A big batch of sloppy joes is great for any kind of party or big get-together with a lot of people. This recipe is even better made in advance and is perfect reheated in a slow cooker or roaster.
Large gatherings need large amounts of food. These sloppy joe sandwiches are an easy way to feed a lot of people.
You could also make a lot of it now and freeze it in smaller pots for easy dinners later. Now that’s meal planning!.
As you all know, we hosted a science birthday party for Little Dude a couple of weeks ago. It was a blast but there was a lot to keep straight between the food and the experiments.
I’ll admit that I get a bit extra when it comes to hosting a themed party. Especially when it’s for Little Dude!.
This year he requested we have hot dogs on our hot dog roller. That thing really does come in handy for a party!.
But I know not everyone is overly keen on hot dogs, myself included. I don’t mind cooking one or two over a campfire every once in a while, but I don’t want to eat them all the time.
So I started thinking about what else to make. I thought it would be good for kids, and it would be even better if I could make it ahead of time or in a slow cooker.
As there were going to be a lot of things to do, I knew that food would take up as little time as possible during the party. That’s when it struck me.
A few years ago, for our friend Dana’s birthday, our friend Julie made a huge batch of sloppy joes. I remembered there being a ton and they were delicious.
Luckily she was generous enough to share the recipe. She even said she thought they tasted better if they were made ahead of time and then heated up, or if they were frozen ahead of time and then heated up.
Now that is exactly what I was looking for! So I couldn’t wait to make a batch.
She sent over the recipe. It turned out she was making a batch for an event as well!
I was surprised to see a can of corned beef in the mix. I didn’t know there was such a thing.
She said I wasn’t the only one that was caught off guard for that. The last time she sent someone to the store for food, they came back with corned beef hash.
The story goes that they still tasted great, but some people were shocked to find potatoes in them!
Luckily I was able to find canned corned beef minus the hash. It was with the other canned meats and sausages and in a rectangle can like spam.
I knew I was making a big batch, but I wasn’t quite prepared for how big. I ended up browning the ground beef in batches despite using my 5 quart Dutch oven.
If you want to try to do it all at once, use a big soup pot or Dutch oven. Once the meat is browned and drained, you only need a few simple ingredients to make it taste great.
I made mine the weekend in advance and froze it. I did a few large containers for the party and several smaller ones for dinners later.
It did thaw and reheat beautifully and people kept commenting about how good they were. People who wanted the best of both worlds could also eat the meat on top of hot dogs.
So keep this recipe in your back pocket for your next get together. It will certainly come in handy!.
Sloppy joes are a classic American sandwich that are often served at large gatherings and parties. Their saucy, meaty filling packed into a soft bun makes them a crowd-pleasing option. But when you’re cooking sloppy joes for 50 people, how much ground beef do you really need? Let’s break it down.
An Overview of Sloppy Joes
A sloppy joe consists of cooked ground beef mixed with a tomato-based sweet and tangy sauce. The meat sauce is served heaping on a hamburger bun. Popular condiments include pickles, onions, mustard and cheese.
While the origin is debated, one theory is that sloppy joes were first created in Sioux City, Iowa in the 1930s and named after a restaurant owner named Joe The dish grew in popularity nationwide throughout the 20th century
Sloppy joes are often served at large picnics, potlucks church functions school cafeterias and other big gatherings. They appeal to people of all ages with their saucy, slightly sweet flavor profile.
How Much Ground Beef for 50 Sloppy Joes?
When making sloppy joes for a crowd it’s important to determine the right amount of ground beef needed. Here are some guidelines
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A typical sloppy joe recipe serves 6 people and uses 11⁄2 pounds of ground beef.
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To determine the amount needed for 50 people, divide 50 by the normal serving size of 6. This equals about 8 batches.
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Multiply the amount of ground beef for one batch (11⁄2 pounds) by the number of batches (8).
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So for 50 sloppy joes you will need 12 to 13 pounds of ground beef.
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I recommend rounding up to 15 pounds or buying 2-10 pound packages of ground beef to make sure you have more than enough.
Tips for Making a Large Batch
Cooking 12+ pounds of ground beef and gallons of sauce can be a big task. Here are some tips:
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Cook the beef in manageable batches. Most home cooks don’t have a pan large enough to brown 10+ pounds at once. Cook 5 pounds at a time.
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Use a very large stockpot, dutch oven or even a roasting pan to mix and heat everything together.
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Make the sauce while the beef cooks. Get all your prep work done in advance.
