These meatballs will be the best that you have ever made. It's an awesome recipe that will get you 5 star rave reviews. Serve them as appetizers or perhaps with pasta. You may even want to skip the meatballs and make meatloaf, eventually!
Meatballs:
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 lb. ground pork
1/2 c. from 1 sleeve, finely crushed Ritz Cracker crumbs or plain bread crumbs
1/2 c. finely chopped onion
1/2 t. salt
lots of freshly ground black pepper
1 egg
2 T. olive oil, to brown the meatballs
Bourbon Sauce:
1 jar apricot preserves, about 1 c.
1/4 c. brown sugar
2 T. hot or mild chili sauce
1/2 c. bourbon
1/2 c. BBQ sauce
1 T. molasses
1/4 c. water
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place the meatball ingredients, except for the olive oil, in a large mixing bowl, breaking up the meat while placing it in; mix, using the tips of your fingers to gently combine everything without compacting the meat. DO NOT over mix! Form into small, 1 inch meatballs using a small scoop like to make them even and uniform.
Heat 2 T. olive oil in a large skillet; brown meatballs, working in batches; transfer to a baking sheet.
Bake for about 10 minutes, until cooked through, to 160 degrees.
Sauce:
Combine all sauce ingredients in a skillet; bring to a simmer; simmer gently for about 10 minutes until thick.
Place cooked meatballs in the sauce; heat through until ready to serve.
Serve on a platter with toothpicks and sauce.
Serve a bowl of sauce on the side for extra dipping.
*When reheating the meatballs, do so gently. Put the meatballs in the sauce, cover with aluminum foil, and heat in a 350 degree oven until bubbling. If done on the stove, do so over medium heat, bringing them to a simmer.