Roasted bell peppers and ground bison combined with freshly baked buns for a memorable version of an America Classic.
One of the challenges of living hundreds of miles beyond the road system is that we frequently can’t get the ingredients we want for cooking. With the school year rapidly drawing to a close (fewer than eight weeks remain now) and an abundance of ground bison in our freezer, Barbra had been requesting Sloppy Joes. “I’ll make the buns!” she promised. Problem is, the village store hasn’t had onions since early January. The last shipment was frozen solid and had to be tossed out. We’re out as well, and I couldn’t quite imagine Sloppy Joes without diced sweet onions mixed in with the meat and sauce.
And then, out of the blue, a friend gave us two green bell peppers. Roasted and skin peeled, these would provide the tangy sweetness I was looking for. I had a large carrot in the fridge that needed to be used, so I diced and sautéed it and added it to the ingredients as well.
Mixed together with an off-the-cuff sauce, our Bison Joe’s came out great – more savory than sloppy, and sweet enough to please the kid in us.
Bison Joes with Roasted Bell Peppers
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground bison
- 5 cloves garlic, chopped fine
- 2 bell peppers, cut in half, stems and seeds removed
- 2/3 cup finely chopped carrots
- olive oil, as needed
- 1/2 cup Sloppy Joe sauce (below)
- Place a baking sheet (a good, thick one is best) into oven and preheat to 500 °F.
- Using a brush, spray bottle or fingers, thoroughly cover bell pepper halves with light olive oil, canola oil or other oil that will withstand high temperatures.
- When oven is preheated, place bell peppers open side down on baking sheet. Roast until peppers soften, skin begins to loosen, and outside begins to brown. Turn the peppers over and continue to roast until desired color is achieved. (You will see at least some spots burned black. How much of this you want is up to you. I go for just a little black.)
- Remove peppers from baking sheet, place in paper bag and close. This will help steam the skins loose.
- When cool enough to handle, peel off the skin.
- Dice the peppers (about 1/4″ pieces) and set aside.
- Add about 2 tablespoons olive oil to a large frying pan and heat over medium heat. Add ground bison. Breaking up the meat and stirring, cook until evenly browned. Pour out on paper towels to drain off oil and fat and set aside.
- Add about 1 tablespoon olive oil to a medium frying pan and heat over medium to medium-low heat. Add carrots, stirring frequently. Just before done, add the garlic and cook an additional 1 to 2 minutes. Place in a small bowl and set aside to cool.
- 1/3 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon Cholula sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon basil
- couple dashes powdered cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- several grinds freshly cracked pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Directions:
- Add all ingredients to a non-reactive bowl and mix thoroughly. Add the garlic and carrots (above). Add the bell peppers. Add additional chili powder, cumin or Cholula for more of a kick.
- Place the browned bison in a large skillet. Heat on medium heat and add enough sauce to coat the meat. Beyond that, how much sauce to add is a matter of cook’s choice. Mix thoroughly, cooking and stirring till everything is hot.
Serve on toasted buns or toasted bread with a frosty mug of root beer.
