How Sloppy Joes Became a School Lunch Legend 

My family was in a slightly fancy restaurant years ago and my mother notices on of the items in the sandwich section of the menu listed an "Untidy Joseph" . My mom had to ask the waiter and he jokingly told us common folks call it a sloppy Joe sandwich.

As a Canadian, I gotta say that I've never in my life heard the name 'victory burger', and have always called them 'Sloppy Joes'. It may be a regional thing somewhere in Canada... bit it is not what Canadians call them generally.

Putting 'Sloppy Joes' on my list of things to cook this week. Haven't had them in years!

I have lived in Alberta, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland. I have visited every province. I have eaten many sloppy joe's. I have never heard of a "victory burger".

My Cuban mom used to make us picadillo sandwiches which is very similar to Sloppy Joe's. Cuban picadillo is a creole tomato base sauce with ground beef, it was delicious. I remember playing at my neighbor's house and her mom made us Sloppy Joe's and I thought they were the same as my mom's but they were so sweet I didn't finish mine, I said I was full. Love this channel, so many interesting things to see, thank you so much1

My favorite school lunch. Sloppy Joes are delicious, and they're nutritionally sound in cold climates, where high caloric intake is vital.

I make mine with the thick and chunky Manwich and add in a diced red bell pepper for a little crunch.. I also make pizza and I tried an experiment.. Instead of using spaghetti sauce as the base, I used sloppy joe, then added the cheese and toppings. It was truly amazing.

Good Lord, I'd kill for a Sloppy Joe right now. 🤤 I really shouldn't watch while hungry.

I knew the lunch lady from Billy Madison would be in this, within first minute 🤣

As a Texan I grew up with and still eat Sloppy Joes. I now make them from scratch but they bring back memories of school lunches just like school pizza. Great food!

I briefly attended grade school in the USA and always looked forward to the sloppy joe at lunchtime. Having moved back to the UK, where awareness of American culture is pretty advanced, I was surprised nobody heard of it. These days friends in the USA send me sachets of the spice mix so I still make it all these years later.

I’ve lived in Texas, Colorado, and Georgia and have only ever heard them called Sloppy Joes. And I absolutely love them. I now eat them in a hotdog bun because it makes them less sloppy…. You mentioned some people call them Sloppy Jane’s. I found that interesting as there’s another meal I eat that I’ve always called Sloppy Jane’s (that’s what my parents called it when I was a kid) and it’s a hotdog in a hotdog bun topped with baked beans. Which is also ridiculously delicious.

As a Canadian I’ve always called them Sloppy Joe’s or a Manwich..

I hoped that Billy Madison clip would be here, WHF never disappoints!

I've always called loose meat sandwiches Maid Rites, after the restaurant. Best one I ever had was in a joint under a parking garage in Ottumwa, IA. But as a kid (70's-80's) I remember a lot of older folks calling sloppy Joes a barbecue sandwich.

The ultimate intersection between ridiculously easy to make and off the charts deliciousness.

Nostalgia kicking in. It wasn't "that bad" back when I was growing up in the 70's. My Mom made home made one's. I think I may pick up the ingredients next shopping trip and create my own. Thanks for covering this!

2AM? Yeah that’s a good time to learn about the sloppy joe. I’m just glad I was this early to the party

Comfort food, yum! I usually make fries and coleslaw to go with it. And no flimsy buns! Buy the good ones. 👍🏻😀

Had me a Manwich dinner last night. A damn decent once or twice a month meal.

In New Jersey, a sloppy Joe is a cold triple decker sandwich made with cheese, ham, turkey and/or roast beef. What makes it sloppy is a generous portion of coleslaw on each layer.

Like the Sloppy Joe. Mom made the best ones. Particularly the Manwich.

12 years of public school, YES, we loved them. We could, and usually did buy extra for 5 cents. This was in the 50s and sixties and they always made plenty. Wish I had that exact recipe!

🎵🎶 Sloppy Joe Sloppy sloppy joe 🎵🎶 Rest in peace Chris Farley

Fantastic video. I love me some manwhcich. Might have just changed my dinner plans.

I always enjoyed calling them untidy Josephs as it would take a couple seconds for people to understand what I was talking about.

I just want to thank all you cafeteria staff that work hard to feed students or people in general. I was in a rehab and the cafeteria workers always went the extra mile to try and make the food more enjoyable for us DAILY. Thank you workers that want to please ppl! You're the best!

Aside from the square pizza this was my favorite food in elementary school. This is spookey because just the other day I started making Sloppy Joes! When you taste a flavor you haven't had in a long time, it tastes even better. I'm slowly working my way up the food prep ladder. From the tomato sauce mix in a can, to the powder, to actually making it from the raw ingredients.

I never knew I wanted to know this history. But holy bologna was it interesting.

Speaking as a native from Ontario Canada, Ive never heard anyone pronounce sloppy joes as victory burgers nor have I found any evidence on the internet to suggest this claim.

