sauce
  • Salt and black pepper to taste
  • 2 TBSP packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 1 cup BBQ sauce
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp dry mustard
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • Corn starch
  • Buns for serving

Instructions

  • Brown the meat in a large, deep skillet over medium high heat. Salt and pepper to taste. Drain off any fat.
  • Add the green peppers and onions to the skillet. Stir and allow to cook for a couple of minutes.
  • Pour in water. Add ketchup, BBQ sauce and garlic. Stir to combine.
  • Next, add the brown sugar, chili powder, dry mustard, red pepper flakes, a few dashes of hot sauce and a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce. Stir to combine.
  • Cover and simmer over medium low heat for 20 – 25 minutes.
  • If the sauce isn’t as thick as you’d like, add corn starch. Start by adding a teaspoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency.
  • Serve by spooning mixture onto buns.

Notes

If you find it too spicy, you can try adding a little bit of red wine vinegar. 
If you don’t have BBQ sauce, you can use all ketchup. 
We like ours with shredded cheese on top.