BBQ Meatballs
I saw this recipe on a TV show and had to try it. The meatballs were amazing. My son even enjoyed the leftovers as a sandwich on French bread with melted provolone.
I saw this recipe on a TV show and had to try it. The meatballs were amazing. My son even enjoyed the leftovers as a sandwich on French bread with melted provolone.
- 1 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- meatballs:
- sauce:
- canola oil
- 1 cup ketchup
- 3 tablespoons vinegar
- 1-1/2 pound ground beef
- 3/4 cups oats
- 3 tablespoons onion very finely minced
- 1-1/2 teaspoon salt
- plenty of ground black pepper to taste
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (coating for frozen meatballs)
- 2 tablespoons worcestershire
- 4 tablespoons onion up to 6 tablespoons
- 1 dash tabasco
- Carbohydrate 258.4910089 g
- Cholesterol 4.88 mg
- Fat 27.56492506 g
- Fiber 18.95475598147 g
- Protein 34.842947615 g
- Saturated Fat 4.048980343 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Recipe (628g)
- Sodium 3038.2258265 mg
- Sugar 239.53625291853 g
- Trans Fat 2.516921744 g
- Calories 1369 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Combine all meatball ingredients. Roll into medium-small balls and place on a cookie sheet. Place sheet in freezer for five minutes.
- After 5 minutes, remove meatballs from freezer and immediately dredge in unseasoned flour.
- Brown meatballs in canola oil until just brown. Place into a baking dish.
- Combine all sauce ingredients. Pour over meatballs and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Serve with egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or crusty French bread.
Glazed in a thick, tangy tomato sauce that bubbles and caramelizes at the edges during baking, these meatballs bridge the gap between traditional homestyle comfort food and classic American backyard barbecue traditions. Originating from mid-century Midwestern casserole culture where canned goods, ketchup, and pantry staples were frequently adapted to stretch ground meats economically, this style of baked meatball relies on a sweet and acidic profile to cut through the richness of beef. While modern home cooks often swap ground turkey for beef or use gluten-free breadcrumbs instead of oats, altering these foundational ratios changes the moisture retention significantly; oats absorb cooking liquids differently than processed breadcrumbs, yielding a denser structural integrity that holds up well against prolonged baking times. Chilling the shaped raw portions in the freezer for precisely five minutes firms the exterior proteins just enough to prevent crumbling during the subsequent flour-dredging step, which ultimately thickens the surrounding sauce as the starch interacts with the rendered fats. Baking uncovered in a standard oven preheated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit for forty-five minutes ensures the exterior achieves a deep mahogany color while the interior cooks through completely without drying out.
