Growing up, we always called it hamburger barbecue, never sloppy joes, and that’s how I still think of it.

And I don’t think I’ve ever made it the same way twice. Ground beef, onion, ketchup, mustard, salt and pepper, those seem to be the defining ingredients. I looked up a bunch of recipes yesterday and found those to be pretty much the standards. Though brown sugar and white vinegar are also popular.

I like to add mushrooms and a few other vegetables, depending on what I have on hand. Here’s what I came up with yesterday. The quantities are approximate.

1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 lb mushrooms sliced
1 small carrot shredded 
1 celery leg chopped fine
¾ cup ketchup
1 ½ tablespoons white vinegar
1 ½ tablespoons brown sugar
1 ½ teaspoons mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste

I brown the ground beef separately and drain off the fat; meanwhile, I start sautéing the onions and mushrooms in a bit of butter and olive oil. When the mushrooms have given up their liquid, I add the other vegetables, then the browned beef, then the rest of the ingredients and let it simmer over low heat for a bit.

That’s it.