Not your High Schools Sloppy Joes

Remember checking out the weekly highschool lunch menu and anticipating the sloppy joes day? Or the 'joes your Mom made using Chicken Gumbo Soup?  While these may bring back fond memories, I couldn't help myself and modified them to reflect a more adult taste.




One ingredient, which is a favorite of mine, is Chipotle Chiles in Adobo Sauce.   Chipotle chiles are smoked Jalapeno peppers and the adobo sauce is a tomato vinegar sauce.    Chipotle Chiles in Adobo Sauce can be found canned, in the mexican section of the supermarket.   They add a spicy, smokey taste to your dishes.   I can't imagine a recipe that would call for a whole can of these hot wonders in one dish.  Usually you would use one pepper, or amounts measured in tablespoons.   What to do with the rest?  Simply put the entire contents of the can into a blender and puree.   Then fill an ice cube tray with the puree and freeze.   Once frozen, remove from the tray and store in a zip lock bag in the freezer.   Each ice cube is approximately 1 tablespoon.  




On to the recipe!

2 lbs ground beef
1 onion diced
1 red pepper diced
4 cloves garlic diced

1 tbsp paprika
2 tbsp ancho chili powder
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp chipotle chili puree
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp honey
29 oz can tomato sauce

Sweat the onion, pepper and garlic in a large pan, add ground beef and brown.  Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for approximately 30 minutes.

Serve on buns with potato chips.   I don't know about you, but scooping up some 'joe with a chip and eating it that way is a little bit of heaven!
This makes a large batch, it freezes well and also can be kept warm in a crock pot for buffet eating.
I like  spicy food and have on occasion added a 3rd tablespoon of chipotles.  This is purely a personal taste issue.   The 3rd tablespoon may put it over the edge for many Midwestern tastebuds.
Enjoy!!!!!