This venison sloppy joes recipe is a unique twist on a classic American weeknight meal. The way the flavors of the sauce become one with the venison is truly something special. Once you make homemade sloppy joe sauce and give it some time to simmer, you'll never crack open a can again!
Recipe Highlights
Lower sugar: Most sloppy joe recipes have added sugar, and it's really not necessary. You'll find that the sweetness from the ketchup is enough to give the sauce that classic sloppy joe flavor profile without being too sweet.
Flavorful: Full of delicious savory flavors, this recipe is tangy with a hint of smokiness and a subtle sweet taste. The sauce can also be used to make sloppy joe hand pies!
Freezer-friendly: Simple to make, this deer meat sloppy joe recipe is perfect for weeknight dinners. Even better, you can easily double or triple the recipe, and freeze leftovers for later. If you love having easy meals on hand in the freezer like I do, check out this list of freezer-friendly wild game recipes.
Ingredients
- Ancho Chili Powder, Smoked Paprika, and Liquid Smoke: These ingredients are what give these sloppy joes their signature smoky taste. If you're not into that flavor, omit the liquid smoke, and use regular paprika and chili powder. Looking for more ways to use smoked paprika? Try my homemade BBQ seasoning recipe or Cajun butter recipe.
- Hot Sauce: This recipe uses a very small amount of hot sauce. You can omit it, or add extra if you want to spice things up!
- Toppings: Pickle slices and sliced red onion add some texture to these sloppy joes with venison. However, it's great without toppings or with whatever you prefer!
- Brioche Buns: Brioche buns have a lot more flavor than typical hamburger buns. They're great for venison mushroom Swiss burgers, beer-battered halibut sandwiches, and more! If you have leftover buns, don't toss them out! Try these brioche croutons instead.
See recipe card for quantities.
Equipment
This recipe uses a Dutch oven because it holds the heat well for a low simmer. But you can use any other large pot as well. It can also be simmered in a crock pot. See the recipe card below for instructions.
Recommended
Dutch Oven
Perfect for holding heat and for big batches!
How to Make Venison Sloppy Joes
Making something that you can so easily buy in a can may seem intimidating, but it doesn't have to be! The ingredients for this sauce come together quickly, and once you have it on the stove, it's practically hands-off until dinner time! Follow the steps below for this classic ground venison recipe.
- Step 1: Gather sauce ingredients (ketchup, mustard, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar, liquid smoke, and hot sauce) and a glass jar.
- Step 2: Add all sauce ingredients to a glass jar.
- Step 3: Place the lid tightly on the jar, and shake until well combined.
- Step 4: Add lard or another cooking fat to the Dutch oven over medium heat, and swirl to coat the pan.
- Step 5: Break up the ground venison in the pan and cook until the meat starts to brown, about 2 minutes.
- Step 6: Add spices to ground meat, and stir until meat is well-coated.
- Step 7: Add onions, peppers, and garlic to the meat, and stir to combine.
- Step 8: Cook until meat is fully browned and the vegetables are softened, 5-7 minutes.
- Step 9: Add in the sauce, and stir to combine. Bring mixture to a simmer. Then, reduce the heat to very low.
- Step 10: Mostly cover the pot with a lid, allowing for a small vent hole. Cook for 1.5 hours, stirring occasionally.
Pro Tip
If your sauce starts to dry out, add in some water a couple of tablespoons at a time to bring the moisture level back up.
How to Store Venison Sloppy Joe Sauce
Refrigerator: Let the sauce cool completely, then transfer it to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days.
Freezer: For longer storage, portion the sauce into freezer-safe containers or resealable bags. Lay bags flat to save space. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Reheating: Thaw frozen sauce overnight in the fridge. Reheat gently on the stovetop or microwave, adding a splash of water if needed to restore consistency.
Serving Suggestions
Once your sauce is finished, all that's left is assembly and eating! You can toast your buns before serving or leave them as is. Pile the bottom bun high with sauce and top with pickle slices and sliced red onion, if desired.
Homemade potato chips, Mediterranean cucumber and tomato salad, and maple and herb roasted delicata squash go great with venison sloppy joes. Serve with a fork and knife, because it's about to get messy!
Venison Sloppy Joes FAQs
Sloppy joe sauce is typically tomato-based (ketchup or tomato sauce) and has many flavorful ingredients like Worcestershire sauce, spices, and veggies to make this delicious American classic.
You can eat your sloppy joe without toppings or add toppings like pickle slices, sliced red onion, cheese, coleslaw, you name it!
Adding a bit of hot sauce to your sloppy joes will kick up the heat a notch. Sauces like Tobasco and Louisiana hot sauce are great choices.
