Jen's Family Table Sloppy Joe Meat

 

I had been eying this product at Kwik Trip for a few weeks now and, needing something for dinner last night, decided to finally purchase it (though, admittedly, my first plan was to get their taco meat, which ended up being sold out). After trying it, my opinion wound up being mixed.

There were a couple things I really liked about this product. One of the main ones was the price. A 1-pound package cost $3.49. A pound of hamburger currently costs about $5, and that's only if I happen to find it on sale. When you add in the cost of a can of sloppy Joe sauce, this product ends up costing half as much as the way we usually make sloppy Joes.

I also found I liked the convenience. Since the meat is already cooked, all I had to do was warm it up in the microwave for a couple minutes rather than frying the burger, draining the grease, and adding the can of sauce. The pre-cooked meat also meant I was getting what I was purchasing, it didn't cook down into a smaller quantity.

Taste-wise, I'm sorry to say this product did leave a little to be desired. My wife described it best when she said it tasted like meat in tomato sauce with a hint of onion powder. It wasn't disgusting, but it also wasn't anything to write home about. I also had a hard time convincing my wife this wasn't made with pork, even after I showed her the package.

I also thought the meat was a bit on the "chewy" side. However, I am going to give that a pass because that might have been from me heating it in the microwave rather than on the stove. It may not have made a difference, but I will be fair and won't assume that is the case.

Final Opinion: Based both on the price and the overall convenience, I wouldn't rule out purchasing this item again. However, I would definitely plan on doctoring it up a bit with our own spices.

My Grade: C+