Grandma's Sloppy Joes

This is my first time making sloppy joes since no one in my family is a big fan. I added everything except the cloves since other reviewers seemed turned off by them and I only had whole cloves that required grinding up. However it tasted incomplete, and as a test I added in the cloves. Seriously, it sparked the concoction right up. They add something and should not be omitted.

I have made many recipes from this site, but until now I have never rated nor reviewed one. I felt I just had to rate and review Grandma's Sloppy Joes because of the mixed feelings of other reviewers regarding the sweetness of the recipe. I followed the recipe closely, substituting red bell pepper for green and adding only a 1/4 teaspoon of cloves instead of 1/2. I found the recipe to be delicious, not overly sweet (these are Sloppy Joes after all) and the 1/4 teaspoon of cloves to be just the right amount. I do agree that 1/2 teaspoon would be overpowering (but we all have our own likes and dislikes). Overall, a great recipe and a keeper. Thanks!

Sorry, we didn't enjoy this at all. I made it exactly as stated, but used a sprinkling of cloves, I can't imagine using more than that. It was very ketchupy and sweet. Very thick so I tried to thin down with a bit of water. It just tasted like eating hamburg with ketchup. I'll stick to my mom in laws recipe: 1 pound hamburg browned and drained, one large can tomato puree, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, salt and pepper to taste, garlic salt, 2 tablespoons prepared mustard and 1/2 package of taco seasoning or chili powder. It's really good. Sorry about the review, I hate giving low scores and everyones tastes are different but maybe I can help someone whos tastes are similar to mine and prevent wasting money on something they may not like.

This was a very rich and delicious sloppy joe recipe. I used half bbq sauce and half ketchup like some other reviewers. I also put a slice of monterey jack cheese on the sandwich and it was great! I was scared off of the cloves by some of the reviews I read, so I only used 1/3 the amount of cloves. But I really loved the smell and flavor the cloves imparted, so next time I will try the full amount. One more thing - I found it a little salty, but this may be because I scaled the recipe to 6 servings. I don't think you need extra salt if you increase the servings.

my mother in law's recipe is similar to this one.. it is wonderful.. one suggestion.. use ground all spice instead of cloves..

Yum! I was looking for a quick recipe at the last minute and this came through with flying colors. Love it and best of all my husband said the sandwich was delish! So much better than from a can. And I was a little leery of the ground cloves, but I agree that it enhances the taste. Thanks,

This recipe was good- classic sloppy joes. I was afraid to add a half tsp of cloves so only added 1/4- but didn't need to worry as the cloves couldn't be tasted at all. Will add the whole amount next time! Everybody in the family liked them.

This was good, somewhat dry, so I added more ketchup & some water, put it in the crockpot and a few hours later...Done. Easy as can be! Thanks Jennifer.

While I liked ths recipe, I thought there was too much clove. I only put in a 1/4 tsp. like other readers did, but next time I'll put in an 1/8. I also added some petite diced tomatoes, with the juice drained.

This was really good, although I omitted the peppers. Perfect if you're looking for something out of the ordinary, fast, and easy.

We all thought this had way too much of a ketchup flavor. All these ingredients are in a typical meatloaf topping (minus cloves) and was definitely missing something - maybe bbq sauce, molasses or some spice?? I did like the clove (used 1/4tsp) but no one else did. We'll make another recipe.

I didn't change anything and this was a winner. Will make it again and again.

This recipe was simple to make and very good to eat. My two year old daughter even liked it! Thank you! I made the recipe exactly as written.

We just had these for supper!! This recipe is AMAZING!! I doubled it, and only put in as much cloves as I knew my family would enjoy. That is what is nice about this recipe, you can modify it to your tastes!

I tried this recipe and it just wasn't to my liking. The Cloves was so powerful and the onion and bell pepper was just too much.

