Sloppy Ronan Sandwich - Add Bok Choy and Steak to Sloppy Joe's Classic

You've heard of a Sloppy Joe so here is my son's version of the classic sandwich. In this sandwich, Ronan has chopped meat sandwiched between a soft bun like the classic, but he adds thin sliced steak for an even meatier flavor and sauteed bok choy for a surprising crunch. The combination of the four textures and flavors makes for a new classic!

Ronan did most of the prep, cooking, and cleaning so this is a recipe that works great with older chef kids. One touch I added was to show Ronan how to reuse his frying pan to get more flavor and reduce the cleanup.

Ingredients

• 1.5 lbs lean chopped meat (I used 90%)
• Onion, diced
• Salt, pepper, garlic powder, oil
• Vegetable or olive oil
• 2-2.5 lb London Broil steak
• Bok Choy sliced up
• Whole wheat hamburger buns
• Your favorite BBQ sauce (Ronan like Guy Fieri's Burbon Brown Sugar)
• Indoor grill pan
• Oven safe frying pan

Directions

Heat indoor grill pan and set the oven at 350F.

Heat oil in a small frying pan. Add onion and saute for a few minutes. Add chopped meat, garlic powder and salt and saute meat until brown. Season a second time with salt and pepper and scoop out into a small bowl.

Salt and pepper the steak. Add about a table spoon of oil to the indoor grill pan. It should smoke up, then place the steak on the grill and sear for two minutes on each side. Remove the steak, add it to the frying pan, and place in the oven. Six minutes on a 2.5lb steak will get you a medium-well steak. Remove the frying pan and allow the steak to cool at least ten minutes before slicing very thin.

Leave the steak juices in the pan and heat up on the stove. Add the bok choy and saute for about five minutes.

To make the sandwich, open the bun. Add a layer of steak followed by a layer of bok choy followed by a spoonful of chopped meat. Drizzle with a bit of the BBQ sauce. Enjoy!

For Technologists

Ronan is learning to cook because he enjoys being creative and making new things. It's important for kids to follow their passion and for parents to lead them in their exploration. I provided engineering undergraduate students similar advice in my post, My Advice to Engineering Undergraduate Students.

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Grilled Chili Spiced Pork Loin

I usually don't like making a large cut of meat and prefer grilling an array of vegetables such as grilled cauliflower or kale. But sometimes, you can't beat the convenience of cooking a large cut and using it in multiple ways during the week.

I'm not a big fan of beef roast and find them somewhat limiting in terms of the flavor profiles that you can use in a marinade or spice rub. Instead, I prefer a turkey breast or a pork loin.

I tend to use a basic barbecue rub. The meat stands up on its own and with this rub, can be used in tacos, a dirty rice, or a sandwich later in the week.

Ingredients

• 3-4 lb Pork Loin
• 4 tablespoons of ancho chili powder
• 2 tablespoons of smoked paprika
• 2 tablespoons of granulated garlic
• 2 tablespoons of ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon each of salt, chipotle pepper powder, and coriander
• Soaked wood chips

Directions

Mix together the spice rub and spread generously over the meat. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate 6 hours or overnight. I like doing this last thing in the evening so that it is ready to bbq anytime then next day.

I use a gas grill and set it up for indirect cooking with one site heated for the wood chips and the other side for the meat. I put the soaked wood chips in a low aluminum pan, cover it with foil, and puncture holes it. I place this on the heated side of the grill. I fill a second pan with water and place it underneath the grill on the non-heated side. Use a remote meat thermometer and insert the probe into the center of the meat. The grill burner should be on low and once I start seeing smoke, I put in the pork.

Every 30-45 minutes add wood chips to the pan and rotate the meat.

Don't ask me how long to cook it. On the grill, it will depend on the grill temperature, the size of the meat, and the location of the meat relative to the flame. Guidelines now require pork to cook to 145F, so I just monitor the thermometer and wait till the meat is ready.

Let the meat settle in a covered pan for 15-20 minutes before slicing.

For Technologists

As I said a BBQ pork roast can be used in a lot of different ways. It is an "agile platform" for many other recipes that require a spicy protein.

Technologists also need agile platforms to develop new products and applications. What is an agile platform? It is fast and easy to learn, built on standards, has an open and extendable architecture and other features that you can read about in Top Ten Attributes of Agile Platforms.

Other great recipes:

Check this one out for Aromatic Pork Belly Lo Mein

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