Pennsylvania Coal Region Barbecue Recipe

Omit the ketchup and substitute tomato sauce for ketchup (do this with everything involving ketchup to avoid 'high fructose' corn syrup) and you have a winner!

Awesome basic recipe. Made as directed first time. Then tweaked to my own taste. I double all the sauce ingredients, except brown sugar. Use only two tablespoons (should be three double). Add minced garlic when frying hamburger with red peppers and onions.(garlic, red peppers and onions not in original recipe). Add a few dashes of Worchester sauce. Off the charts for me and mine. Great to freeze.

I’m from the Midwest so this is not our “regular” Sloppy Joe recipe but we found this to be wow-oh-wow fantastic! Doubled and made exactly as written. I made this at noon, transferred to a slow cooker on low, and later “keep warm” setting until dinner at 5pm. I don’t know if this has a more positive effect on the recipe or whether this slow simmer melds the flavors more but it certainly toes up to my mom’s version, my childhood memories! - in how good this was! Served on lightly buttered buns, with optional toppings of pickles or sliced American cheese. Terrific! Going on my must make again list! Thanks MOLLYSPITCHER!

Great easy fast tasty. What more is there to say? I subbed Shallots for onions as it’s all I had and it was great. I cut sugar and ketchup by one third each. Also added a tablespoon of Better Than Bouillon. My kids wanted more!

This is easily one of the best BBQ (Sloppy Joe) recipes you can make. Double the recipe, and drop it into a crock pot for a picnic or party. Simple, quick, and delicious.

Great starter dish. I didn't have much, but this recipe utilized basics that I had on hand. I have a huge family and had to triple the recipe. Since I didn't want to use all of my ketchup, I used 1 can tomato sauce in replace of 1/3 of the ketchup. Worked out. I also added bell pepper, fresh tomato, and bacon for flavor. We liked it better than the expensive canned sloppy joe mix. Thank you so much for sharing. It was a lifesaver and will be again.

I never liked Sloppy Joes using the canned variety but my husband does so I thought I'd try them by scratch. I used this recipe and added some Worcestershire and a splash of liquid smoke which really gave it a bbq flavor. It was great and I'll make it often.

I made this recipe as written and my husband loved it but my son didn't (which I thought was odd because he loves ketchup). The only difference between their meal was my husband's simmered longer than 15 minutes (It stayed covered on low for an hour before he ate). I can only assume the longer simmer time allowed the flavors to meld and come together better, maybe.

We liked these! Ok....I did use extra lean ground chicken instead of beef....but they were delicious! I also added a diced green pepper and a diced vidalia onion. Served on whole wheat sandwich thins (Arnold brand). Served with cucumber salad and corn on the cob from the farm . Easy, quick and tasty. Thanks!

Loved it. My grandparents are from the northeast PA coal regions, and made one very similar to this...it just had an additional 2T of King syrup, which of course made it a little sweeter. Really enjoyed this one...good amount of sweet/tangy.

This was a huge hit. I made it with Johnsonville sausage instead of ground beef and everyone raved about it and wanted more.

Can’t wait to make this again next week.

I make a double batch, then freeze in individual portions. We enjoy being able to heat up enough for a couple of sandwiches at a time.

These are called sloppy joes where I come from. I added minced celery for a teeny bit of soft crunch and they were delicious.

This is my go to recipe, don’t change a thing!

I was a kid when we visited a family friend in Wilkes Barre, PA, after the Agnes flood '72. She prepared this, and this recipe is exactly like I remember. My mother used a hand written recipe from "Aunt Ruth" that got lost over the years, so I was thrilled to come across this one. Thanks!

I made this, as is, but instead of ground beef browned up some shredded beef. Was a hit

If you are from NEPA (Scranton/Clarks Summit) these are "Wimpys"...named after Wimpy of Popeye fame.Had them for school lunch a few times a month!Brings back memories 💖

Quick, easy, and absolutely banging.

Another “Coal Cracker” from Northeast PA checking in! That’s my recipe too with the addition of sweet relish. Its been popular with my family just about forever!