BBQ Meatballs
I made this on 18-Dec-05. Michelle was absolutely in awe of the sauce. She also confirmed that the meatballs need to be very small. Mike...
I made this on 18-Dec-05. Michelle was absolutely in awe of the sauce. She also confirmed that the meatballs need to be very small. Mike...
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- bbq sauce
- 1 cup cider vinegar
- 1 1/3 cups brown sugar
- 1/4 cup onion chopped
- meatballs
- 1 tablespoon mustard stone ground
- 1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
- 6 tablespoon mustard stone ground
- Carbohydrate 158.463540395833 g
- Cholesterol 224.32713875 mg
- Fat 69.74355425 g
- Fiber 8.98081573560238 g
- Protein 55.6996516935 g
- Saturated Fat 23.8767729723187 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (677g)
- Sodium 2897.68734395 mg
- Sugar 149.482724660231 g
- Trans Fat 15.5004017191937 g
- Calories 1482 calories
Step-by-step
- In a large bowl combine beef, egg, bread crumbs, onion, milk, garlic, salt, pepper & mustard. Mix well using hands. Shape into very tiny meatballs.
- Heat oil in large skillet, and brown meatballs on several sides. Remove from skillet and place on a large platter or bowl.
- In a small bowl combine sauce ingredients. Mix well. Pour into a large saucepan. Simmer for 15 minutes to blend flavors.
- Add meatballs to the sauce and stir gently. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until meatballs are hot all the way through.
- Serve in a corningware dish, or a crockpot if it's for a potluck.
Standard measurements on a recipe page rarely indicate how specific physical dimensions alter cooking physics, particularly when dealing with ground meat mixtures containing bread crumbs and milk. Forming the portions significantly smaller than standard sizing ensures the protein coagulates quickly enough to prevent the interior from turning mealy while the exterior acquires proper browning across several sides in vegetable oil heated inside a large skillet.
The Role of Acidity in the Sauce
Balancing one cup of cider vinegar against one and one-third cups of brown sugar requires careful reduction during the fifteen-minute simmer in a large saucepan to drive off harsh volatile acids without concentrating the sugar to the point of scorching. Mustard functions here as an emulsifier as well as a sharp aromatic element, bridging the gap between the tomato sauce base and the dense sweetness of the brown sugar. When substituting white distilled vinegar for cider vinegar, reduce the volume slightly because industrial acetic acid lacks the complex fruit esters found in fermented apple cider, which can otherwise make the profile aggressively sharp.
Managing the Meatball Simmer
Dropping the browned spheres directly into the simmering barbecue sauce requires gentle agitation to coat the exterior without breaking apart the delicate binders formed by the egg and bread crumbs. Bringing the combined mixture to a rolling boil before immediately reducing the heat to low establishes a stable convection current that heats the interior of the meat all the way through without boiling away the surrounding liquid too rapidly.
