Barbecue Meatballs
Tender and juicy meatballs simmer in a delicious homemade barbecue sauce. Perfect for Meatball Bars and meatball sandwiches.
These meatballs are delicious on their own as a main course, served with Healthy Potato Carrot Mash and a green vegetable. They make yummy BBQ Meatball subs. I have many meatball recipes which you can use as appetizers for a “Meatball Bar.” The meatballs are so versatile that you can use them without the BBQ sauce for all kinds of other dishes.
Try adding just the meatballs to my homemade Pressure Cooker Pasta Sauce for an Italian flair and make some Meatball Subs, with melted Provolone cheese.
If you are in the mood for Spaghetti and Meatballs, try this one pot Pressure Cooker Quick Spaghetti Dinner and brown the meatballs right in your Pressure Cooker and then continue on with the ingredients for the Spaghetti Dinner. Any way you decide you want use these meatballs, they are delicious!
Add all the sauce ingredients into the saucepan and cook until nice and thick. While the sauce is cooking, mix up the meatball ingredients and form into 15 round balls.
Using a hot cast iron skillet or heavy bottom frying pan, brown the meatballs on all sides and put into a casserole dish.
Arrange the meatballs, so that they fit into the casserole dish and then pour over the barbecue sauce. They are now ready for the oven. I like to bake them covered for about half the time, which gives the sauce a chance to thicken without burning and then remove the cover and bake some more, to darken up the sauce and give the meatballs a little texture.
I have made the meatballs both with beef and turkey and I love them either way. If you make turkey meatballs, add an extra Tablespoon of Worcestershire Sauce. The sauce is a delicious barbecue sauce and can be used for BBQ Pork Spare Ribs, or any where you want to use barbecue sauce.
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Here is the handy printable recipe.
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 3 pounds Ground Beef or ground turkey
- 2 large Eggs
- 2 teaspoons Garlic Powder
- 2 teaspoons Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 1 Yellow/Brown Onion minced
- 2 cups Rolled Oats
- 2 teaspoons Sea Salt
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce 2 TBL if using turkey
- 12 ounces Evaporated Milk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Chili Powder
- 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Meatball BBQ Sauce
- 2 cups Ketchup
- 1 Tablespoon Liquid Smoke
- 1 cup Light Brown Sugar
- 1/2 Yellow/Brown Onion diced well
- 2 cloves Fresh Garlic minced well
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Instructions
Sauce
- Using a heavy saucepan over medium heat, combine all sauce ingredients and whisk well.
- Whisk often and cook until thick, about 10 minutes. Set aside for now.
Meatballs
- Add all meatball ingredients, except olive oil to a large mixing bowl and mix together until completely combined.
- Roll into golf ball size balls.
- Heat cast iron or other heavy bottom skillet over medium heat.
- When hot, add a Tablespoon of Olive Oil.
- Brown meatballs on all sides in batches and place browned meatballs into 9x12 casserole dish.
- Pour the Meatball BBQ Sauce over meatballs in the casserole dish.
Bake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Cover meatballs and bake for 25 minutes.
- Uncover meatballs and bake for 20 more minutes, until sauce becomes thick and dark.
Delaine says
Hi Jill, love your recipes. I have a question I’m sure you’ve already been asked, when making your meatballs for spaghetti, do I still brown them and just bake them (without BBQ sauce), how long of a bake time? I want to freeze half of the meatballs for another meal.
Jill says
Yes, Delaine. Good call. Cook time is the same. Jill