Really disappointed that we didn’t get Hermes Conrad yelling,” my manwich!” In this video.

60 years old and still enjoy a Sloppy Joe on occasion.

I actually had one at Sloppy Joe's in Key West. FYI: Jimmy Buffett played there in beginning of his career. Live entertainment still a part of the Sloppy Joe's experience.

I'm a big fan of "Sloppy Joes" and I have eaten them since I was a kid. I do eat them every now and then since I am older. I have eaten variations of this classic sandwich using ground turkey or even chicken. I even enjoy the Manwich too. This video was fascinating to me. Thanks for the upload.

"Victory burger" sounds like what an American would think a Canadian would call a Sloppy Joe.

I loved seeing Sloppy Joes on the menu during grade school. I loved them.

My brain exploded when somebody explained that sloppy joes are just chili that people eat between pieces of bread.

just finished eating my take on them. I use Manwich and grands biscuits. I make the biscuits flat, then put them in a muffin pan, then add the meat/manwich combination to it, top with cheese and bake until the biscuits are done. amazing!

Really good narration. Reminds me of the RU-vidr ZeFrank. 👌 I was always told they were based off a Jamacian Recipe which was based off a French Recipe. The Jamacian version used cayenne pepper & jamacian chillies, which made it hotter. It also helped to hide the fact it was made with poor-quality meat. I think Dynamite Sandwich in French sounds pretty close.

It's a simple sandwich, but it has its charm and appealing flavor/ texture. Cheddar cheese really makes the sandwich

I actually just made some sloppy joes the other day. America's Test Kitchen has a nice recipe for them that's pretty easy and quite good. I've been living overseas for quite a while and kind of forgot about them for a while. They're definitely going back into the rotation!

I grew up eating sloppy joes and I still love eating them. I add shoestring fries to my sandwich and I drink either a cream or root beer soda.

I love this channel! Thanks for all the cool food history!

Simple, yet satisfying.

Growing up in Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania - I can state with 100% certainty that nobody ever called sloppy joe a "steamer." Your mention of it was the first time I've ever heard the phrase.

As a person who grew up in Minnesota... Sloppy Jane's are when you use alternatives to ground Hamburger. Like ground turkey or ground pork...

man, the sloppy joe brings me back to my childhood youth - I used to visit my local apothecary back in the day for an egg cream. at the time, they used to sell sloppy joes at this apothecary. i still think about that place from time to time.

I Love Sloppy Joes since 1968 Now I make them at home My Way ❤

I'm a native Virginian now living in WV and I've never heard them called "steamers." Also, homemade sloppy joes are so easy to make and taste WAY better than the Manwich mess. Browned ground beef, sautéed onion, ketchup, mustard, brown sugar, a splash of vinegar and viola! An explosion of deliciousness 😋

I remember my great grandma calling them hamburger BBQ sandwiches instead of a sloppy joe

When I was a kid (early '80s) my mom made Sloppy Joes open-faced. One piece of bread and a dollop of meat sauce. I remember not liking them at the time (because my child's mind couldn't accept the idea of a sandwich with only one piece of bread), though I enjoy a Sloppy Joe now. In recent years, I've been known to make something similar with taco meat and shredded cheese between two slices of bread, which I call Sloppy José.

"A bold Manwich, which contains, uh, boldness, apparently." 🤣 🤣 🤣

LOVE THEM!!!! Now I am craving one!!!

I love this channel so much

2lb. Ground beef 1 onion diced small 1 green pepper diced 2 cups ketchup 1/4 cup yellow mustard 2 tbls. Dijon mustard 1cup bbq sauce [your favorite] Salt & pepper to taste. 1. Brown ground beef & onions/peppers over medium heat until just turning dark brown. Stirring & scraping the whole time. The carmelizing of the meat gets that nice fond flavor -- no pale brown meat, please! 2. Tip pan or use paper towels to remove most of the fat. Leave some in. 3. Add ketchup/mustards/bbq sauce. 4. Simmer over low heat slowly, stirring until glossy. Scraping up from the bottom of the pan so it doesn't burn. About 10 minutes. 5. Season to taste. Try adding a thin slice of cheese on top to melt. ***sometimes I add in some red pepper flakes if it's too sweet tasting.

I always figured they were an adaptation of pulled pork. Like, oops, no pork, but we have sauce, what else can we use? But I can see how ropa vieja or chili or cochinita pibil could be progenitors as well. Seems like there are a lot of ways to end up at a sloppy joe. I personally like a sauce that uses bell pepper for the sweet element rather than just sugar or corn syrup. The more barbecue-y sauces are too sweet and overwhelming imo.

