We found that treating the ground beef with baking soda (so that it retained more moisture when cooked) and then breaking it down to a fine, uniform texture in the skillet delivered a tender, flavorful, and cohesive mixture that stayed put when placed on a bun. Limiting the aromatics to just onion (also treated with baking soda to soften it) made for a beefier-tasting mixture with a rich, luxurious texture. We made ketchup’s sweet-tangy flavor more complex by adding vinegar, red pepper flakes, and sugar and balanced it out with generous amounts of tomato paste, paprika, and Worcestershire sauce. Finally, we served it all up on soft hamburger buns.<\/p>\n
Combine 1 TBS water<\/strong> and \u00bd tsp baking soda<\/strong> in small bowl. In large bowl, toss beef<\/strong> with baking soda<\/strong> mixture and \u00bd tsp salt<\/strong> until thoroughly combined. Set aside.<\/p>\n Heat oil<\/strong> in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion<\/strong> and remaining \u215b tsp baking soda<\/strong> and stir to coat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion<\/strong> is softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic<\/strong> and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in sugar,paprika, <\/strong>red<\/strong> pepper<\/strong> flakes<\/strong><\/span>,<\/strong> and remaining \u215b tsp salt<\/strong> and cook, stirring constantly, until paprika<\/strong> is fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomato paste<\/strong> and cook, stirring constantly, until paste<\/strong> is rust-colored, 3 to 4 minutes.<\/p>\n Add beef<\/strong> and cook, breaking up meat<\/strong> with wooden spoon, until beef<\/strong> is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Mash beef<\/strong> with potato masher until fine-textured, about 1 minute. Add ketchup, vinegar,<\/strong> and Worcestershire<\/strong> and stir to combine, scraping up any browned bits.<\/p>\n Combine cornstarch<\/strong> and remaining 1 TBS water<\/strong> in small bowl, then pour cornstarch mixture<\/strong> over beef<\/strong> and stir to incorporate. Cook, stirring constantly, until sauce<\/strong> thickens and coats beef,<\/strong> about 1 minute. Season with salt,<\/strong> extra sugar,<\/strong> and extra vinegar<\/strong> to taste. Spoon beef<\/strong> mixture onto buns<\/strong> and serve.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Yield: 4 Servings ATK We found that treating the ground beef with baking soda (so that it retained more moisture when cooked) and then breaking it down to a fine, uniform texture in the skillet delivered a tender, flavorful, and cohesive mixture that stayed put when placed on a bun. Limiting the aromatics to just onion (also treated with baking soda to soften it) made for a beefier-tasting mixture with a rich, luxurious texture. We made ketchup’s sweet-tangy flavor more…<\/p>\n
\nT<\/strong>ossing the beef<\/strong> with baking soda<\/strong> in step 1 helps keep it tender and juicy; adding baking soda<\/strong> to the skillet with the onion<\/strong> in step 2 helps the onion<\/strong> break down. You may substitute 90 percent lean ground beef<\/strong> in this recipe, but the cooked mixture will be a bit less tender. Serve the Sloppy Joes<\/strong> with pickle chips,<\/strong> if desired.<\/p>\n