Is it Barbecue or Sloppy Joe?

[dilettante]

Mom always called it barbecue,
So that's what I call it.

When she said,
"I made barbecue",
We all knew what she meant.

Same here. Made it last night. For a long time that was the only context we knew "barbecue" in at all.

The idea that a hot dog or hamburg was "BBQ" would have been hilarious to us kids.

"Manwich" is in the close neighborhood but never tasted quite right to me. I've even had it made with a sauce based on alphabet soup, and it tasted more authentic.

 

[Aunt Bea]

Sloppy Joe!



Then there were pizza burgers.

 

[Jules]

Ground beef cooked with a tomatoey sauce and served in a bun is Sloppy Joes. I haven’t made that in years. Good idea.

 

[Oldeagle66]

I can eat Sloppy Joes, but ribs must be without BBQ sauce. Just salt and pepper.

 

[katlupe]

They are not the same thing. Different seasonings and taste. I used to make both but used ground beef for Sloppy Joes. For a barbecued hamburger put the barbecue sauce on top.

 

[Lewkat]

Years ago, in NYC, delis would make a Sloppy Joe. It consisted of Roast Beef, Swiss Cheese, coleslaw, pickle slices on pure rye bread. Where and when the present Sloppy Joes emanated from is an enigma to me, but if made right, they also can be quite tasty.

These are indeed very different from barbeque.

 

[Pepper]

Glad you shared this loving memory of your mother @wisenior. I find myself more nostalgic lately about my parents too.

 

[CallMeKate]

Is this pretty much like your Mama's, @wisenior ? This is the way I make mine most of the time... but minus the vinegar and salt.

Pennsylvania Coal Region Barbecue Recipe - Food.com

 

[Michael Z]

All I know is that me and the other 3rd graders would cheer when we heard that “sloppy joes” were on the school cafeteria menu for the day!

 

[JustBonee]

SloppyJoe is something that is cooked in the kitchen for supper.

BBQ is another topic. …around here anyway.

We are having at present the yearly Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo …. and the BBQ Cook-Off.
Over 250 pit crews competing.

Here’s one of them.

 

[dilettante]

Somehow this thread reminded me of something else.

As a kid we had not a single "spatula" in the house. Of course we did have pancake turners.

 

[Tommy]

Interesting topic. For me, sloppy joe has always been ground beef mixed with a tomato based sauce and served on a bun. "Barbecue" has multiple meanings term:
1. A large brick structure in the back yard designed for cooking over charcoal or wood.
2. 'Barbecue grill" is a smaller metal device purchased at the local hardware store that serves the same purpose.
3. A verb meaning to cook on a barbecue or grill
4. Meat (or sometimes vegetables) that have been cooked on a barbecue or grill.
5. Beef, pork, or occasionally chicken that has been smoked and treated with a rub or sauce while cooking.
6. Shredded beef pork, or chicken in a bbq sauce.

 

[Michael Z]

My mom called them barbecues, since “barbecue sauce” was one of the main ingredients. For us growing up, “grilling out” meant roasting a hot dog over a fire of twigs made in a makeshift “grill” made from cast off bricks.

 

[JustDave]

I used to use the two terms interchangeably, but I see them as two different things now. I didn't learn this from anyone, it's just personal observation. Sloppy joes are hamburger mixed with a sauce somewhat like BBQ sauce, but milder and heated in a sauce pan. BBQ is way different and requires an outdoor grill and extends to a larger variety of meats way beyond ground hamburger. But that's just my perspective.