BACON, BEER AND CHEESE SLOPPY JOES

Bacon, Beer and Cheese Sloppy Joes are the perfect gameday food for a crowd with a Guinness sauce and sharp cheddar cheese filling.

Another Monday, another Sloppy Joe Recipe! If you want to see all the previous sloppy joes we’ve shared on the blog you can find them all here. We’ve been having such a good time with them (and I think I’m singlehandedly keeping my local baker busy baking brioche buns for me).

We were at Trader Joe’s a few months ago and saw they’d paired up their pub cheese with bacon in the cheese/meat aisle. I was holding a pound of ground beef in my hands when I saw it. This dish was such a natural fit I had a full on lightbulb moment. One quick text later inquiring if we had beer, I was ready to make these sloppy joes.

Bacon, Beer and Cheese Sloppy Joes

Yield: 
6 servings

Prep Time: 
5 minutes

Cook Time: 
25 minutes

Total Time: 
30 minutes

Course: 
Main Course

Cuisine: 
American

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 8 slices bacon chopped
• 1/2 yellow onion chopped
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 1 cup beer I used Guinness
• 1/2 cup beef broth
• 2 cups sharp cheddar cubed
• 6 brioche buns

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Note: click on times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer while cooking.
2. In a large skillet cook the bacon on medium high heat for 2-3 minutes or until crispy but still bendable.
3. Remove the bacon from the pan and drain all but two tablespoons of the fat.
4. Add the onions and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until softened.
5. Add in the beef, lower the heat to medium and cook well, breaking it apart but leaving some chunks about the size of a raspberry or small grape (don't crush the heck out of it, the larger crumbles will help give the sandwich stability).
6. Cook until well browned (5-6 minutes), then add in the ketchup, tomato paste, Worchestershire sauce, dijon mustard, beer and beef broth.
7. Stir well, continue cooking until the sauce starts to evaporate and the mixture becomes "sloppy" (about 5-6 minutes).
8. The consistency you are looking for is reduced enough that spoonfuls can be placed on top of each other with the bottom spoonful not spreading more than a half inch or so.
9. Add in the chunks of cheddar and cooked bacon crumbles a minute before serving and stir just slightly to melt them into little puddles.
10. Toast the buns then spoon over the mixture and top with additional bacon (if desired).