I grew up in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. That area of the country is well known for the Amish and Mennonite communities that have been there since our country was founded.
There are some unique foods that come from that region. I didn’t realize until I moved away that people had never heard of chicken and waffles, pork and sauerkraut, pig’s stomach, ham balls, Shoofly pie, and many other delicious food that I grew up eating.
One of the meals that my mother prepared on a regular basis was Barbecue. You are probably thinking of a meat basted in a somewhat sweet, sticky sauce. Well, that’s not what Barbecue was in my house. It was ground beef in a slightly sweet, tomato based sauce.
When I moved to Illinois a little over 30 years ago, I realized that people here called that dish Sloppy Joes! Over the years I’ve learned to use different terms depending on who I’m talking to and where they live. Isn’t that crazy?
It’s funny how many foods have differing names is different areas of our country. Just for fun think about how you refer to the following food:
Pop, soda, soft drink or Coke?
Pancakes, hotcakes or flapjacks?
Sub, hoagie, or grinder?
Dressing, stuffing or filling?
Frosting or icing?
Hamburger or ground beef?
If you’ve always lived in the same area, you may have never given thought to this phenomenon. There are some regions of the U.S. that have disputes about food names and they just can't seem to see eye to eye on the proper names for certain foods.
When Dan and I married 32 years ago, we received the Mennonite Community Cookbook as a gift. My mother also had the same cookbook that I loved to page through as a child. It was well worn and it often fell open to page 59. That page had many stains and splatters.
My copy, which now has tape on the binding, is often open to page 59 where the recipe for Barbecued Hamburger is found. I guess the old saying, “Like mother, like daughter” is true for me!
I’d like to share my family’s recipe for Barbecued Hamburger which is a meal that I serve my family quite often just like my mother did when I was growing up.
It’s one of those meals that is super fast to whip up and the ingredients are usually right in the refrigerator or pantry. This can be on the dinner table in about 30 minutes!
Sonrise Sloppy Joes (aka Barbecued Hamburger)
Ingredients:
2 pounds Sonrise Farms ground beef
1 onion, chopped
½-1 cup ketchup
2 Tbs brown sugar (or honey)
2 Tbs vinegar
2 tsp prepared mustard
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp salt
Directions:
Brown onion and ground beef until it is no longer red.
Add all other ingredients. The amount of ketchup is a matter of preference.
Simmer about 20 minutes and serve on hamburger rolls.
Serves 8.