Traveling always provides good food that becomes part of the memories of a great vacation.

We were in Salt Lake City with friends visiting the National Parks—Zion and Bryce Canyon. The vistas were breathtaking and the memories made priceless.

One day we decided to take a road trip to the nearby state of Wyoming. None of us had been there, and I thought it would be fun to find a good restaurant on Yelp for lunch. Everyone accommodated my suggestion and off to Evanston, Wyoming, we went to the Lincoln Highway Tavern.

The restaurant was not much to see from outside, but the reviews made us hopeful.

I took a chance on our friendly server’s recommendation, the Buffalo Joe made with Ground Bison and a spicy Fireball Whiskey sauce; a western take on the familiar Sloppy Joe.

This was one of those dishes I loved more with every bite. Incredibly delicious and packed with the right amount of heat, spices and sweet.

When we got home I did some research to find the recipe on-line to no avail. I did however, find something similar. Thankfully the restaurant listed all the ingredients so I was able to tweak it to make a near-perfect match.

I made it last night for friends, so the photos are fresh and the meal delicious, yet again.

Buffalo Joes

Ingredients
1 lb ground bison (Costco sells it)
1 medium green bell pepper, diced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, diced
2 to 3 cups of plain tomato sauce 1 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp crushed red peppers, optional
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 to 2 tbsp Fireball whiskey

Toppings Wickles Wicked Pickle Chips, Flaming hot Funyuns, caramelized onions on potato rolls.

Directions

Carmelized the onions according to the recipe in the link above. Set aside.

Brown the bison til nearly all pink is gone.

Drain all but 2 Tbsp of fat. Add the bell pepper and onions. Cook until onions are softened.

Add garlic and cook stirring often for another 5 minutes.

Add in the tomato sauce and paste along with the spices to desired taste and consistency. Cook until blended well. (see Note)

Add the Whiskey and simmer uncovered until the sauce cooks down.

Note: If you want a thicker Joe, use less tomato sauce.

Now for the fun part…

On a potato bun add the Buffalo Joe meat, carmelized onions, Wickles, Flaming Funyuns for needed crunch and place bun on top. If you enjoy spicy food your tastebuds are in for a treat!

If you don’t care for spicy food, omit the red pepper flakes and use regular bread and butter pickles and regular Funyuns or the kind you put on green bean casseroles for the holidays.

Both versions are delicious.

I served this with roasted new potato wedges and sweet Cole slaw. You may even want to put the slaw on the sandwich, it will add a cooling effect to the heat.

What food have you enjoyed on vacation?

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Have a blessed weekend,

Tom and Debi