Honey BBQ Meatballs are made with ground pork and smothered with a sweet honey barbecue sauce. You won’t be wondering where the beef is in this tasty variation of a traditional meatball recipe. If you love meatballs, be sure to try my Bacon Cheeseburger Meatballs. Of course, if you have to half some beef in your meatballs, I have you covered with a more standard pork and beef meatball recipe.
Honey BBQ Meatballs
It’s not really clear how meatballs originated, but I am certainly happy these round balls of meat came to be so popular! Of course, you can’t stick with the traditional beef meatball all the time. Well, you can, but I would encourage you to try some other meatball flavors. I used ground pork for this Honey BBQ Meatball recipe, and I loved how they turned out. But, give it a try with ground beef, turkey, or even chicken meatballs! For another saucy meatball recipe, check out my Teriyaki Meatballs.
Honey BBQ Meatballs Recipe
It doesn’t take any fancy ingredients to make these tasty pork meatballs. And, with just a few more ingredients, you will have a honey barbecue sauce that makes them that much better!
Ingredients (full recipe below)
- Ground pork
- Egg
- Parmesan cheese
- Flat-leaf parsley
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Milk
- Breadcrumbs
- Minced garlic
- Onion
- Barbecue sauce
- Honey
- Grape jelly
How to Make Honey BBQ Meatballs
It’s easy to make these Honey BBQ Meatballs. In fact, you will probably choose to make your own meatballs from now on and skip the frozen ones from the grocery store. It’s all about the meatball topped with the honey barbecue sauce.
- First, to make the meatball, combine the ground pork, egg, cheese, parsley and salt in a large bowl.
- In a separate bowl, combine the milk, breadcrumbs, garlic, and onion.
- Add the milk mixture to the ground pork mixture. Don’t overmix all the ingredients.
- I would suggest that you grease your hands before you start forming the meatballs. Place each meatball into a greased 8×8-inch pan.
- Roast them in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the sauce by combining the barbecue sauce, honey, and grape jelly in a medium bowl.
- After the initial 15 minutes of baking time, pour the sauce over the cooked meatballs, cover the dish with aluminum foil, and bake for an additional 15 minutes. The meatballs should reach an internal temperature of 165°F. Use up all that sauce that is at the bottom of the pan to add as much flavor as you want for the meatballs.
Honey BBQ Meatballs as an Appetizer
Just in case you are looking for something amazing to serve at a get-together or pot luck, this recipe would be perfect! You can prepare all of the meatballs and keep them warm in a crockpot or a commercial warming pan. In general, ceramics and glass will hold their heat better than metal pans, so opt for those if possible. Once you pour the sauce over the baked meatballs, cook it on low for about an hour.
Looking for More Appetizer Recipes?
Honey BBQ Meatballs
Smothered in a honey barbecue sauce, Honey BBQ Meatballs will be your new favorite variation to meatball recipes!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground pork
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup fine dry breadcrumbs
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
- 1 cup barbecue sauce
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/3 cup grape jelly
Instructions
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Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
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In a large bowl, combine the, ground pork, beaten egg, cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper. Mix together until just combined.
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In a medium bowl, combine the milk, breadcrumbs, garlic, and onion.
- Add milk mixture to the meat mixture being careful not to overwork ingredients.
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Form into desired size meatballs, greasing hands before starting to keep the meat from sticking, and place in a greased 8x8 pan.
- Place in preheated oven and roast for about 15 minutes (or until the meatballs are crisp on the outside).
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In a medium bowl, combine the barbecue sauce, honey, and grape jelly.
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Pour the sauce over the cooked meatballs. Cover the dish with foil and return it to the oven to bake for an additional 15 minutes (or until the meatballs are cooked through – 165°F on a meat thermometer).
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