Old-School BBQ Pork Sloppy Joes
Now get 50% more protein per serving in this HelloFresh classic!
- Soy
- Wheat
- Eggs
- Milk
The humble sloppy Joe may be one of the most underrated comfort foods. Adults and kids alike will love this version, which has a few flavor upgrades that take it to the next level. Onion and ground pork are browned, then simmered with barbecue sauce spiked with a little chipotle powder for a smoky kick. The filling’s stuffed between potato buns with pickled onion for tang and served with roasted potato wedges on the side. Tasty nostalgia on the table in just 25 minutes? It doesn’t get much better than that.
Ingredients
4 tablespoon
BBQ Sauce
½ tablespoon
Cornstarch
1 unit
Red Onion
1 teaspoon
Chipotle Powder
12 ounce
Potatoes
1 unit
Chicken Stock Concentrate
1 unit
Ketchup
15 ounce
Ground Pork
1 unit
Lime
2 unit
Potato Buns
(Contains: Soy, Wheat)
1.5 ounce
Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
(Contains: Eggs, Milk)
Not included in your delivery
teaspoon (tsp)
Salt
¼ teaspoon (tsp)
Sugar
1 tablespoon (tbsp)
Cooking Oil
teaspoon (tsp)
Black Pepper
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
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Adjust rack to top position and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash and dry produce.
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Cut potatoes into ½-inch-thick wedges. Halve, peel, and thinly slice ¼ of the onion; finely dice remaining onion. Halve lime. Halve buns.
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Toss potatoes on a baking sheet with a large drizzle of oil, salt, and pepper.
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Roast on top rack until browned and tender, 20-25 minutes.
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While potatoes roast, in a small bowl, combine BBQ sauce, ketchup, stock concentrate, half the cornstarch (all for 4 servings), and 1 TBSP water (2 TBSP for 4).
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In a separate small microwave-safe bowl, combine sliced onion, juice from half the lime, ¼ tsp sugar, and a pinch of salt. Microwave until bright pink, 30 seconds.
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In a third small bowl, combine ranch dressing with a pinch of chipotle powder to taste (you’ll use more chipotle powder later).
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Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add diced onion and cook, stirring, until softened, 4-5 minutes.
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Add pork* and season with salt and pepper. Cook, breaking up meat into pieces, until browned, 3-5 minutes (it’ll finish cooking in the next step). TIP: Not sure how much pork to use? Refer to the “Before you start” section at left for guidance.
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Add BBQ sauce mixture to pan with pork. Cook, stirring, until mixture is thickened and pork is cooked through, 2-3 minutes more.
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If you like things spicy, stir in a pinch or two of chipotle powder to taste. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Add a squeeze of lime juice if you like. Turn off heat.
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While filling cooks, toast buns until golden brown. TIP: Place on a baking sheet or toast directly on oven rack. Brush cut sides with melted butter first for extra richness.
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Fill buns with as much pork filling and pickled onion (draining first) as you like. Divide sloppy joes between plates. Serve with potato wedges and chipotle ranch for dipping.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Sep 2026- Flavor: The sloppy Joe filling has great smoky-sweet flavor, and the pickled onions and chipotle ranch are crowd favorites 🎉. Some found the sauce too sweet; others felt it needed more BBQ and ketchup to really coat the meat.
- Ease of prep: This is a quick, easy weeknight meal with minimal cleanup — most had it on the table in under 30 minutes.
- Suggestions: Add more BBQ sauce and ketchup than the recipe calls for — many reviewers found the sauce too sparse for the amount of meat, especially with the larger protein portion. Drain the pork grease before adding the sauce for a cleaner flavor, and squeeze in extra lime juice if you want more tang.
- Leftovers: The filling makes enough for at least three sandwiches, so pick up an extra bun or two — leftovers reheat well on plain bread the next day.
- Portions: The extra protein leaves too much filling for the two included buns; most reviewers recommend having a third bun on hand.
Reviews from our home cooks
We loved this sloppy Joe. It has a nice smokey flavor. Delicious
Sloppy joes are known to be messy, but is there any way to get a bigger bun?
These turned out really dry... not enough sloppy for the Joe, even tho I added some water. Also, the buns were nearing stale... As a suggestion, how about some cole slaw along with these instead of potatoes? Or at least a choice.
