Bacon Bourbon Meatballs

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These bacon bourbon homemade meatballs could not be easier. I’ll show you how to make meatballs that are simple, flavorful, and perfect for appetizers, subs, and pasta. This is an easy meatballs recipe that everyone will love. 

Hi guys and happy Tuesday! I’m sitting here now plugging away at my laptop and drooling over these meatballs. The great news is that you can have these easy Bacon Bourbon Homemade Meatballs on the table in 30 minutes.

I love them for a snack or any time of the day because they take no time at all to make. That means that homemade meatballs in under an hour for a great dinner, appetizer, or even lunch!

OK, so I tend to go a little overboard with the homemade meatballs recipes, but one can never get enough, right?!

Are these baked meatballs?

Yes! I like baked meatballs, they’re so easy and they tend to stick together better. You’ll enjoy the fact that these all get put onto baking sheets and go into the oven, when they come out they’re ready to be sauced and enjoyed.

You can also cook these meatballs in a skillet on the stove if you’d prefer. It’s a pretty simple process:

1. In a skillet heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and cook meatballs for 5-10 minutes rotating them occasionally, or until brown and crispy.

Here’s what you need to make the sauce for our homemade meatballs:

• ⅓ cup ketchup
• ¼ cup bourbon
• 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
• ⅓ cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon yellow mustard

Here’s how to turn those ingredients into a super delicious bacon bourbon sauce:

1. In a medium saucepan combine ketchup, bourbon, worcestershire sauce, mustard, brown sugar and seasonings. Cook over medium-high heat until boiling.
2. Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes. Once finished, remove from heat.

Here are the ingredients needed for my easy meatballs recipe:

• 1 lb ground beef
• ½ lb bacon, cook and chopped
• ½ medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• ¼ cup parsley, chopped
• ½ cup breadcrumbs
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• ½ teaspoon chili powder

How to make easy meatballs:

Making meatballs is pretty simple. View the full recipe below but the general steps are as follows:

1. Combine: First we need to place the listed ingredients into a bowl or mixer and incorporate them evenly. The mixture needs to be a little wet in order to work properly to make sure your “dough” isn’t too dry.
2. Shape: Use a spoon to scoop meat from the bowl and then use your hands to work the meat into balls that are about 1-2 inches in size. From there the meatballs go onto the baking sheet.
3. Bake: Now we need to bake the shaped meatballs until they are cooked through. It takes between 16 and 18 minutes. Flipping the meatballs halfway through that time can help them cook evenly.
4. Saute: Since we’re making meatballs that have a great sauce, after they’re done baking they can be transferred into a saute pan with the sauce and cooked for about 10 minutes or so in order to soak up that delicious bacon bourbon sauce!

Can leftover meatballs be frozen?

Yes! You can easily freeze the leftover meatballs. I would let them cool completely and then place them on a baking sheet in the freezer. Once they’re frozen you can remove them from the sheet and put them into a freezer bag or a freezer container. This will help keep them from freezing into a giant lump.

To thaw them out just put them into the refrigerator overnight. I would freeze the sauce and the meatballs separately so that you can keep them from freezing in clumps. Place them into the slow cooker from there for an easy dinner that you don’t have to worry about.

Can I make these easy meatballs in advance?

I would say you could make these about 3 – 4 days in advance and they will be ready to go and delicious. If you need to make them any further in advance than that just make a batch and freeze them with the tips above!

Each batch of these delicious homemade meatballs seves about 5 people. You can make a double batch and freeze the leftovers or eat them for lunches throughout the week. When I know we’ll be having company I whip up a double batch for an easy and delicious appetizer, leftovers go great as meatball sliders!

Is it okay to use a different kind of meat?

You can use whatever type of ground meat you prefer but be aware that turkey or chicken might get a little dry. The fat content in ground beef or pork will actually help keep them flavorful and moist. That being said, with the sauce I think it would probably be fine to substitute turkey or chicken if you will be eating them right away!

If you are a huge homemade meatballs person like I am, check out my other meatball recipes:

• Baked Orange Meatballs. The orange sauce over these meatballs is sweet and spicy all at the same time! I’m really a huge fan.
• Brown Sugar Glazed Pork Meatballs. These soft pork meatballs can be a meal served over rice or you can serve them as a party appetizer. I serve them over rice most often.
• Grape Jelly BBQ Meatballs. I made these for every holiday, potluck, or shower and they have never let me down. Everyone always requests the recipe for these bad boys.
• Thai Peanut Chicken Meatballs. These particular meatballs are healthy and light and you would never know it! I promise you that.
• Cranberry BBQ Cocktail Meatballs. These meatballs have a cranberry sauce with them, but they aren’t just good for the holidays. I love the sweet sauce!
• Firecracker Chicken Meatballs. If you are a fan of spicy meatballs, try these like NOW. They have just the right amount of kick to them.
• Crock Pot Italian Meatballs. I made these Italian version of meatballs for my sister-in-law’s baby shower. Everyone raved about them!

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