Lol I'm from Canada and I've never heard the term "victory burger" 😭🤷

How can you not like a sloppy Joe As a kid this is one of the greats

Literally watched this while enjoying a classic joe & tot dinner. 👍

I love this channel.!😄

My grandma was from South Dakota and she always just called them "bbq" which always confused me as a kid who grew up in Texas. She was so frugal she would make her own sauce for them which was a mixture of mostly ketchup, mustard and worcestershire.

One of my favorite American comfort foods. But as for THE comfort food. Can't go wrong with a good bowl of Borsch.

Being from Minnesota I have never called a regular sloppy Joe a Jane, I thought Sloppy Jane's were always turkey instead of beef?

Taco Bell had its own version of the Sloppy Joe called The Bell Beefer.

I make my own sauce using ketchup and different things depending on what mood i'm in. I often eat it on corn tortillas and call them Sloppy Joses.

Great Video! Keeps your attention all the way through.

A friend of mine added, crumbled, bacon, peppers, and onions into the mixture then topped it with green onions and diced jalapeños, and it was amazing. I been making them like this ever since.

I've lived in multiple provinces in Canada, and they all call them sloppy joes too.

I'm sure there is some remote town somewhere here in Canada that calls it a victory burger, but yeah, we call them sloppy Joe's. Eh.

Canadian here-Have never heard of a ‘Victory Burger’. It’s Sloppy Joes or Manwich after the canned sauce that is sold at grocery stores.

I’m so glad you mentioned Rush😊

Im sorry but im from Canada and i never once heard anyone call a sloppy joe a victory burger?! maybes its more of a western saying but in ontario and quebec we call them sloppy joes even in french lol

Ropa Vieja?! I love it! "Old Clothing" -- because it looks like tattered old threads. Thanks for yet another interesting new thing learned, WHF! Your channel never ceases to enlighten and entertain. Also a Sloppy Joe is really just a Bolognese Sandwich. Put it neatly into a hot-dog style bun and call it a Tidy Moe, if you like.

Love them... So versatile and cheap to make

I love sloppy joe's! I use ground turkey (no grease like hamburger meat), tomato chunks, peas, carrots and potato flakes. The potato flakes make it richer and helps hold it together better. No matter what, you can change the recipe how you like.

I really want one now. They don't exist in Japan sadly. Great vid!

great episode on a truly - MEH - sandwich! BUT - wish you added a clip from King of the Hill (in which Bobby goes "it's all sloppy, and NO JOE!")

I grew up in New Hampshire and my grandmother called it Wimpy. Still is so good though. This video makes me want some now

The Sloppy Joe sure is delicious. Seems like everyone is familiar with it.

The only "Sloppy Jane's" I've seen was in a vegan cafe in Jamaica Plain, Boston, so I'd assumed it was a vegan variant. Though on searching just now, I see recipes with turkey. Given prices, I would probably use ground pork.

Sloppy joes are the best! I always have mine with sharp cheddar and mustard on an Aunt Millie's onion bun. Just had it 3 days ago for dinner lol. We always have used the Manwich brand

What an amazing video, with really good editing too!

I love Sloppy Joes! I've been making my own from scratch for ages. Manwich has to be the worst, by the way.

They are cheap to make, taste great, and go great with a side of tator tots. Even the vegan versions taste great.

As a born and raised Virginian, I have never heard it called a steamer in the 40+ years I have been in the state.

What I was not expecting was Hemmingway! This must have been around the time he wrote his classic : "For Whom the Joe Slops" 😁

I'm vegetarian and my husband is vegan yet sometimes we crave that school lunch staple and buy a bag of veggie crumbles and a can of sloppy Joe sauce. Brings me back

Suggestion: The weird food history of taco shops. Here in San Diego you can easily find taco shops in almost every neighborhood in the city and county. Many are independently owned. There's one true chain taco shop here called Roberto's. There are also mini taco shop chains that have "berto's" as part of their name, cashing in on the Roberto's branding.

They’re also very popular in the prions and jails. They feed it to us at least three times a week

Joe Doe am I right...hahaha. love this channel.

It’s really all about the bun. Without a sturdy bun, you’re just eating hamburger soup.

I have a theory: Sloppy joes have never been common in school cafeterias. They have just been such a common trope in tvs and movies for so long that people think they are.

Manwich is one of my absolute favs!!!

Love the RUSH shout out!

1st. now i am hungry.

The South African version of the sloppy Joe doesn't have a name (I think) every Sunday my grandma makes vetkoeks (fat cakes), which is basically fried dough, and stuffs them with the ground beef sauce. God I'm drooling just thinking about it 🤤🤤

Topic suggestion: Goulash. As a Hungarian-American its frustrating to have to explain what it REALLY is

4:16 and now use of GI Joe ARAH. You guys are 80s heroes. ❤️

Nope they are called Sloppy Joes in Canada, at the very most they might be referred to as Manwich

Sloppy Joe sandwiches are one of the very few foods that make me miss meat sometimes. 🤤 The vegetarian ones just aren’t the same 😭