BBQ Meatballs

pull meatball out of skillet with fork and cheese dripping down

5 from 6 votes

These BBQ Meatballs are made with soft and juicy homemade meatballs, glazed in a sweet bbq sauce and then grilled with cheese on top!

Prep Time20

Cook Time20

Total Time40

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: meatballs

Author: Chris Collins

Cost: £3 / $4

Equipment

Large Bowl
Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
12" Non-Stick Skillet
Box Grater (to grate onion/garlic)
1 tbsp Measuring Spoon (to scoop meatballs)

Ingredients

Meatballs

10.5oz / 300g Ground Beef (15%+ fat)
7oz / 200g Ground Pork (15%+ fat)
1/2 cup / 35g freshly grated Parmesan
1/4 cup / 60ml Milk
2 thin slices of White Bread, sliced into small cubes (crusts removed)
2 cloves of Garlic, minced or finely grated
1 medium Onion, peeled & grated on a box grater
1 Egg
1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
3/4 tsp each: Smoked Paprika, Salt
1/4 tsp each: Cayenne Pepper, Black Pepper
Olive Oil, as needed

BBQ Sauce

1/2 cup / 120ml Good Quality BBQ Sauce
1/3 cup / 80ml Beef Stock
2 cloves of Garlic, minced (optional)
1 heaping tsp Honey
1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
Salt & Black Pepper, to taste

To Serve

1 cup / 100g Cheese (see notes)
1 Red Chilli, very thinly sliced (seeds removed if preferred)
1 small Spring/Green Onion, thinly sliced

Instructions

Homemade Meatballs

In a large bowl, combine 2 thin slices of cubed bread with 1/4cup/60ml milk, 1 grated medium onion, 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce and 2 grated garlic cloves. Give a mush with a fork and allow the bread to soak up the moisture (around 5mins or so).
Add 1/2cup/35g parmesan, 1 egg, 3/4 tsp smoked paprika and salt, and 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper and black pepper. Give it a good stir to combine.
Add 7oz/200g pork and 10.5oz/300g beef and very gently combine. Don't overwork the meat or the meatballs will come out chewy.
Use a 1 tbsp measuring spoon to scoop out the meat and place on a chopping board. Once all scooped out, roll each chunk of meat into meatballs.
Add a drizzle of oil to a 12" skillet and add meatballs. Fry over medium heat for about 10mins, or until nicely browned on the outside and just cooked through the centre, turning frequently. Remove from skillet when done.

BBQ Meatballs

Add garlic and fry until golden in the leftover grease (drain away some if there is more than about 2tbsp). Pour in 1/3cup/80ml beef stock and scrape at flavour stuck to the pan and allow to reduce for 5mins.
Pour in 1/2cup/120ml BBQ Sauce, 1 tsp honey and Worcestershire and seasoning to taste. Stir to combine, then add back in your meatballs (with any leftover juices). Coat your meatballs in the sauce.

Cheesy BBQ Meatballs

Clump the meatballs together in the centre of the pan and make sure all the sauce is poured over. Sprinkle over 1cup/100g cheese (or more if you desire) and pop under the grill and broil until golden and gooey. Sprinkle over chilli and onion!

Video

Notes

a) Can I sub the Pork? - The pork is there to add richness to the meatballs. If you only have beef though that'll work just fine. In any case just make sure it's non-lean meat you use. In most cases I'll actually use 20% fat for both pork and beef.

b) Cheese - Monterey Jack works great, as does a classic cheddar. If you want that classic cheese pull add some mozzarella in too.

c) What to serve with BBQ Meatballs? - If you want to make it a dinner then rice works great. A lazy lunch calls for fries or in a sub. You could also serve the whole thing as a shared appetizer!

d) Calories - based on using 15% pork and beef, semi skimmed milk, 1 tsp oil to fry the meatballs, 1cup/100g Monterey Jack cheese and no sides. Calories for 4 meatballs (assuming 20 are made):

Nutrition