Hello, hello. Welcome back to my food blog! Here I talk all about one of the most important things in your day, food! Haha. Today’s post is called the Korean Sloppy Joe, which is essentially my take on a classic Sloppy Joe, but with an added Korean flare. The reason I chose this dish to highlight on the pedestal is because it is National Sloppy Joe Day this coming Friday. Happy National Sloppy Joe Day! Let’s delve deeper shall we?
What is a Sloppy Joe?
Depending on how old you are, you probably have never eaten a sloppy joe before in your life! Basically, the “Sloppy Joe” is a sandwich made of ground beef, onions, tomato sauce or ketchup, and other ingredients, served on a hamburger bun. There have been many variations since its origin.
History/Popularity
Supposedly, it originated in America in the early-mid 1900’s and was extremely popular in a lot of cookbooks during that time. They used to be really popular back in the early 2000’s when I was in middle school.
I remember them serving this all the time for “hot lunch” in the school cafeteria. I’d always get super excited and looked forward to getting on line to get one. It’s such a delicious and hearty sandwich that will keep you satisfied and full throughout the day.
Best of all? Kids LOVE it.
My mom would also make it for me and my brother at home using the store-bought cans from Costco a while back (I think they’ve since been taken off the market, not sure). Those were the days…I miss it so much.
Variations
There have been so many different variations of this sandwich. It’s almost IMPOSSIBLE to identify which one is truly authentic.
- Choice of meat: Beef, pork, chicken, turkey, tofu
- Sauces: Tomato sauce or ketchup, Worcestershire sauce/soy sauce, barbecue sauce/other smoky sauces
- Chili peppers/other peppers that are specific to each cuisine
- etc.
Whether it’s Mexican, or Creole, or Spanish style, or Cuban, I believe that every single version has its place in the authenticity of the Sloppy Joe! Hence, my recipe is no different. It incorporates very familiar Korean spices & ingredients to produce an extremely simple and scrumptious bite! You won’t want to miss it, in my opinion.
What equipment do I need?
You don’t need much to make this super simple sandwich. It should take you no more than 20 minutes to make & this is all you need:
- A sharp chef’s knife (I use Wüsthof’s Classic IKON 8″ Chef’s Knife)
- Chopping board (Any board will do, wood or plastic)
- Large 12″ Non-stick pan
- Wooden Spoon or Spatula
- Spoon or Fork (to mix sauce)
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I’m confident that this Korean Sloppy Joe will end up as one of your favorites that you cook up this year, and one that’ll remain in your repertoire for years to come. The sauce is nice and sweet & tangy. Sure to satisfy and will hit home for you and the family in so many ways. Hope you enjoy! Yummmy!
Ground Beef (80%) – I used 80% lean ground beef from H-Mart for this recipe but you may feel free to use 85% or 90% if you want. You may also substitute with other proteins: like ground pork, ground chicken, or ground turkey.
Hamburger Buns – I used standard classic hamburger buns for my recipe only because that’s what I grew up on. But I don’t see why you can’t swap it out for other delicious breads like sesame, or hoagie rolls and whatnot
Red Onion – To provide a subtle, yet rich flavor
Garlic– Aromatic
Gochujang – My Korean twist in this recipe to give it a nice kick (buy it in any Korean supermarket, like H-Mart)
Ketchup – For added sweetness
Tomato paste – For a more concentrated tomato flavor
Soy Sauce – Essential for its rich umami flavor and added saltiness
Mirin – For some acidity and subtle sweetness (optional, you could skip this part if you have difficulty finding it in stores near you)
Honey – For the added sweetness and for thickening the sauce (you may opt to use the same amount of oligodang or simply granulated white sugar, if you want)
White Vinegar – STAR ingredient which adds a nice tangy and acidic flavor to the dish
Sesame Oil – Provides toasty and delicious flavor to round off the dish nicely (optional, if you don’t like it, you could skip this part)
Here’s a list of other Fusion recipes you may love:
The Korean Sloppy Joe
Introducing an original Korean-American Fusion recipe: the amazing Korean Sloppy Joe! It’s messy, it’s saucy, it’s simply delicious!
Ingredients
- For the Sauce:
- 2 tbsp gochujang
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp mirin
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp ketchup
- 2 tbsp honey (may substitute with oligodang or sugar)
- 2 tbsp white vinegar
- Splash of sesame oil
- For Sloppy Joe:
- 1/2 lb 80% lean ground beef (may use other percentages 90% or 85%)
- 2 hamburger buns (may use other breads)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- Salt & Pepper, to taste
- 1-2 baby dill pickles, finely chopped for garnish (optional)
Instructions
First, start by prepping your ingredients: peel and dice half a medium size red onion. Mince 4 cloves of garlic. Chop a baby dill pickle in half lengthwise. Then chop again lengthwise into matchsticks and then finely mince into small bits (as small as you want them for garnish).
In a large non-stick skillet, cook your ground beef in some olive oil on medium-high heat for about 3-5 minutes until just browned over.
While that’s cooking, prepare your sauce. In a small mixing bowl, mix together your gochujang, tomato paste, ketchup, soy sauce, mirin, and honey. Measure out and set aside 2 tbsp of white vinegar and generous splash of sesame oil (about 1-2 tbsp).
From there, add in your onions to the pan with the browned beef & sauté together for about 3 minutes, until onions are translucent in color. Season with salt and pepper.
Next, stir in your gochujang sauce & cook for another 2-4 minutes. Stir in your minced garlic & cook for about 30 seconds. Taste & add salt and pepper, if necessary. Remove from heat, serve it on some sandwich buns and enjoy!
Notes
You can toast your buns if you’d like (use about a tbsp of butter or olive oil). You could use other choices of protein, like ground pork, chicken, turkey, or tofu.
