Kawell in the Kitchen: Slaaappy Joe Edition

We're looking to make an American classic tonight my Veeky Forumsulinary friends. With inspiration taken from a different thread on the delectability of sloppy joes, I was thinking of making some sloppy joe stuffed buns... but tonight we're just sticking with tradition. Think weekend though--Sunday specifically and we're looking to make a breakfast spread Saturday morning--I'd like to try my hand at a more conventional pork stuffed bun. So there's the week that lays before us in terms of cook-alongs. For now, let's just get us started on some dinner.

Posting live from the kitchen.

Beverage tonight will be the last one of these things left over from a BBQ last weekend, plus a few more of a different variety in the fridge getting nice and chilled for us.

did somebody say sloppy joes?

Well also be cooking with some of that homemade beef stock we made a few days back, and trying out some of these onion buns I just found in the store. Wonder if they're any good or not.

Holy shit, some OC on Veeky Forums

Op, you madman

slo be joe!

>5g of sugar per bun
that's a lot, more than a teaspoon each

>no high fructose corn syrup!
just a ton of white sugar lol

Billy Madison?

Gonna sauté us up some onion first, low and slow. Get a nice caramelization going on it for some added flavor.

That makes them delicious user :]

sweet bread makes me nauseous :(

Dice the onion nice and small. Already has me crying like a bitch, this stuff is fresh.

no brown sugar?

No brown sugar. I'm seeking the perfect combination of sweet, savory and spice. Which is why we'll be using balsamic vinegar for the sweet and savory, and some deseeded jalapeño and rooster sauce for the spice.

In the pan on medium low with a half tbsp of butter.

Next up some red bell

Chippy choppy

Onions starting to smell great, filling the kitchen with aromatics

Nice and finely chopped.
Time for the jalapeño.
I have a single large one, but may opt for two depending on the yield.

Onions starting to go translucent.

Now well brunoise this jalapeño and get it deseeded.

Do a julienne cut then dice small.

That should be enough.

Let's give the onions a stir.

Browning nicely. About time to add the meat.

In it goes. Let's crank it up to medium high and go to town.

Smelling great. Well add some tomato paste when the meat is completely browned, then our homemade stock to work in the "gravy". The red bell and jalapeño will be added after the fact because I want to retain the nice colors of the vegetables for better presentation. Overlooking them will just kill the color.

Paste in.

Let the paste do its work and absorb any of that excess oil before you add your beef stock.

Stock in. Well add our vegetables and seasonings now as we find we right consistency we want.

Nice even chopping, OP

Veggies in.

hhnngggg

Bruh that shit looks finna watery as fug

How you gonna thicken it

Balsamic in, about 3 tbsp or to taste.

How much stock, OP? And do you think veg broth will also work ok?

By letting it reduce

Roster sauce in, about a tbsp

Now salt and pepper to taste while you wait to get the desired thickness

Shit-tier knife skills. That end slice is not the same as the rest.

Kill yourself. 4 srs.

careful with the salt then try not to get doubled on the vinegar. your hot sauce there is vinegar based. along with the balsamic might boost the salts quite high in the dish. looks interesting i'm following.

Veg broth will also work, any type of broth will. It's just better than using water. Added about 1 to 1.5 cups.

Still reducing.

sad i turned my ground beef into taco meat last night op

Yeah I'm just lightly seasoning as it goes along. Everything will concentrate as it reduces so I'm trying not to over season. Think I got it where I want it now. Starting to thicken up a bit more. I've put it back on medium low and treating it like a risotto storing it constantly to help the reduction.

I'm gonna make taco meat tomorrow. Just got a shipment of spices, seasonings, and condiments from Mexico today.

I'm thinking of throwing a little mole into my meat. You figure ground beef tacos would be good with mole?

Mole is God's gift in many ways - got for it OP!

Perfect consistency. Thick but still moist. Subtle sweetness with a vinegar tang and spice.

Only thing to do now is toast some buns and serve it up.

well they serve mole tacos..the problem is that youre adding "a little" when if youre going to make mole make mole, you want the flavor to pop. adding a little mole muddys up the flavor with no real key flavors to pick up on..

Unsure why that picture got flipped. Hopefully this one isn't.

I'm not OP, just a dude making tacos tomorrow.

I fucking love mole, I use it one chicken and pork all the time, but I've never used it in ground beef.

I could make two batches, I guess. I got some pre made mole paste, so it'd just be a matter of throwing a spoonful or so into my meat.

Little butter in a pan, toss the buns in.

Buns toasted.

Yeah, exactly my worry. I've made chicken mole tacos before, but I've never tried it with ground beef. I do make very good taco beef, I kinda don't want to fuck it up if mole's not gonna be good with it. I thought adding a spoonful might add a little subtle sweetness and depth of flavor, though.

And our joe is slappy. Gonna dig right in.

Thanks for joining folks!

I'm not gonna lie, OP. I want that shit in my mouth right now.

Juicy

Some of the best chili I've ever had had a hint of chocolate.

Yeah, I usually put a little chocolate in my chili and taco meat, I have a cocoa/ancho blend I use. Adds a great earthy bitterness.

I'm more worried about the cinnamon and other spices in the mole.

Coffee and cinnamon might add a little twang.
looks hella good.

10/10 would put into crunchy taco shell

looking boss as fuck OP. what kind of breakfast are you thinking of doing this weekend?

Haven't decided yet, but I'm not exactly a morning person so probably something easy like sourdough french toast and eggs benedict.

fucking love onion buns.