Here’s a recipe for a beefy, meaty, cheesy Tex-Mex Sloppy Joe Cobbler in a Cast-Iron Pan – with cornmeal biscuits, no less – that will send you into comfort-food heaven, and since it reheats well, you’ll be there for days. It’s a Kitchen Riffs recipe that I’ve adapted. I’m presenting it here as a savory farewell to Kitchen Riffs, since its authors have decided to hang up their online aprons.
Ingredients
- For the Joe meat
1 Tbs olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 poblano, ribs, stem, and seeds removed, finely diced
1 jalapeño, ribs, stem, and seeds removed, finely diced
Coarse salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1½ lbs. lean ground beef
1 Tbs dried oregano
1 Tbs mild or medium chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp New Mexico green chile powder
1 can (15-oz.) can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup water
1 Tbs minced cilantro
1 Tbs cider vinegar
1 Tbs tomato paste
- For the biscuits
1¾ cups (6.75 oz.) all-purpose flour
2/3 cup (3.8 oz.) cornmeal
1 Tbs sugar
1 Tbs baking powder
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) cold butter
1 cup (8.5 oz.) buttermilk
- For garnish
Medium cheddar
Directions
- Make the Joe meat
- Pre-heat a 12-inch cast iron skillet over a medium flame (setting 4 out of 9). Add oil and wait until it shimmers, 15 seconds. Add onion and peppers. Season to taste with 1/4 tsp salt, then sauté until the onion is just translucent, 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Push the onion mixture to the perimeter of the pan and add the beef to the center. Salt to taste (1 tsp), raise the heat (to setting 6), and scramble the beef until it’s thoroughly browned, ~5 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 450°F.
- Off heat. Spoon off excess grease. Add the spices to the pan and thoroughly mix the pan’s contents. Mix in the tomato, ketchup, water, cilantro, vinegar, and paste. Simmer (starting on setting 6 and easing your way down to the lowest setting), correcting seasoning as you go (1/2 tsp salt), until the flavors are thoroughly combined and the sauce is thick, 10-15 minutes. Off heat. Meanwhile, mix up the biscuits.
- Make the biscuits
- Add the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt to a bowl. Whisk until the ingredients are well combined.
- Cut the butter into small pieces. Add the butter pieces to the flour mixture, then cut them to just-smaller-than-pea-size with a pastry blender. Fold in the buttermilk just until all the dry ingredients are moistened.
- Drop spoonsful of biscuit dough over the top of the meat mixture. Bake until the biscuits are golden and ever-so-slightly toasty, 10 to 12 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven. Allow to rest for a few minutes before serving. Garnish shavings of cheddar.
Notes
- For the all-purpose flour, substitute 2.8 oz. cake flour and 3.9 oz. bread flour.
- I suspect that in my oven, the biscuits would bake better if the rack position were one slot higher than usual – the position I usually use for cookies.
If there anything as satisfying as beef? Or as comfort-foodie as ground beef? Adding the carbolicious biscuits takes it up a couple big notches. In terms of spiciness, this Joe is quite tame, even in light of the jalapenos and New Mexico powder. Indeed, I wouldn’t call it “spicy,” as much as I’d say it has a very subtle heat deep in the flavor background. What hits you mainly is beefiness, then chili sauciness, then sweet and tangy, all in a close parade.
The Backstory
This is a great recipe – thanks to Kitchen Riffs, not me really. Replacing the usual green pepper with poblano is genius. The addition of jalapeno: of course! I did make some changes, but not with the aim of improving the recipe, mind you. I simply twisted it a bit to suit my tastes and preferences. When I was a kid, my mom used to make a somewhat sweet and tangy Sloppy Joe, and that influenced the way I approached this. The Kitchen Riffs recipe has a ton of interesting background information about this dish – I wholeheartedly recommend you check it out.
Social Learning
I like the cheese garnish so much that when I do this next time, I will add it to the pan in the last five minutes of baking, rather than garnishing servings with it. I’d recommend using a veg peeler to shave pieces off of a block. They look as good as they taste. I also think I might not mind putting some cheese (and cilantro) into the biscuits either in lieu of or in addition to the garnish.
