Barbecue meatballs with homemade BBQ sauce are the kind of comfort food that instantly fills a room with warmth and sweetness. Each meatball is tender and juicy, perfectly seasoned and seared to lock in flavor, then slowly simmered until it soaks up every bit of the rich sauce.
I love that this recipe has very few ingredients. Being broiled and then finished in the crockpot, these meatballs have a seared outside and a tender, juicy center.
I like to serve these with roasted veggies and mashed potatoes, or green beans and a salad.
Ingredients
Ground Beef
Onion soup mix
Milk
Worcestershire sauce
Catsup
Brown sugar
How to make Barbeque Meatballs
Mix together the following:
- 1lb Ground beef
- 1 Envelope onion soup mix
- 2/3 cup milk
- 1 1/2 T Worcestershire sauce
Form into meatballs and then broil them on high on a wire rack in the oven until brown (about 8 minutes). Rotate meatballs and broil for an additional 3-4 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix together and simmer on low heat until sugar is dissolved and heated through:
- 2 cups Catsup
- 1 cup Brown sugar
- 1 T Worcestershire sauce
- optional: liquid smoke
Once meatballs are seared, place into a crockpot or baking dish. Cover in warm sauce and cover. Cook on low until meatball and sauce flavors have melded together.
Why you will love Barbeque Meatballs
An easy recipe to plan for and make with no real fuss, this one is sure to be an easy one to prepare ahead and have ready in the crockpot for supper. There is no long ingredient list. No 10-step instructions. Straightforward, but full of flavor!
FAQ
About 20–30 minutes on low heat is perfect. This allows the meatballs to absorb the sauce and become extra flavorful.
Broiling them is less messy, especially for large batches.
It is best to cook them ahead of time to prevent them from falling apart. Cooking ahead of time helps them keep their shape and adds flavor.
This usually happens from overcooking or not adding enough liquid. The milk in this recipe prevents this usually.
Yes! You can prepare and cook the meatballs in advance, then store them in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat them in the BBQ sauce for best results.
What to serve Barbeque Meatballs with
Baked potatoes are an excellent, hands off side to go along with these meatballs. Along with stove top green beans!
Before dumping your green beans in a saucepan, place 1 T of olive oil in your pan, along with sliced onion and slivered almonds. Toast for a couple minutes, careful to not burn them, then pour in green beans to simmer for 5-10 minutes. This will add great flavor and texture to an everyday vegetable.
How to store and reheat Barbeque Meatballs
Let the meatballs cool to room temperature and then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Meatballs can also be made ahead of time and frozen for 3-4 months.
Barbeque Meatballs
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 lb Ground beef
- 1 Envelope onion soup mix
- ⅔ cup Milk
- 1½ Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Sauce
- 2 cups Catsup
- 1 cup Brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
Meatballs
- Mix together meatball ingredients and then form into uniform meatballs. (Cookie scoop helps!)
- Place onto a greased metal cooling rack and broil in the oven on high for about 8 minutes or until browned.
- Rotate meatballs and broil for 3-4 more minutes.
Sauce
- Mix together ingredients and simmer over low heat on the stove until sugar is dissolved and heated through.
- Once meatballs are browned, place them into crockpot or baking dish, and pour sauce over the top.
- Cover and bake for 20-30 minutes.
Consider making this easy cobbler for dessert!
Pack of 3 different sizes of cookie scoops to help make uniform meatballs.
