Ditch that grape jelly cocktail meatball recipe. And spoil your guests with beer BBQ meatballs instead! Juicy tender meatballs in smoky, rich and slightly sweet beer bbq sauce. The BEST!
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Grape jelly meatballs aren’t everyone’s cup of tea (or should I say bowl of meatballs?)
Garrat and I, for example, aren’t fans. Too sweet, too strong, simply not for us. To be fair, I tried to like it, I really did. I used different recipes, variety of jellies, but it’s just a no-go in our family.
But that’s ok! Being different is ok. In fact, it’s awesome! Because you get to be creative and find something you absolutely love! Like these amazing beer bbq meatballs!!
You see, I adore meatballs.
They’re a total comfort food around here, and you’ll always find frozen homemade meatballs in my freezer. It’s easy to fix a quick dinner with meatballs on busy/lazy nights, and also effortless to feed a crowd!
But one can only take so much meatballs and pasta, right? Not to mention how refreshing it’s to serve something totally different for a change. That’s why I was determined to create something similar to grape jelly cocktail meatballs for game day gatherings.
And success!!! These beer bbq meatballs are a game-changer!
Juicy tender meatballs swimming in a pool of smoky, rich and slightly sweet beer bbq sauce. Oh that sauce!!! It’s I-can’t-stop-licking-my-fingers-kind-of-good… To die for! (Ok, not really, but it’s really, really good!)
Couple of tips for success
- The secret to my juicy, tender meatballs is Panko. It’s super light Japanese breadcrumbs, available pretty much at any supermarkets. I picked up this tip from Food Network a while back. I hated when no matter how well I mixed the meat with soaked bread, some meatballs would still end up with chunks of bread. (<- Have you had this problem, or is it just me?) My biggest pet peeve, and that’s been forever resolved with this Panko trick. Perfectly moist, juicy meatballs without any weird bread hanging out inside! ????
- The easiest way to perfectly uniform meatballs is this medium cookie scoop. Shaping meatballs has never been so easy!
- You can use any kind of beer that you like to drink. I like medium bodied beer and I think it’s best for this recipe. But just like wine, whatever you like to drink would be perfect for cooking. Except darker stouts would probably give bitter taste, so I’d steer clear from them.
- The same goes about barbecue sauce. I’ve tried honey barbecue, hickory smoked barbecue, and loved them all. You can easily manipulate the flavors of this dish by choosing different beers and bbq sauces. Go wild and find your favorite.
Let me know how it turns out for you, if you give it a try. I’d love to hear your feedback. Thanks so much for reading.
Beer BBQ Meatballs
Ingredients
For meatballs:
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 1 cup Panko Japanese breadcrumbs
- 2 eggs
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
For the sauce:
- 1 cup BBQ sauce of your choice
- 1 cup beer of your choice
- Couple squirts of Sriracha
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (177°C).
- To make the meatballs, in a large bowl, combine beef, panko, garlic, eggs, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Thoroughly mix all the ingredients.
- To make uniform meatballs, use a medium cookie scoop and form 1.5-inch meatballs. Roll each meatball between you palms to smooth them out.
- To make the sauce, whisk together BBQ sauce and beer. Stir in couple squirts of Sriracha and pinch of salt.
- Arrange the meatballs in a baking dish. Add the sauce over the meatballs and carefully mix until meatballs are coated. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until meatballs are cooked through. (If you’re using frozen meatballs bake for about 1 hour.)
- You can also use slow cooker to cook the meatballs. Simply place the meatballs with sauce and cook for 5 hours on low.
Tips & Notes:
Nutrition Facts:
This recipe was originally published on September 29th, 2014.
Pam says
I’m not a beer drinker and have no clue what kind to buy. Can you make a suggestion or tell me what you used in yours. Don’t like the grape jelly ones either
Shinee says
Hi, Pam! Thanks for reaching out. Try Samuel Adams Boston Lager. It works perfect in this recipe.
Cindi says
I’m 63.  That’s a long time to wait till I make something for a family gathering and return with an empty container.  YOU MADE MY DREAM COME TRUE!  ALL GONE!  Happy dance!  Thank you 😘
Shinee says
Cindi, what an honor to receive such a feedback. Thank you so much! I’m SO happy to hear your family loved the meatballs!!!
Mary says
I love these meatballs fo main event for summer. Have meatballs with lots of extra sauce in a chafing dish. I serve nests of potatoes and Angel hair pasta next to balls. My meat and potato eaters are thrilled. Also my mother used oatmeal when she was out of planco. Worked just fine.
Erin says
Hello! I’m going to try making these with ground chicken or turkey instead of beef — any tips before I do? Thank you! So happy I stumbled across this recipe!