I made this with ground turkey, I loved how it easy it was. I added garlic because I was short on onion, and left out the cloves since I have none. I also went easy on the green pepper as my husband doesn't love them. I think the small amount I used was perfect. I hadn't had sloppy joes in about 30 years, but heard a report that my 2-year old liked them. Unfortunately he's fickle and didn't touch it, but my husband and I thought it was pretty good. I might try all spice and maybe leave out the sugar next time.

DELISH! The best recipe i ever found easy and pleasing for everyone! i read some reviews and also chenged it up with Famous Daves original BBQ sauce, not to much i believed someone used half along with catchup, i thought that was a little overwhelming so i used a quarter.

An addition of a dash of cumin gives this dish a richer flavor

I agree that the cloves were a bit over bearing. My hubby said that it was too bar-b-q-iey. My kids loved it though. Want me to keep making it and never use manwich or other premix again. I will reduce the cloves next time and try to make hubby happy.

This recipe was awful. I took a taste of it before i put it on the buns and i just about gaged! i had to go to the store and buy some more ground beef and so manwhich so i could have dinner, definetly would not recomend this recipe to anyone!

I made the sloppy's joes tonight and they came out very very good.I used all of the cloves and added some onion and galic powder with some pepper used half prepared mustard half honey mustard no salt. because my husband has to wacth his salt intake.I also put them on a toasted bunn. I love trying new recpices and i have found this site to have some of the best recpices to try.

EXCELLENT! Everyone loved it, including hubby, 9yr old and 2yr old. I did not add cloves and I also used half ketchup and half barbecue sauce. MMMMMMMMM good served with homemade french fries can't beat it.

This is an excellent recipe!!! Everyone loved it. I used half ketchup and half barbque sauce and did not add the brown sugar. It came out excellent, just the right balance of sweet and spicy. Next time, I might add a little more spice with some chipotle peppers. Excellent recipe!!

These were good sandwiches, but next time I will use maybe 1/4 of the cloves and half of the green peppers.

Left out the cloves and these were perfect!!!!

These were really good! The whole family loved them, thank you!

I made this for a party. Needless to say not many people liked it. It had a very strong clove taste.

I was always a fan of sloppy joes, but my husband wasn't. This recipe converted him, and now this is a favorite on our table! He loves the cloves, and thinks that it is the special kick for him. I added Flax Seed Meal and Brewer's Yeast to help my lactation (I am breast feeding) and it was unnoticeable, great way to blend in extra needed nutrients.

I gave this 5 stars but I just kind of used the recipe as a guide. I used the peppers and onions, 1/2c ketchup and 1/2c Bull's Eye BBQ Sauce (it gave it a strong BBQ flavor but it's my SO's favorite), 1tbsp distilled white vinegar, I chopped up garlic cloves (3 I think) and seasoned w/salt, pepper and garlic salt (we like a lot of garlic). We LOVED it!!!

This is one even my picky eater will eat

Very Good, my husband loved it. And it was so easy. Deb

This recipe is ridiculous. I doubled the recipe, used ground turkey, for 1/3 of the ketchup I substituted bbq sause, and half the amount of cloves. People were literally licking their plates. It is absolutely delicious.

Very good sloppy joe recipe - just like I remember from my childhood. I did modify a bit based on what I had on hand - used red onion (half cup), added one stalk chopped celery, instead of all ketchup, used a can of tomato paste and the rest ketchup to make a full cup, used spicy dijon in place of regular mustard, added a few dashes of worsteschire, a clove of chopped garlic, and used half allspice and half cloves. Very tasty!

good recipe. Did not have cloves so used allspice. Also added 2 hot peppers and garlic. This was alot better than the can stuff. Thanks for a good recipe will be made again.

My family did not like this, I believe it was the cloves that they didn't like the smell or taste of.

I do NOT like sloppy joes, as a rule. However, we have had this twice since I copied it off. If I make too much, it is great for leftovers. Thanks "Grandma."

