Description
These Homemade BBQ Meatballs are a flavorful and tender comfort food classic made with ground beef, oats, and a tangy, smoky barbecue sauce. Baked to perfection, they’re perfect to serve with mashed potatoes and green beans for a hearty family meal. This recipe yields six generous servings and includes tips to freeze extras for easy future meals.
Ingredients
Scale
Meatballs
- 2 lbs. ground beef (85/15)
- 1 cup quick oats
- 1 (5-ounce) can evaporated milk
- 1 egg, beaten
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
BBQ Sauce
- 2 cups ketchup
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons liquid smoke
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit to prepare for baking the meatballs evenly.
- Mix Meatball Ingredients: In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, quick oats, evaporated milk, beaten egg, onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, and kosher salt. Mix thoroughly until all ingredients are well incorporated.
- Shape Meatballs: Form the mixture into golf-ball-sized meatballs. You can divide them between two smaller casserole dishes or arrange all in one large 9×13 baking dish depending on your family size or if you wish to freeze extras for later.
- Prepare BBQ Sauce: In a separate bowl, whisk together ketchup, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, liquid smoke, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, and kosher salt until smooth and well combined.
- Pour Sauce Over Meatballs: Evenly pour the prepared BBQ sauce over the arranged meatballs, making sure each meatball is nicely coated.
- Bake: Place the dish(es) in the oven and bake for 1 hour. After baking, the sauce will be bubbly and some oil may have separated.
- Emulsify Sauce: Remove the meatballs from the oven and add 2-3 tablespoons of water to the pan. Stir gently to emulsify the sauce so it clings perfectly to the meatballs.
- Serve: Serve the meatballs hot with your favorite sides such as mashed potatoes and green beans. Enjoy the tender, flavorful barbecue meatballs!
Notes
- For easy meal prep, divide the meatballs into two pans and freeze one for later.
- Be sure to add water after baking to emulsify the sauce for better texture and coating.
- You can adjust the chili powder for more or less heat based on preference.
- Using 85/15 beef blend gives a good balance of flavor and fat content for tenderness.
- This recipe can be doubled to serve a larger crowd.