I like the cornmeal biscuits. Their more-biscuity-than-corn flavor complements the Joe beautifully. But I also love how the biscuit makes serving sizes far more flexible than would a bun. However, if you skipped out on the cornmeal and served this Joe on a bun, you’d be completely pleased with it, I’m sure.
A cast-iron pan is a great choice for this dish, because it will withstand the high oven temperature effortlessly. Even though many other types of pans are oven-safe, they may not be at temps as high 450°F. Check the manufacturer’s recommendations. (It’s often the material in the handle that’s the limiting factor, but sometimes it’s the pan material itself.) The other nice thing about cast-iron is that once it’s out of the oven, it’ll keep the dish hot for quite some time.
Tex-Mex Sloppy Joe Cobbler in a Cast-Iron Pan
Credit for images on this page: Make It Like a Man! unless cited otherwise. This content was not solicited by anyone, nor was it written in exchange for anything. Thanks, Kesor. References: Kitchen Riffs, Liz the Chef, McCormick, Taste of Home.
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What a nice homage to John and Kitchen Riffs. Really nice. Love the recipe and will make it this winter. I join you and many others in saying we will miss John and Mrs. KR and their humor. A toast to them!
A toast would be so appropriate, with so many wonderful cocktails on that site!
Well isn’t this fun! Everything all together in one skillet. Handy and delicious!
Chef Mimi recently posted…Smoked Pork Chops and Lentils
Thanks, Mimi!
Tex Mex sloppy Joe cobbler? Hardly. Call it what it is–beanless chili cobbler!!! Nothing more nothing less. (Not a bad thing. ). It is probably a good chili; just not sloppy Joes.
You make an interesting point. Food terms can be frustratingly ambiguous, especially when you’re trying to differentiate similar foods. After all, ditch the bun and loosen up the mixture to make it more stew-like, and as far as I’m concenrned, Sloppy Joe filling becomes a type of chili. Add to that the idea that, to my way of thinking, there is no definitive version of either dish, and it all becomes chaotic. It’s really a matter of perspecitive, and I appreciate yours: this really is a lot like a chili cobbler.
What a fabulous idea! My husband loves a sloppy joe and that biscuit topping is just like icing on the cake!
angiesrecipes recently posted…Saffron Spelt Knots with Poolish
Thanks!
I think this is going to be our dinner Sunday night
Enjoy!
I was sad to find out that Kitchen Riffs is saying goodbye since I always enjoy their posts! Well this recipe from their blog looks really interesting and delicious.
Judee recently posted…IN MY KITCHEN- OCTOBER 2022
Me too!
This looks like such a comforting meal, particularly since the temperatures have plummeted here in the Big Smoke. Fall always comes as such a surprise to me, no idea why, I’ve lived here many, many years. I love recipes with biscuit toppings and I totally agree about the cilantro and cheese! I am sad to see our friend John go, what a tasty send off!
Eva Taylor recently posted…Cheese Sticks revisted
Thanks, Eva. Me too – I always seem so surprised to find that I need a jacket, or find it to be too cold to ride a bike.
Comfort food heaven, indeed! I remember seeing this on KR and thinking I should try it. This is an excellent reminder, and a nice tribute to John, who will be missed. 🙂 ~Valentina
Agreed!
Our temperatures finally have dropped, and I made this! It’s absolutely delicious. I grew up with midwestern sloppy joes — the sort with that sweetness most Texans don’t like — but this is a wonderful alternative that pleased everyone at the table. It won’t be long before I make it again – thanks for a great recipe!
shoreacres recently posted…Serendipity Strikes Again
Oh, I’m so glad! Thanks for telling me!
This is such an original take on Sloppy Joe! Adding it to my “to make soon” list. 🙂
Ronit recently posted…Sweet Potato, Pumpkin and Mini Peppers Soup
Hats off to John for the inspriation!
Desde já um muito obrigado desde Portugal.
Não conhecíamos esta receita e tentamos fazer e a família adorou.
Vamos partilhar com os familiares para que a conheçam também.
Mais uma vez ADORAMOS
Bem, muito obrigado! Estou feliz que você adorou.
Love every ingredient in this, especially the jalapeño!
Thank you, Diane!
What can i say about the recipe when i am already in love with the name.
Than, you!