Cowboy Meatballs
Ingredients
Scale
- Meatballs:
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 pound breakfast sausage
- 1 pound bacon (finely diced)
- 1 sleeve saltine crackers (finely crushed)
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup BBQ Sauce (used: Sweet Baby Rays)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 4 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (for stovetop method only)
- Sauce:
- 1 10-ounce jar grape jelly (used: Welch’s)
- 2 cups BBQ sauce (used: Sweet Baby Rays)
- 1 tablespoon Sriracha Hot Sauce (optional)
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, sausage, bacon, crushed saltines, milk, bbq sauce, salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes and eggs. Mix together well with your hands.
- Scoop out 1-tablespoon portions of meat mixture and roll them into balls with your hands.
- Place the meatballs onto parchment-lined baking sheets and put the baking sheets in the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes for the meatballs to firm up.
- Oven Method:
- Bake in oven on the center rack for about 25 to 30 minutes, turning once halfway through.
- Stovetop Method:
- Heat the olive oil in a heavy pot or large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add meatballs in batches, making sure not to overcrowd the pan.
- Cook, turning the meatballs occasionally to make sure they brown all over, 5 to 7 minutes per batch.
- Drain on paper towels.
- Place browned meatballs into crock of a slow cooker.
- Sauce:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together sauce ingredients until well blended.
- Cover and heat on high in microwave for 2 minutes. Remove and whisk. Continue heating until mixture is warm.
- Pour over meatballs in slow cooker.
- Set slow cooker to low and cook for 1-2 hours gently stirring occasionally.
- Switch cooker off or to “keep warm” setting.
- Serve warm as an appetizer or as a main dish with steamed rice.
Find it online: https://jennifercooks.com/cowboy-meatballs/