TANGY BBQ MEATBALL SLIDERS

Tangy BBQ Meatball Sliders image

Sure, you can buy frozen meatballs and bottled BBQ sauce, but homemade is well worth the effort. These sliders are great Game Day snacks or bite-sized party appetizers. We like our sliders with coleslaw, but a little cheese wouldn't hurt either.

Provided by lutzflcat

Categories Side Dish Sauces and Condiments Recipes Sauce Recipes BBQ Sauce Recipes

Time 1h5m

Yield 12

Number Of Ingredients 22

Ingredients

cooking spray
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ cup finely chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups ketchup
⅔ cup molasses (such as Grandma's®)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 ½ tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 ½ tablespoons dry mustard powder (such as Colman's®)
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco®), or to taste
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
½ pound ground beef
½ pound ground pork
¾ cup fresh bread crumbs
¼ cup milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon stone-ground mustard
1 teaspoon grill seasoning (such as Montreal Steak Seasoning®)
1 clove garlic, minced
12 slider-size burger buns

Steps:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place a baking rack sprayed with nonstick cooking spray onto a foil-lined baking pan.
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and saute for about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add ketchup, molasses, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard powder, hot sauce, and cayenne pepper; mix well. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. Add a bit of water if sauce gets too thick.
Meanwhile, combine beef, pork, bread crumbs, milk, egg, mustard, steak seasoning, and garlic in a bowl. Use a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop to form meat mixture into balls, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Place meatballs on the rack, leaving enough space between them so they'll brown on all sides.
Bake meatballs in the preheated oven until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F (71 degrees C), 25 to 30 minutes.
Gently stir meatballs into the BBQ sauce. Simmer until meatballs are heated through, 10 to 15 minutes. Divide saucy meatballs among the slider buns.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 312.8 calories, Carbohydrate 191.3 g, Cholesterol 39.9 mg, Fat 9.1 g, Fiber 0.6 g, Protein 11.3 g, SaturatedFat 2.4 g, Sodium 653.5 mg, Sugar 22.7 g