Sloppy Joe's

I made these sloppy Joe's last night and they were quite tasty. Next time I'll omit the honey and molasses because they were a bit sweet for me. These are definitely grown-up sloppy Joe's because it has some heat and spice to it. I served mine over toasted artisanal whole wheat bread because I wanted to be fancy, but it will taste just as good over hamburger buns or regular sandwich bread.

INGREDIENTS (serves 4)

• 1 lb. ground chuck
• 2 teaspoons canola oil
• 1/2 cup onion, finely diced
• 2 celery stalks, finely diced
• 1 tablespoon ground chipotle powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• salt and pepper
• 1 roasted poblano pepper, peeled, seeded and finely diced
• 1 large roasted red bell pepper, peeled, seeded and finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup your favorite BBQ sauce
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon mustard
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon honey (omit if you don't want your Joe's to be too sweet)
• 1 tablespoon molasses (omit if you don't want your Joe's to be too sweet)
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

DIRECTIONS

Heat oil in a large skillet and brown the chuck, making sure you break it down into pieces with a metal or wooden spatula. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon and set aside. Drain all but 1 tablespoon of the oil.

To the same pan add the onion and celery and cook for 2 minutes. Then add the ground chipotle and the ground cumin powder and cook for 30 seconds. Add the peppers and garlic and cook 2 more minutes. Add the cooked ground chuck back into pan and add remainder of ingredients: ketchup, BBQ sauce, water, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, honey, and brown sugar and molasses (if using) and apple cider vinegar. Bring to a simmer until sauce thickens to your liking, then lower heat to medium-low and cook for 15 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper, if needed. Serve over your favorite toasted bread or in hamburger buns.