Red and Trudy's
Not-So-Sloppy Joes

I grew up on this one, too, thanks to Red and Trudy, who I never met!

About this recipe

I grew up in Olean, New York, a mountain-valley town located about 70 miles south of Buffalo and maybe 10 miles north of the Pennsylvania state line.  Back in the 1950s there was a drive-up restaurant a few miles outside of town called Red's & Trudy’s.  To order, you left your car and walked up to a window on the front of the small white, wood-frame building.  The Red's &Trudy's specialty, and my favorite, was their version of a hamburger – this recipe – which I have dubbed a Not-So-Sloppy Joe!

As a footnote, Red's and Trudy's Restaurant is still in operation.  They remain understandably famous for their buttered and salted buns and their "loose" hamburgers!

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, sliced
  • kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 hamburger buns, sliced
  • unsalted butter
  • catchup
  • mustard
  • pickles

Directions

  1. Heat the oil in a large sauté pan.  Add the garlic and onions and sauté until tender (two or three minutes).  Add the beef, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until well-browned.
  2. Brush the top of each hamburger bun with butter and sprinkle lightly with kosher salt.  Separate the tops and bottoms of the buns and place them on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Place under broiler for two minutes, or until butter begins to bubble.  (Alternatively, buns may be placed in a toaster-oven if one is available.)
  3. Serve with catchup, mustard, and relish.
The iconic Red's and Trudy's (date unknown).
A Not-So-Sloppy Joe, with condiments.
Posted: February 2014; updated: June 2018.