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Keep the sloppy joe meat hot in a slow cooker or chafing dishes if you won’t be serving immediately.
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Have plenty of burger buns, condiments, and side dishes ready before guests arrive.
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Make ahead and reheat on the stove or in a 300 ̊F oven in batches.
More Tips for Feeding a Crowd
Sloppy joes are just one filling option when you are feeding dozens of people. Here are some more tips:
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Set up a taco bar with ground beef, shredded chicken or pork, beans, rice, tortillas and lots of fixings.
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Make a chili or vegetable beef soup in a huge stockpot. Garnish with cheese, onions, crackers or cornbread.
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BBQ pulled pork or shredded chicken with buns, pickles and barbecue sauces.
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Bake up large pans of zesty pasta dishes like baked ziti, lasagna rolls or mac and cheese.
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For a summer crowd, grill up tons of hot dogs, brats and hamburgers with all the fixings.
Sample Sloppy Joe Recipe for 50
Here is a sample recipe to make around 50 hearty sloppy joe sandwiches. The exact yield will depend on the size of your hamburger buns.
Ingredients:
- 15 lbs ground beef
- 3 onions, diced
- 1⁄4 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 38 oz ketchup
- 1 teaspoon chili powder (optional)
- Salt and pepper
- 50 hamburger buns
- Desired condiments
Instructions:
- Brown ground beef in batches, cooking thoroughly along with the diced onions. Drain excess fat.
- Add browned beef and onions to a very large stockpot. Mix in Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, ketchup and chili powder if desired.
- Heat through until bubbly and thickened, at least 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Serve heaping spoonfuls of meat onto hamburger buns with desired condiments like pickles, mustard, cheese, etc.
Let the sauciness ensue! With around 15 pounds of meat, you’ll have enough sloppy joe filling to satisfy even the hungriest crowd.
Tips and Variations for Making Big Batch Sloppy Joes
A bit of chili powder can add a roundness to the flavor. You can add it in when you are browning the beef.
If your pot isn’t big enough for 10 pounds of beef at once, brown it in batches. The smaller amounts are easier to stir and drain anyway. Once it is cooked down, it can be combined.
I like to add a quarter cup or so of water to the beef before I brown it. It helps the final texture to be fine and less chunky.
Let the mixture thaw overnight, and then heat it up on the stove, in a slow cooker, or in an electric roaster.
Serve on buns with toppings like pickles, mustard, diced onions, or slices of cheese.
Ideas for leftover sloppy joe meat:
- Put sloppy joe meat inside a baked potato and cheese on top!
- Put meat on top of fries or tater tots and cover them with cheese. Heat until melted and eat like nachos/chili cheese fries.
- Turn it into chili.
Check out my recipe for maid rites if you like hot sandwiches as much as we do. You could easily scale that and serve it at a party as well.
We also like doing slow cooker chicken parmesan sandwiches. In fact I need to whip up a batch of those again soon!.
Love this recipe? Give it a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review in the recipe card below!
How to Make Sloppy Joes | Get Cookin’ | Allrecipes
FAQ
How many pounds of ground beef for 50 people?
How much does 1 lb of sloppy joes feed?
How much ground beef do I need for 60 people?
How much does 1lb of ground beef feed?
How much ground beef for sloppy joes?
A good starting point for a serving size of sloppy joes is about 1/2 cup of ground beef per serving, which is roughly 4 ounces or 113 grams of ground beef per serving of 1 cup (8 ounces) of chili. This amount can be adjusted based on personal preference or the size of your buns.
How much sloppy joe meat filling per sandwich?
Plan on ½ cup of sloppy joe meat filling per sandwich when served on a regular-sized hamburger bun. This is about 2½ ounces of meat per sandwich. Estimate 1½ sandwiches per person to ensure there is enough food. You can reduce this amount by about 25% if several side dishes are also served.
How many sloppy joes sandwiches per person?
Supply enough filling and buns for 1½ sloppy joes sandwiches per person. Some people will have two, most will have one, and a few won’t eat one at all. (Like the vegetarians in the crowd.) If you plan on 1½ sandwiches per person, you should have enough food for everyone. Especially if you have sloppy joes toppings and generous side dishes.
How do you make a sloppy joe sandwich?
Corn starch – Thicken the sloppy joe mixture with corn starch so that it is the perfect consistency for the sandwich! Place ground beef, diced onions, salt and pepper into a large skillet over medium. Cook the beef mixture until no pink remains and all beef has cooked into crumbles. After it cooks, about 7-8 minutes, drain the grease.