Sloppy Joe Seasoning: Skip the Packet, Use One Bottle

The best sloppy joe seasoning I've found isn't a packet. It's two tablespoons of Stu's Smoked Jalapeño.

I didn't figure that out myself. A woman stopped at my booth at the farmers market to tell me she'd been putting it in her sloppy joes, about a tablespoon or two per pound, and that they were amazing. The second she said it, it made sense. Stu's is Worcestershire, pickle brine, a custom chipotle hot sauce, and a balanced spice blend. That's most of what a great sloppy joe needs, already in one bottle.

Below is the recipe, how much to use per pound, and how it stacks up against a packet and a homemade mix.

What's in Sloppy Joe Seasoning?

Flip over a sloppy joe seasoning packet and sugar is usually the first ingredient. McCormick's lists sugar, salt, corn starch, onion, garlic, spices including paprika, chili pepper, citric acid, and red bell pepper. The directions have you add a can of tomato paste and water.

Homemade sloppy joe seasoning mixes follow the same pattern: brown sugar, paprika, onion, garlic, a little cumin or chili powder, salt, and pepper.

Here's what both leave out. Almost every scratch sloppy joe recipe also calls for Worcestershire and vinegar, added separately, and many add mustard and a splash of hot sauce. Those are what keep a sloppy joe from tasting like sweet ketchup on a bun. A dry mix can't carry them.

Sloppy Joe Seasoning in One Bottle

Stu's was built for Bloody Marys, which need the same things: savory, tangy, a little heat, and balance. So it covers the part of a sloppy joe that a dry packet skips.

• Worcestershire for the savory backbone.
• Pickle brine for the tang you'd normally get from vinegar.
• Custom chipotle hot sauce for warmth, with a little smoke in the background.

Ketchup and a spoonful of brown sugar handle the sweet side. That's the whole sauce.

Sloppy Joe Seasoning Recipe

Makes 4 sandwiches. About 10 minutes of prep and 25 minutes on the stove.

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef (85/15)
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 1/2 green bell pepper, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tbsp Stu's Smoked Jalapeño
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• Kosher salt, to taste
• 4 hamburger buns
• 1 tbsp butter, for the buns
• Dill pickle chips, for topping

Instructions

1. Brown the beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it into small crumbles. Drain most of the fat.
2. Add the onion and bell pepper. Cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds more.
3. Stir in the ketchup, water, Stu's, and brown sugar. Scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
4. Turn the heat down and simmer uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes, until the sauce is thick enough to mound on a spoon.
5. Taste before you salt. The seasoning brings its own, so you may not need any.
6. Butter the buns and toast them cut side down. Pile on the filling and top with pickle chips.

How Much Sloppy Joe Seasoning Per Pound

Use two tablespoons of Stu's per pound of ground beef. That gives you a savory, tangy sloppy joe with warmth on the back end, not a hot one.

Cooking for kids? Start at one tablespoon. Want more kick? Stir in a third tablespoon near the end of the simmer and taste again. The flavor settles as it cooks, so give it a few minutes before you decide.

For comparison, one packet is meant for one pound of meat, and you get whatever heat and sweetness came in the envelope.

Sloppy Joe Mix vs. Homemade Seasoning vs. Stu's

	Seasoning Packet	Homemade Dry Mix	Stu's Smoked Jalapeño
Form	Dry powder	Dry spices you measure	Liquid seasoning
Savory and tang	Citric acid	Only if you add Worcestershire and vinegar	Worcestershire and pickle brine built in
Heat	Fixed	You set it	You set it by how much you pour
Prep	Tear it open	Measure six or seven spices	Pour two tablespoons
Other uses	Sloppy joes	Sloppy joes	Bloody Marys, Micheladas, chili, marinades

If you already keep a packet in the pantry, it'll get dinner done. If you want sloppy joes that taste like more than sweet tomato, the liquid seasoning is the upgrade.

Try It with the Other Flavors

Classic. The all-rounder. Same method, same amount. Feeding a mixed crowd? Make the Classic version and put Ghost Pepper Hot Drops on the table for anyone who wants more heat.

Jamaican Jerk. Warm jerk spice and habanero heat with a little sweetness underneath. That sweetness plays nicely with the ketchup, so cut the brown sugar in half, taste, and add the rest only if you want it.

Sloppy Joe Sliders

One pound of filling covers a 12-pack of slider rolls. Good for a tailgate or a game day tray.

1. Heat the oven to 350°F.
2. Slice a sheet of slider rolls in half horizontally without pulling them apart. Set the bottoms in a baking dish.
3. Spread the filling over the bottoms and cover with sliced cheddar.
4. Add the tops, brush with melted butter, and bake about 10 minutes, until the cheese melts.
5. Cut apart and serve.

Make Ahead and Freezing

The filling keeps up to 2 days in the fridge and tastes better on day two. Reheat over medium heat with a splash of water to loosen it.

To freeze, cool it completely and pack it flat in freezer bags. It holds 2 to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.

More Ways to Cook with Stu's

If this worked for you, try Bloody Mary chili, spicy meatballs, Bloody Mary ketchup for burgers and fries, or a batch of BBQ sauce. The full list is in our guide to cooking with Bloody Mary mix.

Got a way you use Stu's that we haven't thought of? Tell me at the next market.

Sloppy Joe Seasoning FAQ

What seasoning do you put in sloppy joes?

Most sloppy joes use something sweet (brown sugar or ketchup), something savory (Worcestershire), something tangy (vinegar or mustard), and a little heat. Two tablespoons of Stu's Smoked Jalapeño covers the savory, tangy, and heat in one pour, so you only add ketchup and brown sugar.

What is in sloppy joe seasoning mix?

Store-bought packets are mostly sugar and salt, plus corn starch, onion, garlic, paprika, and chili pepper. Homemade mixes use brown sugar, paprika, onion, garlic, cumin or chili powder, salt, and pepper.

How much sloppy joe seasoning per pound of beef?

Two tablespoons of Stu's per pound. Use one tablespoon for a milder batch, and add a third near the end if you want more kick.

Can you make sloppy joes without a seasoning packet?

Yes. Ketchup, a little brown sugar, and something savory and tangy is all a sloppy joe needs. Stu's covers the savory and the tang in one ingredient.

Are these sloppy joes spicy?

Not very. At two tablespoons per pound they have noticeable warmth, not burn. You control the heat by how much you add.

Does Stu's contain any allergens?

Yes. Stu's contains fish (anchovy) and mustard.