First off, I need to give a shout out to Vrghr for his suggestion to make the meat pies - they came out great!

Those that have been in the Navy (and some of the other branches that have this) was one thing that we couldn't get enough of. Served at Mid-rats, or after a day of cleaning and working - it would hit every spot there was. There are a number of versions out there, but each one just wasn't right. Cooks would toss in or change the recipe card just enough to make it their own based on what the crew appreciated. I finally found the basic recipe card and made it (not in the quantities, mind you) but it was pretty close to what I remembered. One of the cooks on one boat would toss in a tablespoon of coffee grounds which gave it it's memorable flavor. If you have access to one of the recipe card libraries this is listed under "Beef and Poultry No. L 16700.

Ingredients

Beef, ground 90% lean ( I used a cheap 80/20 mix and drained the fat off)
Onions, fresh, chopped ( 1 large Vidalia diced)
Peppers, fresh, green, chopped (1 large green bell pepper, diced)
Catsup ( I used about 3/4 cup bourbon bbq sauce)
Beans, Baked with Pork, Canned. ( 1 large can of Bourbon baked beans with bacon)

( I also used about 1/2 Tbsp of coarsely ground sea salt, a heaping Tbsp of black pepper, 1 Tsp of garlic powder, and a level Tsp of instant coffee.)

1. Cook beef with onions and peppers until it starts to loose its pink color, stirring to break up, in steam kettle or stock pot. Drain or skim off excess fat.
2. Add catsup and beans to beef, onion and pepper mixture. Stir well.
3. Simmer for 20 minutes. CCP: Internal temperature must reach 155F for 15 minutes.

Pretty simple. But here's where you get to play around.
Change the baked beans with pork to one of the new blends, say Bourbon Baked beans with Bacon or what ever your choice is. Add a tablespoon of coffee grounds ( I added 1 Tsp of instant coffee). Different spices (seriously!? I mean who doesn't toss salt, pepper, and garlic into their hamburger?)

Keep tweaking it until it's right - it doesn't take much.

Now, on the bottom right is my tip of the hat to Vrghr. He recommended that I turn this into a hand pie - so I did (Mind you I cheated and didn't make the dough myself - getting old and long days can suck).

So, 1 Pilsbury Roll out pie crust, cut into 3-4 sections.
Add a heaping tablespoon to the center.
Shred some cheese to go in with it (cheddar, gruyere, swiss, pepperjack).
Paint the edges with an egg wash (mine consists of an egg yolk and a dollop of heavy cream).
Fold the edges over, seal with a fork before brushing the egg wash over the top and adding some coarse ground sea salt.
Into a pre-heated air fryer at 400F for about 5 - 7 minutes, checking every few minutes to keep from burning the pie crust. Also, be careful getting them out because the crust is fragile.