Whether or not to drain ground beef before adding Manwich sauce is a common question when preparing sloppy joes. Manwich sauce contains a lot of liquid, so draining the beef first can help reduce the overall moisture in the dish. However, there are good reasons for both draining and not draining the beef. Ultimately, it comes down to personal preference.
Reasons to Drain the Beef
Here are some of the main reasons you may want to drain the beef before adding Manwich sauce:
- Removes excess fat and grease – Ground beef often releases a good amount of fat and grease during cooking. Draining the cooked beef helps remove some of this, reducing the overall fat and calorie content.
- Results in a thicker texture – Manwich sauce on its own has a thinner, more sauce-like consistency. Draining the beef means there is less liquid overall, resulting in a thicker, heartier sloppy joe filling.
- Easier to serve – The thicker texture that results from draining the beef makes the sloppy joe mixture easier to pile on buns without it becoming a drippy mess.
- Easier to eat – Along with being easier to serve, a thicker and less messy sloppy joe is often easier to pick up and eat like a sandwich.
- Less likely to make buns soggy – Draining some of the fat and grease means the sauce is less likely to soak into the buns, keeping them intact instead of soggy.
So in summary, draining the beef makes for a less fatty, thicker, and easier to eat sloppy joe filling. For many sloppy joe fans, this texture is ideal.
Reasons Not to Drain the Beef
On the other hand, here are some reasons you may not want to drain the beef before adding the Manwich sauce:
- Preserves beef flavor and moisture – Draining the beef means pouring off flavorful beef juices. Keeping these juices in adds more meaty flavor to the sauce.
- Adds sauciness – The extra fat and juices from the beef help thin out the Manwich sauce for a saucier, messier texture that some prefer.
- Saves time and dishes – Skipping draining is quicker and means fewer dishes to wash.
- Easier mixing – It can be easier to mix the sauce into beef when there is more liquid present.
- Kids may prefer saucier texture – Many kids enjoy the messier, saucier nature of un-drained sloppy joes.
In summary, not draining the beef makes for a saucier, messier, beefier sloppy joe mixture that some sloppy joe lovers prefer.
What Does Manwich Recommend?
According to the instructions on a can of Manwich sauce:
Cook ground beef with onions until beef is browned; drain. Add Manwich Sloppy Joe Sauce; heat to boiling. Serve on buns.
So the official recommendation from the Manwich brand is to drain the cooked ground beef before adding their sauce. This results in their intended thicker, heartier sloppy joe texture.
However, the instructions do also say you can add the sauce before browning the beef. This would essentially create an un-drained version with a saucier texture.
So in the end, Manwich accommodates both preferences. Their official recommendation seems to be to drain it, but they recognize adding the sauce early on creates a looser texture for those who prefer that.
Recipes That Drain and Don’t Drain
To provide some examples from popular recipes:
Recipes that drain beef
- Sloppy Joes I – AllRecipes’ most popular recipe drains beef.
- Ree Drummond’s Loose Meat Sandwiches – The Pioneer Woman drains fat from beef.
- Damn Delicious’ Easy Sloppy Joes – This recipe strains beef mixture before adding sauce.
Recipes that don’t drain beef
- Betty Crocker Sloppy Joes – Their classic recipe doesn’t drain beef.
- Epicurious’ Manwich Sloppy Joes – Follows Manwich instructions to cook beef and sauce together.
- Gonna Want Seconds Best Sloppy Joes – Doesn’t drain beef before mixing with sauce.
So popular recipes take both approaches depending on the desired texture.
Factors that Impact Draining
Certain factors can help determine if draining the beef is recommended or not:
Fat content of beef
– Higher fat ground beef will release more grease during cooking. Draining helps remove excess grease from fattier beef.
– Leaner beef won’t need draining as much since less fat renders out.
Cooking method
– Beef browned on the stovetop in a pan will likely create more fat to drain than beef cooked in a skillet or Instant Pot.
– Skillet or Instant Pot cooking don’t brown beef as much, leading to less fat and grease.
Personal taste preference
– If you prefer a thick, hearty texture, draining is recommended.
– If you like a saucier, messier sloppy joe, skip draining.
Bun type
– Thicker buns like kaiser rolls can handle un-drained beef better.
– Lighter buns like white bread may get too soggy with extra grease.
So in general, fattier beef, stovetop cooking, and lighter buns favor draining the beef. But personal texture preference is ultimately the deciding factor.
How to Drain Beef
If you do choose to drain your beef, here is a quick guide on how to do it:
On the stovetop:
- Cook ground beef in a skillet over medium heat until browned and cooked through, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks.
- Once beef is fully cooked, use a slotted spoon to transfer it from the skillet to a bowl or plate, leaving the fat and grease behind.
- Optionally, place the now empty skillet over low heat and stir in a bit of water, scraping any browned bits from the bottom. Pour this liquid into a heatproof container.
- Pour the fat and grease from the skillet into the container with the browned bit liquid or a separate container.
- Return the cooked beef to the skillet and proceed with the recipe, adding Manwich sauce next.
This fully drains the beef while also saving any flavorful browned bits to add back to the sloppy joe mix if desired.
In a skillet:
- Cook ground beef in a skillet over medium heat until fully browned and cooked through.
- Take a paper towel and press it gently against the beef, soaking up excess grease and moisture. Discard soaked towels.
- Proceed with the recipe, adding Manwich sauce next.
The paper towel method removes some excess grease without the extra step of transferring the beef to a separate bowl.
In the Instant Pot:
- Cook ground beef in Instant Pot on Saute mode until no longer pink.
- Turn off Instant Pot and use a spoon to remove beef, leaving fat and liquid behind.
- Place a paper towel lined colander over a bowl. Pour beef into colander so fat drains through.
- Once beef is drained, return it to Instant Pot and proceed with recipe.
The Instant Pot doesn’t brown beef as much, but you can still drain some fat this way.
So in summary, use a slotted spoon, paper towels, or a colander lined with towels to drain away excess grease after browning.
Conclusion
Whether or not to drain ground beef before mixing it with Manwich sauce comes down to personal preferences and the desired texture. Draining it removes excess fat for a thicker, heartier mixture. Skipping draining leaves more moisture for a saucier, messier texture. Factors like fat content, cooking method, and bun type can also help determine if draining is recommended. When in doubt, start by trying the recipe both ways and see which texture you prefer best when serving these classic sloppy joes!