I tried these for dinner one night and they were excellent! They were EXACTLY how I remembered them when I was a kid. I loved the clove taste and I used the recommended amount. My only criticism was they were just a tad too sweet. But, I'm talking just a tad. Next time I will probably cut the brown sugar down a little bit. My husband has never had Sloppy Joes as I guess they are an American thing. He didn't like them much but, he doesn't like anything that involves sweet meat. So, I'm not going to go by his review. I'm putting this in my recipe box for when he wants fish (which I hate) and I'll have the Sloppy Joes! Thanks for the great recipe!

I never had sloppy Joes before... Everybody was talking about it and once my hubby mentioned that he really misses it (he has been living in Europe for over 8 years now) i thought i would just give it a try. I gotta be honest i was skeptical at first. Specially after reading about gloves and brown sugar mixes with meat??? lol well on the end I'm the one that wants this at least once a week. I love everything about this recipe, but i put in more green peppers since my kids love them so much... Awesome recipe and i wouldn't wanna miss the gloves in the dish.

Didn't add as much gloves as it said and did 1/2 BBQ sauce, 1/2 ketchup whole family loved it.. And they didn't think I could cook....

Wow! Delicious. My husband & I love these & will have them again (and again!).

I make this several times a month and have to double the recipe ... my family LOVES it. I use 1/2 cup ketchup and 1/2 cup barbeque sauce, and elminated the cloves.

Absolutely delicious. Followed the recipe completely and it was very tasty, quite fragrant and had a wonderful texture. Everybody loved them. I was a little leery about the cloves but added it as described and had no regrets. This recipe is a new staple in our household.

Man this was quick and easy! I tweaked this OF COURSE...lol but only added two baby bella mushrooms and a teaspoon of garlic (minced) I am waiting for my boyfriend to get home from work to try this but I don't know if I can wait though, it's so dang good!

Please, please, do not add ground cloves to this recipe! It ruined it for me.

I was looking for a recipe similar to the one my MIL used to make. I knew the basic ingredients but was unsure of the amounts used. I did not put the cloves in and I used half ketchup and half Heinz Chili Sauce. I think the chili sauce gives it a little more bite. I also added a tsp. of worcestshire sauce. It's a hit with the family!

Thanks for this! My husband is a big fan of sloppy joes and this was perfect for the both of us. The cloves really did something great for this. I didn't change a thing and don't think I ever will!

Looks great!

I have made this many times now. LOVE IT ! Dont leave out the cloves The cloves is what gives it that special something.

If I had the option to rate this recipe a "minus" one star, I would rate it just that. My husband and I both are open to new flavor combinations, but the overpowering taste of the cloves ruined this recipe. All we could taste was clove with each bite.

AMAZING!! Family loved it. Their not big fans of sloppy joes either!

This was great and very easy exactly as the recipe was written. Way better than Manwich with minimal extra work. I think I'll reduce the cloves (b/c I will make it again) just b/c that isn't my taste. Grandma's always have the good recipes.

I always use a can of tomato soup in my sloppy joe recipe. It adds sweetness and is not 'ketchupy' then. I did make it (minus cloves), but subsituted the soup for the full cup of ketchup and added only about 2 tbsp of ketchup.

I was all in the mood for sloppy joes tonight. When I came home I realized that I had left a bag of groceries in my wife's car that had the packet of sloppy joe mix and the tomato paste I normally use in it. So I did a quick search on the internet and found this recipe. I choose this recipe because I had the ingredients on hand, or close enough. I was out of ketchup, so I had to improvise with a can of stewed tomatoes, of which I blended into a liquid. I also only put 1/4 teaspoon of clove in, as I was intrigued but not entirely sold on this. I also like to used ground pork instead of beef for my sloppy joes. I have to say... WOW! I don't think I will ever buy prepackaged sloppy joe mix again. It's so simple and yet so good.

