Tailgate Sloppy Joes for a Crowd

Can I just say that I work with some great people?

Really, I do.  Sometimes I rant and rave about the stresses at work, but I really do work with some marvelous people that really are dedicated to their jobs.

During the #10DaysofTailgate event, I wanted to post this typical tailgate dish of Sloppy Joes but I just ran out of time.  Here is today’s recipe utilizing a few more of the generous sponsors’ products (El Diablo’s Mango Spicy Mustard and Intensity Academy’s Carrot Karma.)

I made this for the much dedicated crew mentioned above during parent/teacher conference during September. (I also made Caramelized Onion Dip for them to munch on between conferences.)

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Tailgate Sloppy Joes for a Crowd
based on Touchdown Sandwiches

1 T. olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
3  jalapenos, seeded and finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red  bell pepper, chopped
2  lbs. pork smoked sausage, sliced
4  lbs. ground chuck
4  c. fire roasted crushed tomatoes  (I used four cups of my roasted tomato sauce.)
4  T. tomato paste
½  c. light brown sugar
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 to 2 t. hot sauce (Again, I used Carrot Karma, another sponsor from #10DaysofTailgate.)
½ t. nutmeg
2 t. sea salt
2 t. fresh ground pepper

Heat olive oil in a large kettle.    Sauté the onion, garlic, jalapeno, red and green peppers until tender.

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Add the ground chuck to the veggies and cook until the meat is browned and juices run clear. Drain off the excess fat and return mixture to the stove.

While the mixture is cooking, pulse the smoked sausage in a food processor so it’s minced into small pieces.

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Add the chopped sausage to the meat mixture.  Pour in the tomatoes, tomato paste, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes. Serve heaping spoonfuls of meat mixture on the buns.

 

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I made these the night before P/T conferences and they were perfect o re-heat in a crock pot.  They were even more perfect with some of that spicy goodness found in El Diablo’s Mango mustard.

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And, don’t forget the Carrot Karma from Intensity Academy.

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These are a sweet and delicious alternative to the regular plain-Jane sloppy joes.   In fact, I had a couple of co-workers tell me that they did NOT like sloppy joes, but they loved these.

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The next time you’re feeding a crowd, I hope you try this recipe.

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