500grground beef[1lb] (preferably from a fatty cut)
8big portobello mushrooms
⅔cuphickory barbecue sauce( I love Hunt's or HP)
⅓cupketchup
2tbspsoy sauce
4cloves of garlic, minced
tabasco/ other red hot sauce(optional - use your favorite)
canola oil
crushed roasted cashews / panko(optional)
salt
Instructions
The Mushrooms
Wash the mushrooms and gently take the stems out.
Place them in an oven sheet with baking paper tops facing up and bake in an oven preheated to 180°C (360°F) for 20 minutes until they lose significant amounts of liquid.
Take the mushrooms out and pat them dry with a paper towel. Arrange them on a dry oven sheet with baking paper with gills facing up.
Sloppy Sauce
While the mushrooms are in the oven, combine the barbecue, ketchup, soy, and hot sauce if using in a bowl until homogenous.
Prepare the Meat
Sauté the garlic in a small pan or saucepan over low heat for a minute, until fragrance turns from spicy to sweet.
Heat a bit of canola oil in a different pan on high heat and cook the beef. Salt the beef generously. Use a spatula or a spoon to separate the meat into the smallest pieces you can. If water starts to pull use a spoon to take them out of the pan.
Cook the meat until it's well-done and brown a bit for an extra umami flavor.
Lower the heat and add the garlic and the sloppy sauce and combine. Let the sauce boil for a few minutes to lose excess liquids.
Finish the Dish
Place the Sloppy meat on the mushrooms, creating a little mound on each.
For crispiness, sprinkle the crushed roasted cashew or panko on top of the mushrooms.
Place in an oven preheated to 180°C(360°F) for 7 minutes if all ingredients are still warm and 10-15 minutes if not.
Notes
For a classic Sloppy Joe, you can use the meat recipe here and place it on a fresh burger bun with lettuce and pickled cucumbers. Serve with mayonnaise.