Cocktail Meatballs
You’ll love that the meatballs are baked, not fried, and the sweet and tangy sauce is ready in under 15 minutes. Once Upon a Chef
Servings: 25
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup heavy cream or milk
- 3/4 cup cubed white sandwich bread, crusts removed
- 1/2 pound ground pork
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 pound ground beef (85% lean)
For the Sauce
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 1/2 tbsp cider vinegar
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp finely grated shallot, from one shallot
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy clean-up and place an ovenproof baking/cooling rack over top; spray rack generously with nonstick cooking spray.
Whisk the egg and cream together in a medium bowl. Stir in the bread and mash until no large bread chunks remain. Set aside.In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the pork, garlic, allspice, pepper, salt, and baking powder on high speed until smooth and pale, about 2 minutes, scraping bowl as necessary. Add the bread mixture to the mixing bowl and beat on high speed until smooth and homogeneous, about 1 minute, scraping the bowl as necessary. Add the beef and mix on medium-low speed until just incorporated, about 20 seconds, scraping the bowl as necessary.Using moistened hands (it's sticky and wet hands help; keep wetting them as you go), form the meat mixture into tablespoon-size round meatballs and place on the prepared rack. Bake for about 20 minutes, until just done.Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan, mix together all of the ingredients for the sauce. Bring to a simmer and cook gently until thickened, about 10 minutes.Add the baked meatballs to the sauce and stir to coat evenly. Transfer the meatballs to a serving platter, spear with toothpicks and spoon the sauce over top. Garnish with parsley if desired. Serve warm with finely chopped parsley, if desired