Wingin’ It: ‘Sloppy Krows’ highlight our Bills-Jets homegate party

It’s like a Sloppy Joe, but selfishly named after me

Can you believe it? Season 5 of Wingin’ It. Where has the time gone? For any newcomers, here’s the premise: It’s hungry work being a fan of the Buffalo Bills. Every week of the regular season and postseason, Buffalo Rumblings brings you a recipe to try out with a “Buffalo” twist.

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While I’m a big fan of attending games live, when it comes to food, I confess I prefer the homegating scene. You have everything you need in one place, without the hassle of transporting. Can you make this week’s recipe tailgating? Sure, but it’s a heck of a lot easier in the kitchen.

As the Buffalo Bills host the New York Jets this week, we pay homage to both regions with my personal take on the Sloppy Joe. I felt the deviations on tradition were significant enough to warrant selfish self-naming though, so now you all have to deal with the pun “Sloppy Krows.”

From the New York scene, we bring in the deli traditions of rye bread and a healthier dose of mustard than called for in most recipes. To Buffalo it up, we use Weber’s Horseradish Mustard to add the horseradish element of a Beef on Weck, and top off our rye with (more) caraway seed and add coarse salt (aka “pretzel salt”).

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Sloppy Krows

Serves: About 4
Active Time: 20 min
Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

1 lb ground meat (beef is traditional, turkey is also excellent and more heart healthy)
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
¹⁄₂ bell pepper, finely chopped
¹⁄₂ small onion, finely chopped
1 cup ketchup
¹⁄₄ cup water
2 Tbsp tomato sauce (optional but recommended)
2 Tbsp Weber’s Horseradish Mustard
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp molasses
¹⁄₂ tsp onion powder
¹⁄₂ tsp garlic powder
¹⁄₄ tsp black pepper
Rye bread
Softened or spreadable butter
Caraway seeds
Coarse salt

We recommend serving and/or topping this with: Cheesy Bacon-Maple Fries

1. Brown meat in a large sauté pan on MED, about 5-7 min.
2. Increase heat to HIGH to sear meat, about 1-2 min.
3. Reduce heat to MED/HIGH; stir in unsalted butter, bell pepper, and onion. Cook, stirring, 2-3 min.
4. Stir in ketchup, water, tomato sauce, horseradish mustard, Worcestershire sauce, molasses, onion powder, garlic powder, and black pepper. Bring to a simmer.
5. Reduce heat to LOW; stir and allow flavors to combine for at least 30 min.*
6. Prepare bread while contents in pan cook: Preheat a large fry pan on MED/HIGH.
7. Butter both sides of each rye bread slice. Add slices to pan; sear 1-2 min per side (as you would with grilled cheese).
8. Remove seared bread from pan; immediately sprinkle caraway seeds and coarse salt on one side of each slice.
9. Assemble sandwiches when mixture in pan has reached desired consistency; serve with or top sandwiches with Cheesy Bacon-Maple Fries.

Wingin’ It Tips and Prep Gallery

• This is a set of real easy pics and tips this week. The first photo shows my preference of using green onions for this recipe. I used all the white, and most of the light green but like everything in Sloppy Krows, it’s variable to taste.
• Next up is a picture of the mixture when it first starts. Notice how everything is brighter colored and it “looks” nicer. To really get the flavors combined, though, it’s better to cook it low-and-slow until it reaches a more homogenous color throughout.
• The GIF illustrates how I test the sauce. This is what I consider done. Take note how the sauce/meat takes a long time to slide back into the area I scraped. Of course, you’re free to leave them sloppier if you like.
• A couple other miscellaneous thoughts. I know rye bread already has caraway seeds, but adding them on top introduces another burst of that flavor and a slightly different texture. I added a little more mustard on top of my sandwich, which gave it a vibe more akin to Beef on Weck or a deli sandwich.
• Finally, we paired ours with Cheesy Bacon-Maple Fries. If you’re stuck on side dish ideas, you won’t go wrong with that option. It’s also pretty amazing topping your sandwich with them!