To start, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
Next, add the ground venison and minced garlic to the skillet. Using a wooden spoon, break up the large chunks of meat and cook until browned.
Add the diced bell pepper and onion to the skillet, stirring occasionally, until the onions start to soften.
Now, it's time to add in the remaining ingredients! Pour in the ketchup, water, tomato paste, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Continue to stir and mix the ingredients together until well combined.
Reduce the heat to low and let the sloppy joes simmer for about 10 minutes. Make sure to continue stirring occasionally so that the ingredients don't burn to the bottom of the skillet.
Once the sauce has thickened up nicely, it's time to dish it out!
Serve hot on toasted buns.
Notes
Instead of making your own sloppy joe sauce
Just use 3/4 cup of ketchup, half a cup of BBQ sauce, and a pinch of mustard. This can save some time on those busy weeknights.