Cocktail Meatballs Are a Retro Appetizer That's Here To Stay
2023/12/24
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Cocktail meatballs are an old-school that’s here to stay. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have any fun updating the recipe. Instead of the standard two-ingredient grape jelly sauce that constitutes many cocktail meatball recipes, Ree combines chili sauce (often found by the ketchup in the grocery store), apricot preserves, soy sauce, and sriracha for the perfect combination of sweet and spicy. These ingredients get dumped and stirred together directly in the before the meatballs—equal parts and
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—are nestled inside and cooked low and slow for four hours. It doesn’t get much easier or more delicious!
What is the secret to good meatballs?
For , you want to avoid over-handling the meat mixture. Over-mixing can lead to toughness when cooked. Grated onion, not chopped, is easier to incorporate into the meat and adds significant moisture, while breadcrumbs and eggs help bind everything together.
How long should you cook meatballs in a slow cooker?
Meatballs will need two to three hours to cook on high, or about four hours on low, in the slow cooker. They should be warmed all the way through with a temperature of at least 160°F, which is the safe temperature for ground meats according to the USDA.
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Do you have to put eggs and breadcrumbs in meatballs?
Eggs and breadcrumbs help bind meatballs together so they don't just crumble like ground beef when you cook them. If you have an egg allergy you can use an . If you don't want to use breadcrumbs you could use oats, gluten-free breadcrumbs of even crushed up croutons, these all work well as . Is it better to fry or bake meatballs?
Many meatball recipes call for either baking the meatballs in the oven or pan-frying them first before adding them to the sauce (except ours here, which does the whole thing in the slow cooker!).
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When you bake the meatballs you can use less oil, but pan-frying them on the stovetop gets the outer edges a bit crispier. Either works well and won't affect the final result too much.
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Yields: 8 - 10 serving(s)
Prep Time: 40 mins
Total Time: 4 hrs 40 mins
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
1lb.
ground beef
1lb.
ground pork
1c.
breadcrumbs
1/2c.
grated onion (about 1 small onion)
1/2c.
fresh parsley. finely chopped
2
large eggs
1tsp.
kosher salt
1/4tsp.
black pepper
For the Sauce
1
12-ounce bottle chili sauce
1/2c.
apricot preserves
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1tbsp.
soy sauce
1tbsp.
sriracha
See Nutritional Information
Directions
Step 1 For the meatballs: Combine the beef, pork, breadcrumbs, onion, parsley, eggs, salt and pepper in a large bowl and mix until combined. Using a tablespoon measure, scoop and roll the meat into about 45 small meatballs. Step 2 For the sauce: Whisk the chili sauce, apricot preserves, soy sauce and sriracha in a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker. Remove ½ cup of the sauce and set aside. Nestle the meatballs in the remaining sauce in the slow cooker in 2 layers. Step 3 Pour the reserved sauce over the top layer of meatballs. Cover and cook on high until the meatballs are cooked through and the sauce is thick, 4 hours, gently stirring the meatballs halfway through to coat with the sauce. Serve from the slow cooker or spoon into a shallow bowl.
