Name: Cocktail Meatballs with Cherry BBQ Sauce
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 75 min
Ingredients: 1 large egg; 1/4 cup milk; 1/4 cup dried bread crumbs; 1 small onion (chopped fine); 2 cloves garlic (minced); 1 teaspoon dried parsley (or 2 tablespoons fresh, chopped); 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 teaspoon fresh, chopped); 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (or 1 teaspoon fresh, chopped); 1/2 teaspoon dried basil (or 1 teaspoon fresh, chopped); 1/4 teaspoon pepper; 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt; 1 pound ground beef; 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil; 2 cups Cherry BBQ Sauce (or BBQ sauce of choice)

These Cocktail Meatballs with Cherry Barbecue Sauce are slightly sweet with a little bit of smoky heat kick you will love. An easy appetizer that is perfect for parties, game day, and potluck meals.

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Cherry barbecue cocktail meatballs are an awesome addition to your food spread for your next get together. They are versatile too; you can thread them onto toothpicks for a bite-sized appetizer, make mini meatball sliders, or spoon them directly from a slow cooker to plate.

Tips for Making Cocktail Meatballs with Cherry BBQ Sauce

Make the Barbecue Sauce: This Homemade Cherry BBQ sauce is quick and easy to make. It’s a delicious, slightly sweet sauce with just a little bit of smoky heat that is perfect for cocktail meatballs. It will take about 15 minutes to throw together and you can let it simmer while you prepare and cook your meatballs.

Homemade Cherry BBQ Recipe

No time to make the barbecue sauce? No problem, just grab your favorite BBQ sauce from the grocery store.

Make the Meatballs: The meatballs are easy to whip up with some ground beef and a few common pantry ingredients. Trust me, homemade is so worth it.

Choose a lean ground beef, such as a ground round or ground sirloin. Also consider a ground chuck for the meatballs. It has a higher fat to meat ratio, but pan-frying releases most of the fat that can be drained off before adding your barbecue sauce.

Check out the additional tips for making meatballs in this recipe for Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Cooking Tip: Make Your Own Breadcrumbs

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients except the ground beef. Let the breadcrumbs soak up the liquid and soften a bit.
Add your ground beef.
Mix until just combined. Be careful not to over mix.
Shape the meat mixture into 1-inch meatballs.
Brown the meatballs in the skillet.
Add the cherry barbecue sauce to the skillet and simmer until the meatballs are cooked.

Alternatively, you can finish cooking the meatballs in a slow cooker. After browning, place the meatballs in the slow cooker crock and cover with the cherry barbecue sauce. Cook on low 2-3 hours and keep warm until you are ready to serve.

These cherry barbecue meatballs are delicious over rice as a main meal, or thread onto toothpicks for a bite-sized appetizer, or use them to make mini meatball sliders on homemade slider buns.

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