Instant Pot Pennsylvania Coal Region BBQ–a sweet and sour sloppy joe made quickly in your Instant Pot. A dump and go recipe!

Instant Pot Pennsylvania Coal Region BBQ
I came across this recipe on All Recipes and wondered what it was all about. The original author stated, “This is a wonderful staple of the Pennsylvania Coal Region. It’s the traditional ‘sweet and sour’. Delicious on a hamburger bun.” I decided to give it a shot in my Instant Pot. I didn’t even brown the ground beef and it worked out well. If you’re not into sweet in your meat I would suggest eliminating the brown sugar.
Notes/Tips
- Make sure to use a lean ground beef or else it will be too greasy. Yes the meat goes in raw! I used 93/7 lean. You can also make this with ground turkey or ground pork.
- If you’re not into sweet in your meat I would suggest eliminating the brown sugar and/or using a low sugar ketchup.
- Try toasting the buns, it really brings the dish to a new level.
- If you want to get really fancy add some mayo, cheese and pickle.
- Serve with chips and fresh fruit.
- I used my 6 quart Instant Pot*. You can also make this in a 3 or 8 quart pot. Try doubling or tripling the recipe for a crowd.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container* in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

More Sloppy Joe Inspired Recipes…
- Instant Pot Roseanne’s Loose Meat Sandwich
- Instant Pot Sloppy Joe Cosmo
- Instant Pot Canteen Sandwich
- Instant Pot Sloppy Dorothy Sandwiches
- Instant Pot Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes
- Straight From Heaven Sandwich
- Instant Pot Sloppy Ottos
- Instant Pot Big Mac Sloppy Joes
Did you know you can filter the recipes on my website to search by meat type, IP or Crockpot, low carb, gluten free, etc.? Use the filter to find exactly what you are looking for.
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Instant Pot Pennsylvania Coal Region BBQ
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes (plus 5 minute NPR)
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
A sweet and sour sloppy joe made quickly in your Instant Pot. A dump and go recipe!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup beef broth
- 1 pound lean ground beef (I used 93/7)
- 2 Tbsp minced dry onion
- 1 1/2 Tbsp white vinegar
- 1 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp yellow mustard
- 3/4 cup ketchup
- Salt and pepper
- Hamburger buns
Instructions
Instant Pot Instructions:
- Add broth into Instant Pot. Break up the raw ground beef and add it into the pot. Dump the onion, vinegar, brown sugar, mustard, ketchup on top. Don’t stir.
- Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 5 minutes. When time is up let the pot sit for 5 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- Break up the meat and stir well. Add plenty of salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve the loose meat on top of buns. Eat and enjoy!
Slow Cooker Instructions:
- Add broth, ground beef, onion, vinegar, brown sugar, mustard, ketchup into slow cooker. Break up the meat.
- Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours or on high for 2-3 hours.
- Break up the meat and stir well. Add plenty of salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve the loose meat on top of buns. Eat and enjoy!
- Category: Beef
- Method: Instant Pot
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The pictures look to contain diced onions. I’m going to try adding some diced onion and diced green pepper.
it was just minced dry onion that rehydrated when pressure cooked
Glad to see this uses the leaner choice of ground beef – I use the 96-4 ratio when I can get it here in Memphis at Walmart. It’s popular so usually not available later in the evening. I just put this in the Instant Pot, and I used chili sauce (a richer tomato flavor) instead of the ketchup.
★★★★★
I like the idea of chili sauce!