Best Tailgate Meatballs Recipes

TAILGATE MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350*F. (175*C).
• In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, egg, water, bread crumbs, and minced onion. Roll into small meatballs.
• Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, turning once.
• In a slow cooker or large saucepan over low heat, blend the cranberry sauce, chili sauce, brown sugar, and lemon juice. Add meatballs, and simmer for 1 hour before serving.
• My Update Note: I have been making these meatballs for 30 years or more. I however use cornflakes crumbs instead of bread crumbs. I also put 1/3 cup parsley; I use 1/4 cup ketchup instead of water and 1 teaspoons soy sauce. Just a thought from an old chef.
• Sometime I used frozen meatballs. Most jellied cranberry sauce come in 16 oz cans so if you decide to use the whole can you'll need to double all the other ingredients. Typical chili sauce comes in 12oz. bottle so you'll need two bottles if you use the full can of cranberry. Hope this helps your shopping.
• I have made these numerous times and am ashamed to admit I'm just now reviewing them. Wonderful addition to the regular grape jelly recipes out there with great meatballs -- Based on experience and personal preference with these cocktail meatballs I offer the following suggestions: 1.) Add one packet of Lipton onion soup mix to the meatball mixture if you do not have time to mince or grate the onion. 2.) Bake meatballs over a drip pan to reduce the fat before adding to the sauce. 3.) If using frozen meatballs ENSURE you DO NOT use Italian meatballs as this upsets the balance of the meatballs and sauce (yuck)! 3.) Make the sauce the day before to let the flavors marry - I can't stress what a difference this makes! This recipe gets better the next day. 4.) The Heinz sauce in the round bottle seems to be the best chili sauce for this mixture. Reviewers: I seriously dislike people that rate a recipe based on the changes they have made to the original. I want to state that I rated this recipe on the recipe Lara submitted. The changes I suggested were based on my family's personal preference.

SPICY TAILGATE MEATBALLS

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• 2. In a large mixing bowl, add ground chuck, sausage, onion, sweet pepper, half of the diced apples, ½ cup catsup, sea salt, pepper, chili pepper flakes, granulated garlic, Panko bread crumbs, and eggs. Using your hands, mix until combined, but do not over mix.
• 3. Spray large baking sheets with cooking spray. Roll meatballs slightly smaller than the size of golf balls. Place on baking sheets. Bake for 20 minutes. Cool completely leaving them on the baking sheets. (Can be refrigerated to cool)
• 4. While meatballs are cooling, combine remaining diced apples, remaining catsup, pepper jelly, and cranberry sauce in a medium saucepan. Over medium low heat, stir until well blended. Reduce heat to low and cook an additional 10 minutes.
• 5. Carefully add cooled meatballs. Stir gently and continue to cook over low heat until meatballs are heated through. Place meatballs and sauce in crock pot on warm setting, or in other serving dish that can be kept warm. Serve with appetizer toothpicks on the side.Enjoy

~ ULTIMATE TAILGATE MEATBALLS ~

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 500 Degree F. Line a large baking sheet with foil. I spray it as well. Mix all ingredients together, well.
• 2. Roll into balls about the size of a walnut or smaller. Place on sheet pan. Can place fairly close together.
• 3. Place in oven and bake for 12 - 15 minutes, or until browning and baked through. Set aside and make sauce.
• 4. In a dutch oven, over low - medium heat, melt butter. Add garlic and stir every few seconds to make sure it doesn't burn. You just want it soft.
• 5. Add the ketchup, honey and soy sauce. Stir well to combine. Bring to a boil, then turn down heat, simmer covered for about 10 minutes.
• 6. Add the meatballs, coating each with sauce. Heat though for about 5 minutes. Serve hot over rice or alone. If using for a party, place meatballs in a crock pot and keep on low or warm. Enjoy! They are some very tasty meatballs.

TAILGATE 500 MEATBALLS

Steps:

• To prepare sauce juice the oranges (about 1 cup).
• Prepare the 1/2 teaspoon orange zest to divide 1/4 teaspoon each between sauce and meatballs.
• Mix all sauce ingredients in a microwavable bowl.
• Heat to boiling.
• Let stand 10 minutes.
• Taste. Add additional hot sauce or brown sugar if desired.
• Pour a small amount of sauce into the bottom of a 6 quart crockpot, just enough to cover the whole surface.
• For meatballs mix the grated ginger and 1/4 teaspoon of the orange zest into the liquids to disperse them so that no one gets an unpleasantly concentrated suprise.
• Mix all the ingredients together very well.
• Form small meatballs and pack them firmly.
• Brown the meatballs in skillet or oven.
• Pile meatballs into the crockpot.
• Cover with the rest of the sauce.
• Cook on low for about 4 hours.
• Stir every hour to make sure that all meatballs absorb the sauce equally.
• Note:Prep time does not include time to brown meatballs because that will depend on the method chosen.

TAILGATE GRAPE JELLY MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Thaw out the meatballs.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Mix 8 oz. grape jelly and 12 oz. chili sauce in separate bowl.
• Place meatballs in a large baking dish.
• Pour sauce mixture over the meatballs.
• Bake meatballs for 1 hour, making sure to stir them around about half way through.

TAILGATE SWEDISH MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Put bread crumbs and 1/4 cup milk in a small bowl and set aside until milk is absorbed.
• In a large bowl, mix ground beef, egg, onion, salt, pepper, allspice and the bread crumbs. Mix well.
• Form the meat mixture into meatballs about 1 inch in diameter.
• Melt butter in a large frying pan.
• Brown meatballs about 10 to 15 at a time, removing them to a large bowl as they are done.
• When all meatballs are browned, remove pan from heat.
• Add flour all at once to the drippings stirring with a wooden spoon until smooth.
• Add 3/4 cup of boiling water and a bouillon cube stirring constantly.
• Return frying pan to medium heat. Stir until bouillon cube is dissolved.
• Add cream and 1/2 cup of milk.
• Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly and cook three minutes longer until sauce is thick and smooth.
• Return meatballs to the skillet and warm through, tossing to coat.