Mary's Bar-B-Que Meatballs

This has been a busy week for my kitchen and never ending dishes for my sweet husband who always cleans up after me. This week I've made (and recommend that you try!):

Pad Thai from the blog "Brownies for Dinner"

Honey Lime Shrimp from the blog "The Dough Will Rise Again"

with a side of these potatoes.

Penne Rosa from the blog "Back to Her Roots"

And, for a charity event at my husband's work, Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins from the blog "Sugar Cooking"

 

 But last night was definitely my favorite. This recipe is near and dear to my heart and produces an aroma that reminds me of "home." My mom's infamous BBQ Meatballs. You truly haven't had BBQ meatballs until you've had these. The taste is phenomenal but the smell alone makes me melt. I wish I could just bottle up that scent and spray it around my house like an air freshener. It still smelled amazing when we woke up this morning, which made it even harder than usual to leave the house.

I made these for a special occasion tonight for my sister, Hannah. Ever the free bird, she is moving, yet again, and leaving the rest of us "in the lurch" as her good friend, Paul, would say. In the last 10 years, Hannah has gone from Kansas City (born and raised) to the small college town of Maryville, MO, to Iowa City, IA for graduate school, to the Big Apple (NYC, of course), back to Kansas City for the last few months to grace us with her presence, and now she's on a new mission to "Keep Austin Weird" in Austin, TX. I admire her guts and ambition and live vicariously through her adventures whenever I'm feeling boring. :)

But, back to the meatballs. We're having a going away party for Hannah tonight and these meatballs just insisted on making an appearance. And who was I to argue? Fair warning ahead of time: first of all, this recipe makes a pretty large batch (~80 bite size) so feel free to cut in half if necessary. Second of all, if you're looking for low-calorie meatballs... walk away, you're in the wrong blog. I made the whole batch for the party and took pictures of the process for your viewing pleasure.

Let us begin...

BBQ Meatballs by Mary Silverstein

Servings: ~26

Amount Per Serving: 3 meatballs

Calories Per Serving: 340

Fat Per Serving: 4

First, you need a large bowl and 3 lbs of lean ground beef. You're going to drain the grease off of the meat at one point, so get the leanest meat possible.

Add 2 cups of oats to the meat.

Chop up about a cup of onion (I used a whole yellow onion).

Or... if you're a crier...

Allow your (mini) food processor to chop them for you. :)

Realize that the bowl you started with is too small...

And transfer everything into a larger bowl before you go any further. ;)

Add 1 can of evaporated milk... (Save the empty can for draining off the grease from the meatballs later... unless you have some other brilliant plan for draining grease.)

Then add 2 eggs...

 

2 teaspoons of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, and 1 tablespoon of chili powder...

Now, get all up in there and mix it up with the best utensils you've got - your hands! Your freshly washed hands, please.

Once all of the meatball ingredients are incorporated together nicely, you can start making them into balls.

Don't crowd them, now. They need their space just like any regular person. 

This is a 9x11" pan and I fit 40 bite size meatballs in there. Since this recipe makes ~80 bite size meatballs, you'll need two of these pans, obviously.

Now, put these in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for 30 minutes (40 minutes for regular size meatballs). While these are baking, make the sauce, which you will add AFTER draining the grease off of these partially cooked meatballs. But keep reading, we'll get there.

In a medium saucepan, start with 1/2 cup of water and 4 cups of ketchup.

Add 2 cups of brown sugar.

And 3 tablespoons of liquid smoke.

1 teaspoon of garlic powder...

And 1/2 cup of chopped onion.

Stir it all up and bring just to a boil, then remove from heat.

When the meatballs have finished partially cooking, take out the pan and carefully drain off the excess grease. The meatballs usually stick together somewhat so they won't fall out while you're draining them but be careful just in case they get brave and try to jump.

After draining, pour the sauce mixture over the meatballs. If you're making the full recipe and had to split into 2 pans, then you'll want to pour half into one pan and half into the other, of course. Toss the meatballs around in the sauce to make sure they're all coated. Then, put them back into the oven (same temperature, 350 degrees) for 30-40 minutes. Remember that all ovens vary, so you might test one out to make sure they're done. And, as long as it was done, you just ate the best meatball of your life. Congratulations!

These can be frozen and heated back up at a later date if necessary. Since I made mine last night and they'll be eaten tonight, I just threw them all in my crock pot bowl and stuck them in the fridge. I'll just heat them back up in the crock pot this evening about an hour or so before the party.

If you're making these for a party/potluck/etc., make sure to have the recipe handy as you WILL be asked for it! The full recipe without pictures is below.

Mangia!

MARY’S BAR-B-QUE MEATBALLS

  

Ingredients:

3 lbs. Lean Hamburger
1 Can Evaporated Milk
2 C. Quick-cook Oats
2 Eggs
1 C. Chopped Onions
2 Tsp. Salt
1/2 Tsp. Pepper
1 Tbsp. Chili Powder

Mix meatball ingredients together and make into meatballs, don't pack took tightly.  In preheated, 350° oven, bake the meatballs until partially done and a good amount of the grease has baked off (about 40 minutes for regular size and 30 minutes for bite-sized meatballs).  While these are baking, make the sauce, which you will add after draining (see below).

Sauce:

1/2 C. Water
4 C. Ketchup
2 C. Brown Sugar
3 Tbsp. Liquid Smoke
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
1/2 C. Chopped Onion

Combine in sauce pan, and bring just to a boil, then remove from heat.

When the meatballs have partially cooked and you have drained off the excess grease, pour the sauce over them and stir just enough to coat the meatballs. Cook for another 20 minutes. 

This makes a very large batch, but freezes well or it can be cut in half.