This was really good. I threw in a little frozen corn and some red kidney beans to make it extra nice. I did not add the cloves becuase I used ground turkey and I didn't think it would go. It was a perfect balance of sauce to meat. Thanx

My 2nd attempt at making sloppy joes, and this recipe is a winner! yuuum! I never measure my ingredients, and doubt I put in a whole cup of ketchup. I added a small can of tomato paste and squirt some ketchup over the top. Cloves do this recipe wonders!!!!

My family liked this one without the cloves.

Made this for a large family gathering. Everyone loved them but said it had a taste they couldn't identify. The addition of the cloves really took it up a notch. Great recipe!

delicious

Sorry for the 2 stars, but the cloves were just unbarable. So much so we didnt eat it. Not sure I will try this again it left a bad taste in our mouth, no pun intended.

This recipe was exactly what I was looking for except the amount of cloves. I made it a second time and put only a sprinkle of cloves and it was perfect.

This is excellent and a great change from regular sloppy joes. Do NOT omit the cloves! They really make the dish! This is a keeper.

I made this last night and wished i'd made double the recipe, the added cloves really make a difference.

I have to say this satisfied the craving and was easy to make. The best part though, was that I had ALL the ingridients at home, so no trip to the store!!!! I really liked it, and I will use it often!!!

This is one of the best Sloppy Joe recipes that I have tried here. At first I was a little worried of the cloves, so cut it in half and it gave a very pleasant taste. Next time I make this, will add a little more and see what we think of it. Thanks for the recipe. And will be making it again.

DO NOT OMIT THE CLOVES!!!! Adds soo much flavor! Simply amazing!

This was a good recipe. I omitted the peppers and sprinkled minced garlic in instead of the cloves. It was very good but I'm giving this four stars because it was a little greasy. I think I will make this again.

I thought this was very good. I added a little chili powder to it which really moved it up a notch in flavor!

Very tasty! I added a jalapeno pepper and a few cloves of garlic. Will definitely make again! I tasted it just after mixing the ingredients and thought the cloves were way too much, but after simmering it came together really nicely.

I think I'll decrease the cloves by half next time, as others have suggested. My very picky sister, who HATES veggies in anything, asked for the recipe, so it must be good!

My husband made these last night and they were very good. He didn't add cloves and we didn't have green pepper on hand and they turned out great! Looking at the poor reviews many have given, I'm a little shocked because these taste, to me, really good!

Closest recipe I could find to my own mother's recipe, we just add some celery to the mix. Delicious!

TOTALLY REMINDS ME OF MY GRANDMOTHERS RECIPE! BOTH MY HUSBAND AND MYSELF LOVE THIS EASY MEAL!

Loved it!! I did not add the cloves only b/c they are kind of expensive, so I just used our favorite seasonings. I don't usually measure my ingredients, but I think I was pretty close on most of them except I probably put 2 tbls of brown sugar, and I definately did not put 1 whole cup of ketchup in there! That sounded a bit much! I went ahead and let it simmer for 30 minutes and all of the flavors really blended together! It was so yummy! I ended up making another batch so we could have leftovers, and I made my homemade french fries to go with them! Thank you so much!!

Way too much clove! Did not care for this one@! It became a pizza night!

This is an excellent sloppy joe recipe. I made one change to the recipe that might sound a bit strange. It looked a little on the dry side so I added a couple of splashes of beer and it was AMAZING ! I otherwise made the recipe as was indicated. Thank you for my "go to" sloppy joe recipe for all time.

Delicious! I made it with turkey instead of beef & everyone loved it.

This recipe was easy but we didn't care for the clove flavor. It was too sweet and not quite spicy enough. maybe instead of clove use some cayenne pepper...

After modifying a bit, this recipe was freakin' fantastic! It made quite a hit during King's Game night at my house... with the guys and the ladies! Thank you for supplying it. ...I'll never buy from the can again, either!

Pretty good. I like it because its not as sweet as some of the others.. I just used a sprinkle of cloves and doubled the vinegar ratio to the brown sugar. Good flavor. Very easy with stuff you have on hand.

this was nicely different. I agree too much clove but thats a simple fix, just use 1/4 instead. From Dad who kinda likes sloppy Joes to the 7 yr. old princess they all gave it a thumbs up. Princess says it needs cheese and she was right, we used medium cheddar and was perfect.

