Mouth-Watering Homemade Barbecued Meatballs
I love going out to the garage to our deep freezer for a big 3 pound log of frozen hamburger. The meat was raised in our own grassy pastures and butchered by a Mennonite guy who does an amazing job with meat.
Yeah, I know I just shocked some of you. It's true, we do not do our own meat processing. I'm very picky when it comes to meat handling and I will gladly pay someone who has the all the equipment to do the processing fast and get the meat cooled down as soon as possible.
Besides, I don't eat meat too well when I saw the blood and guts that was with it! ~insert shudders~
One of my favorite ground beef foods are these Barbecued Meatballs. They are easy to make and they never let me down when I'm serving guests. I get to witness eyes rolling back and to answer all kinds of questions. Lots of times I also get requests for the recipe.
Another thing I love about these meatballs is they freeze well for future meals.
Barbecued Meatballs
3 pounds hamburger
1 cup milk
2 cups quick oats (or finely cubed stale bread)
2 eggs
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup chopped onion
2 teaspoons chili powder (optional)
Mix the ingredients together being careful to handle gently; like the meat was a bed of feathers. Ground beef should be handled as gently as possible. This helps it to hold together easier. Shape them into balls. Single layer them in a baking dish. Cover with the sauce and bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees.
Note: If you plan to freeze some of the meatballs do not add the sauce until you are ready to bake them. I place the meatballs in a baking dish being careful to keep a little distance from them. Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and freeze the balls. After they are frozen take them out and vacuum seal in meal size portions for a quick dish later.
Barbecued Meatball Sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 cups ketchup (if you are using store bought ketchup you may want to use just 1 cup because of the heavy sugar content)
1 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon mustard
2 tablespoons liquid smoke
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup chopped onion
Mix together and pour over the meatballs.
Serve over spaghetti with mashed potatoes and a veggie dish or two on the side.
