Bacon, Beer and Cheese Sloppy Joes are the perfect unique game day food for a crowd. Made with your favorite beer, everyone is sure to enjoy!
This Sloppy Joes recipe is sure to become a quick favorite to serve your guest for a game day party. If your looking for more sloppy joes with an exciting twist, check out my Pizza Sloppy Joes and Chili Cheese Sloppy Joes.
Why You’ll Love This Sloppy Joe?
- Unique way to serve up Sloppy Joes to your guest on game day!
- Great for meal prepping- the flavors meld and develop as it sits.
Sabrina’s Bacon, Beer and Cheese Sloppy Joes Recipe
I was at Trader Joe’s a few months ago and saw they’d paired their pub cheese with bacon in the cheese/meat aisle. I was holding a pound of ground beef in my hands when I saw it. This dish was such a natural fit that I had a full-on lightbulb moment. One quick text later, inquiring if we had beer, I was ready to make these sloppy joes.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
- 8 slices bacon , chopped
- 1/2 yellow onion , chopped
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 cup beer , I used Guinness
- 1/2 cup beef broth
- 2 cups sharp cheddar , cubed
- 6 brioche buns
Instructions
- In a large skillet cook the bacon on medium high heat for 2-3 minutes or until crispy but still bendable.
- Remove the bacon from the pan and drain all but two tablespoons of the fat.
- Add the onions and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until softened.
- Add in the beef, lower the heat to medium and cook well, breaking it apart but leaving some chunks about the size of a raspberry or small grape (don’t crush the heck out of it, the larger crumbles will help give the sandwich stability).
- Cook until well browned (5-6 minutes), then add in the ketchup, tomato paste, Worchestershire sauce, dijon mustard, beer and beef broth.
- Stir well, continue cooking until the sauce starts to evaporate and the mixture becomes “sloppy” (about 5-6 minutes).
- The consistency you are looking for is reduced enough that spoonfuls can be placed on top of each other with the bottom spoonful not spreading more than a half inch or so.
- Add in the chunks of cheddar and cooked bacon crumbles a minute before serving and stir just slightly to melt them into little puddles.
- Toast the buns then spoon over the mixture and top with additional bacon (if desired).
Nutrition
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Note from Sabrina
When the mixture is just slightly too wet, that is when you will want to stop cooking and turn off the heat, it will thicken as it sits for a couple of minutes. If you want to prep the meal, just leave the sauce extra saucy before shutting off the heat. You may need a bit of water when reheating.
Table of contents
About this Recipe
This Sloppy Joe takes everything you love about classic Sloppy Joes and turns it into the ultimate game-day sandwich. The beef is cooked with crispy bacon and onions, then simmered in a rich Guinness sauce made with ketchup, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and Dijon mustard. The combination is savory, tangy, and just the right amount of rich, with chunks of sharp cheddar melting right into the sauce.
Pairing Suggestions
I love serving sloppy joes with Crispy Sweet Potato Fries, Beer Battered Onion Rings, Loaded Garlic French Fries or for something on the lighter side, your favorite roasted vegetables or fresh salad.
How to Store
- Serve: These sandwiches are best served fresh once they are assembled. You can keep the filling warm in a slow cooker for up to 4 hours or at room temperature for 2 hours.
- Store: Store the filling separately in an air tight container and assemble the sandwiches right before you want to serve. The filling can be kept refrigerated for up to 4 days.
- Freeze: Cool the beef mixture completely and place in a sealed container. Freeze filling for up to 3 months and thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Ideas to Serve
In most of my sloppy joes recipes, I try to sneak in some vegetables so I feel like a better parent (my working mom guilt is real). But these are geared to a more adult crowd. If you would like the added veggies, I recommend green bell peppers, mushrooms, celery, carrots or canned diced tomatoes. Basically, any vegetable that won’t add any additional sweetness can be softened and browned in the bacon fat.
Variations
- Meat: Make the Sloppy Joe recipe a little healthier by swapping ground beef for ground turkey.
- Broth: If you don’t like beer, use 1 ½ cups beef broth. If you love beer, ditch the broth and use double the beer.
- Cheese: We love adding cheese to the mixture before serving. Just add the cheese just early enough to allow it to melt slightly.
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More Amazing Sloppy Joes Recipes
Always turns out awesome. One of the best sloppy joe recipes!
Made this a couple times..this recipe is bullet proof awsome!..thank you!..ps if I try to cook it in the slow cooker, I presume I would cook the meat in the pan and then drain the grease..then add to slow cooker..thanks again!
You’re welcome Gene. Depends on the fat content of your burger! Thanks for the five star review.
This is always a hit with the family. Haven’t used it with the beer yet, but that will happen soon!
Thank you Vanessa and thanks for the five star review.
Could you use a crockpot and add the cheese at the end?
Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes: Add the ingredients (minus the buns) to the crock pot and cook on low for 4 hours. Stir before serving and scoop onto your toasted hamburger bun.
I would prep your bacon the way you like it and add it along with the cheese at the end. I’ve never tested this recipe using a slow cooker so I’m super curious to hear how it turns out Chanel!
This stuff is soooo yummy! 2 thumbs up. Absolutely love this recipe.
Thanks Ciana and thanks for the five star review.
Hi I am a poor suffer of Alpha gal syndrome and I was wondering if I could use ground turkey and turkey bacon for this recipe? Please and Thank you.
Michelle
Ps. Maybe consider making some alpha gal friendly dishes to give me ideas
You can use Ground Turkey! Let us know how the recipe turned out!
Very good. My male friend never likes to try anything new but he really liked it. I will be making it again.
Great! Thank you Amy for the five star review!
I added 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup ketchup
I will never be able to eat another sloppy now any other way again!! ? We added a pinch of brown sugar and it definitely took this recipe to the ultimate level!! I don’t even know how describe how delicious this was!!!! It is officially one of my new favorite recipes!! THANK YOU!
I had a random bottle of Guiness inn y fridge and some very good pub style cheddar. I made this recipe with no modifications and my husband and I loved it! A new one in rotation.
Good for you! Glad you enjoyed the Sloppy Joes!
How well would this transfer to a crockpot????
I haven’t tested this recipe in the crockpot BUT I have several recipes on the site for sloppy joes that are made or can be made in a crockpot. Go to the site, click on Recipe Index and scroll down to Browse all then type in Crockpot Sloppy Joes.
Added manwich with it was awesome
Only had light beer so used that, but still very tasty!!