I decreased the cloves and vinegar to about half of what's shown, doubled the brown sugar and my family absolutely loves it.

I have probably made this a dozen time. It seems to be a family favorite. But this time I doubled the recipe and added allspice, cinnamon and a small amount of red pepper flakes. I also added about 1/2 cup red wine. I served it on toasted potato buns with a small amount of Parmesan cheese.

I would add only 1/4 tsp. of cloves next time, it was not bad, just to my taste on the cloves. It was a really good recipe. Will make again.

Great flavor without being too sloppy! Only change I made to the recipe from reading other reviews was to decrease spices to 1/4 t. ground cloves and 1/2 t. salt. So easy and works well in a soft roll.

I would definitely reduce the amount of cloves next time. It was far too overpowering for our taste.

Recipe was really good, but I used the amount of cloves in the recipe and it was a little too much. I'll cut back next time, but this is definitely a keeper...

This recipe was simple and easy. It is sweet so next time I would add a little kick for my husband and I the kids loved it. Took the advice on less cloves...

I was excited to make this recipe after reading a few reviews and seeing that it got such a high rating. But I was really disappointed in the finished product. The cloves were WAY overpowering. If I make this recipe again, I'll skip the cloves all together, but even then I don't think the flavor will be what I'm looking for.

Thanks for a simple and tasty recipe! I knew I would love this, as I make a chili with cloves and other hyped up spices! I only added about 1/2 tbsp vinegar, and added a 1/2 tsp cinnamon. I also added about 1/4 cup water to make this a little more "sloppy". Served on fresh onion buns with pickles. A winner! Thanks so much for sharing.

I made these for a Holiday Pot Luck at work this week. They were such a hit that there was none left. They were very good, but a little too much tang. I would cut back on the mustard used. If you want to be a hit with a Pot Luck this is the recipe to use.

SOOOOO good - my husband and picky 5 year old just loved it....asked me to make it tomorrow also....added some cumin and half-ketchup/half-BBQ sauce and it was delic!

This is always a hit with my family!

I normally just open a can of Manwich when I make sloppy joes. When I went to grab a can for tonight's dinner, I didn't have one so I tried this one....it's pretty yummy. I had to make it without the green pepper because I didn't have one but it was still good! Will definitely make again!

All I can say is once you make this you won't ever buy can sloppy joe again...it is so good my family loved it!

My children loved this one! I doubled the recipe, but only used 1 T brown sugar. I added a clove of minced garlic along with the onion. I left out the green pepper as I had none. I also doubled the vinegar before I read not to. It was still great. The cloves add a great taste. Thanks.

this is a seriously tasty recipe. the only changes i make are that i've upped it to a pound and a half of ground beef (one pound is just not enough for my family of four - i guess they're pigs!) but also i substitute a small tin of both tomato paste and sauce for the ketchup. i just can't put a cup of ketchup in anything! but because of that, i upped both the brown sugar and vinegar to 3 Tbsp each. definitely put in the cloves, they're key, but maybe only use 1/4 tsp if you think the half is too much. i also leave out the green pepper but that's just cos i think green pepper is gross. if you like it, of course leave it in.

After looking at all the sloppy joe recipes at this site last night, I choose this one. I usually like the flavor of cloves, but sorry this recipe just does not work. Save yourself the time and try another recipe!

I prepared exactly as written and my kids and husband loved it! This one is a keeper for our family!

We love this recipe in my house! I also used cinnamon instead of cloves, and we prefer tomato sauce to the sweetness of ketchup. If I have it I'll use spicy brown mustard instead of 'classic' yellow mustard. We usually have these with sweet potato fries on the side- so much better than anything you can get from the drive-thru! Thanks for sharing your grandmother's recipe.