If you have leftover venison meat, put it to use with any of my easy ground venison recipes such as Instant Pot venison Spanish rice, ground venison Italian sausage, venison meatball sub sandwiches, ground venison bulgogi tacos, and juicy grilled elk burgers
Related Recipes
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Thank you!
Annie
📖 Recipe
Venison Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
Meat and Veggies:
- 1 lb ground venison (or elk, antelope, moose, etc.)
- 2 tablespoon lard, oil, or butter
- 1 tablespoon ancho chili powder
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 1 red bell pepper, finely diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
Sauce:
- 1 cup ketchup
- 3 tablespoon mustard (any type but I use dijon)
- 3 tablespoon tomato paste
- ½ teaspoon hot sauce (optional)
- 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon liquid smoke
Other Ingredients:
- 6 hamburger buns
- sliced red onion, for serving (optional)
- pickle slices, for serving (optional)
Instructions
Dutch Oven Instructions:
- Heat lard in large skillet or dutch oven over medium heat. Add ground meat and cook until meat starts to brown, about 2 minutes. Add in chili powder, smoked paprika, salt and pepper and stir until meat is well-coated. Add in diced onions, diced pepper, and garlic. Cook until meat is fully browned and vegetables are softened, 5-7 minutes.
- While meat is cooking, add ketchup, mustard, tomato paste, hot sauce, vinegar, worcestershire, and liquid smoke to pint jar. Place lid tightly on jar and shake until well-combined. Add sauce to pan and stir until combined.
- Bring mixture to a simmer, then reduce heat to very low. Mostly cover pot with lid, allowing for a small vent hole. Cook for 1.5 hours, stirring occasionally. Add in water a couple tablespoons at a time if mixture starts to dry out.
- Toast hamburger buns. Serve warm sloppy joe sauce on buns with sliced red onion and pickle slices, if desired.
Crock Pot Instructions:
- Heat lard in large skillet or dutch oven over medium heat. Add ground meat and cook until meat starts to brown, about 2 minutes. Add in chili powder, smoked paprika, salt and pepper and stir until meat is well-coated. Add in diced onions, diced pepper, and garlic. Cook until meat is fully browned and vegetables are softened, 5-7 minutes.
- While meat is cooking, add ketchup, mustard, tomato paste, hot sauce, vinegar, worcestershire, and liquid smoke to pint jar. Place lid tightly on jar and shake until well-combined.
- Transfer meat/veggie mixture and sauce to a crock pot. Stir to combine. Cook on low for 3-4 hours or until the flavors have melded and the liquid has reduced slightly.
- Toast hamburger buns. Serve warm sloppy joe sauce on buns with sliced red onion and pickle slices, if desired.
To Freeze:
- Make a double (or more) batch of the recipe. Cool the sauce and add half to a quart-size zippered bag. Freeze flat on a sheet pan. Thaw under refrigeration and reheat on the stove or in the microwave when ready to use.
Notes
- Ancho chili powder, smoked paprika, and liquid smoke are what give these sloppy joes their signature smoky taste. If you're not into that flavor, omit the liquid smoke, and use regular paprika and chili powder.
- This recipe uses a very small amount of hot sauce. You can omit it, or add extra if you want to spice things up!
- Pickle slices and sliced red onion add some texture to these sloppy joes with venison. However, it's great without toppings or with whatever you prefer!
- Brioche buns have a lot more flavor than typical hamburger buns. They're great for Venison Mushroom Swiss Burgers, Beer-Battered Halibut Sandwiches, and more!
- If your sauce starts to dry out, add in some water a couple of tablespoons at a time to bring the moisture level back up.
Jenny says
We made this recipe while primitive camping in the Adirondacks and everyone loved it! I would not change a thing and highly recommend the brioche buns! Thanks for a terrific recipe. My family wants to have this again soon.
Annie Weisz says
Thanks so much for your kind review, Jenny! Sounds like an awesome trip, too!
Duke says
Actually about 4.5 stars. My wife is not a big fan of sloppy Joe's (too sweet) but she really enjoyed the savory take on this recipe. We both thought the chili powder was a bit strong so will reduce that to 2 teaspoons. The biggest problem is that the meat to sauce ratio isn't right. For the amount of sauce, you need at least 1.5 pounds of burger. I had to simmer it for 3 hours uncovered to cook it down enough to get a reasonable sloppy joe consistency vs more like chili.
Annie Weisz says
I'm sorry the recipe wasn't quite to your liking! I've tested it many times with my family and it always turns out great. I'm glad you were able to adjust it to your own tastes!
Gail Pickens-Barger says
Can one sub in Crisco for Lard?
Annie Weisz says
You could. But in this case, I would suggest using your go-to cooking oil or fat. (olive oil, butter, etc.)
Rikki Mills says
I’m gonna try this with antelope!
Annie Weisz says
That sounds great! I hope you enjoy the recipe!