Campfire Sloppy Joes

Ok! Here we are - finally at the last of the recipes we photographed while on our first camping trip of the season, when we went to Rondeau Provincial Park and Wheatley Provincial Park, with several trips to Point Pelee National Park.

So far, I’ve posted Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies, Dutch Oven Jambalaya, Sloppy Giuseppes ,Campfire Chicken Curry, Bacon Cheeseburger Soup , Egg Roll in a Bowl, and No Bake Cornflake Cookies. Today, I’m sharing my base recipe for Sloppy Joe sandwiches!

We’ve been on a bit of a Sloppy Joes kick lately, making everything from my classic Sloppy Joes - this recipe - to a few more wild takes on the loose meat sandwich. (I’ll be posting those eventually!)

When it comes to planning meals for a camping trip, you can’t get much better than Sloppy Joes.

Homemade Sloppy Joe sauce is something that you can do most of the prep work for at home. I’ll chop and freeze the veggies and make a spice packet ahead of time, making for easy under-30-minute meals on the road.

These saucy sandwiches are have great flavor AND are healthier than sloppy joe filling made from store-bought sauce. You can easily avoid the high fructose corn syrup that canned sauce tends to have.

Well, depending on your ketchup brand, anyway!

This is probably the best Sloppy Joe recipe for camping - flavourful, but a neutral enough flavour palate that it’s sure to be a family favorite - even the picky eaters!

Anyway, let’s look at what you’ll need for getting a batch of this delicious Sloppy Joe recipe on the go!

Ingredients

This homemade Sloppy Joes recipe uses really simple ingredients - most are camping essentials, and anything else will be easy to find in any grocery store.

As always, I have some notes for you:

Lean Ground Beef

Traditionally, Sloppy Joe meat sauce involves lean ground beef, which I personally prefer.

That said, we usually make this with lean ground chicken or ground turkey, as Porter can’t eat much red meat anymore.

Whichever way you go, I recommend using lean meat - having to drain excess grease at a campsite can be anywhere from annoying (assuming you have a way to contain and dispose of it), to something you really shouldn’t be doing, as it’s an animal attractant.

Produce

I go really traditional here, using green bell pepper and an onion - usually about half of a medium onion.

That said, feel free to swap out the green pepper for red bell pepper, if you prefer.

Ketchup

There are several different ways that people like to start out the tangy sauce - tomato sauce and/or BBQ sauce are popular options.

Because I designed this recipe with the intent of it being a campfire thing, I start out with ketchup.

When using tomato sauce, you’ll want some sort of acid - usually apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar. Using ketchup negates the need for it, as ketchup already has it included.

Also, we - and I assume most people - are far more likely to already have ketchup on hand when camping, than a can of tomato sauce!

Montreal Steak Spice

Rather than using several loose spices, I like to use Montreal Steak Spice, as it generally covers the bases of flavours that go well in Sloppy Joes. (Peppercorns, minced garlic, onion powder, chili powder / red pepper flakes, etc)

It’s also just a good all-around seasoning to keep on hand when camping, as it’s great on a wide variety of grilled foods.

You can use whatever brand you like, or try my recipe for Homemade Montreal Steak Spice

Everything Else

Rounding out this recipe, you will need:

Hamburger Buns (we tend to use Kaiser buns)
Brown Sugar
Olive Oil
Yellow Mustard (Can use Dijon Mustard)
Garlic Powder
Ground Black Pepper
Salt

... I just really don’t have anything else to add, as far as these last few ingredients go!

How to Make Campfire Sloppy Joes

The full recipe is in the printable recipe card at the end of this post, here is the visual walk through:

Pre-Trip Food Prep

Using a Sharpie, label a medium sized Ziploc Freezer with “Sloppy Joes”, and as much of the instructions as you need or want. Set aside.

Measure the Brown Sugar, Montreal Steak Spice, and Garlic Powder into a small, snack size baggie.

Press out any excess air, seal the baggie, and set aside.

Peel and chop your onion, seed and chop the pepper. Add the veggies to the freezer baggie, along with the garlic. Press out all excess air, seal, and freeze until you’re almost ready to make your sloppy Joes.

Get a medium campfire going, or get your charcoal on the go. (If you’re making this on a stove, use medium-high heat and a nonstick pan.)

Add the ground beef and a tablespoon of olive oil to a large skillet - or a dutch oven - and set over the fire or hot coals.

Cook - breaking up the meat as it cooks - just until it’s cooked though. Add the chopped bell pepper and onion, continue cooking until the vegetables are tender, another 2-3 minutes.

Note: You can thaw them first, or just add them in frozen. They’ll take a bit longer to cook if frozen, but it works just fine!)

Drain any excess fat from the meat mixture, then add the remaining ingredients to the pan. Stir well to combine.

Allow to simmer for about 15 minutes, or until thickened to the texture you like. (I'll usually turn the stove down to medium low or medium heat, when cooking this at home.)

Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Split your kaiser buns, toast them to golden brown over your grill or campfire.

Divide sloppy joes mixture between your toasted buns, serve hot with your choice of side (classic coleslaw, dill pickles, potato chips, potato salad, side salad ), and plenty of napkins!

Leftovers

Leftover sloppy joe mix can be cooled to room temperature, then stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Reheat before serving.

More One-Pot Camping Recipes

Looking for more easy - but satisfying! - one pot meals to cook over your campfire? Here are some of my favourites!

Bacon Cheeseburger Soup
Beef & Root Vegetable Stew
Cajun Chicken Sloppy Joes
Campfire Chicken Curry
Campfire Chili
Dutch Oven Jambalaya
Egg Roll in a Bowl
Hearty Campfire Beef Stew
Sloppy Giuseppes

... But wait, there's more! See our main Camping Recipes page for ALL of our camping recipes - snacks, desserts, mixes to make ahead of time, and more!