Chris’ Party Balls
These lil meatballs are perfect for any occasion or gathering – I mean truly, I’m sure everyone has seen or eaten these BBQ meatballs at literally ANY party or ANY gathering – savory & sweet, a little hit of tang keeps you coming back for more and they are so easy to make! But what makes this particular recipe even greater than anything else you’ve ever tried before is just how it came to be.
There’s a great backstory behind this recipe – tee hee!
balls at a party
Back in 2017, Chris & I threw an “Ugly Christmas Sweater” party and invited some of our bestest friends – it was glorious, hilarious & OH SO fun! One of Chris’ oldest friends Tiffany pulled me aside & asked who planned the menu for this particular party…..I sat there bewildered AF and thought to myself : “menu? What menu?” It was finger foods. All recognizable. All delicious. I was hella-confused but asked her anyway, “we both did….what do you mean?”
She could barely get the story out she was laughing so hard, but proceeded to tell me that 10 years previously (I was a sophomore in college, SHIT) that Chris was in charge of hosting / throwing a Christmas gathering for the company they worked for & his team – Tiffany said she offered to come over early & help with the set up / cooking. (so very sweet of her) So she said she shows up & Chris is putting things in the oven, stirring the crockpot, and doing the things.
She said she starts by getting serving platters ready & putting things out on plates – then she notices…. “OH MY GOD, EVERY SINGLE APPETIZER IS BALL SHAPED” – cue our ridiculous shit-storm giggling. She said he had Mac & Cheese bites (balls), Buffalo Chicken Bombs (balls) and *famously* his BBQ Meatballs (also obviously ball shaped) – now which I lovingly refer to as CHRIS’ PARTY BALLS.
belle of the ball
I have never forgotten that hilarious story nor the fact that when she said she brought it to his attention, my future husband shrugged & was like “it’s all gonna taste good at least” – BAHAHAHAHA I still die over that story whenever I think of it – and I think of it often because Chris whips out his Party Balls recipe every chance he gets for almost every gathering we host *wink* We indeed served them at our Ugly Christmas sweater party but had other offerings that were NOT ball shaped.
I’ve decided to post this tonight in honor of NFL Football kickoff this weekend – yes, YES I know that people don’t usually care or respect Thursday night games as the official start to football szn, but still, who doesn’t want a recipe to read about in advance to try out on SUNDAY?? I know you’re thinking the same – Let’s get to it!
Ingredients
· ¾ cup Ketchup
· ½ cup Grape Jelly
· ¼ cup Sweet Baby Ray’s Honey BBQ Sauce
· ¼ cup light Brown Sugar
· 1 TBS Worcestershire sauce
· 2 TBS Apple Cider Vinegar
· 1 TSP Garlic Powder
· 1 TSP Cumin
· 1 TSP Chili Powder
· ¼ TSP Red Chili Flakes
· 1 ½ LBS Mini Meatballs, frozen & fully cooked
Instructions
Preheat your oven to whatever instructions are on your meatball package – we use the Mini Meatballs from Trader Joe’s & they are damn good!
Cook the meatballs for half the time the instructions state on a greased tin foil lined baking sheet.
While your meatballs heat up, measure out the Ketchup, Jelly & BBQ Sauce into a medium saucepan over medium-low heat.
Stir gently to break down the Grape Jelly. Add in the brown sugar and stir until dissolved.
Add in the Apple Cider Vinegar & all the listed spices.
Your sauce may start to bubble a bit, so if it does, turn the heat down to low. I mean, you don’t want to scorch the sauce, damn.
The mini meatballs should be just about ready now – go ahead & take them out of the oven & stir them into the sauce to coat every single ballllllll.
VOILA!
Yes, it really is that easy & yes you can make these ahead of time – the longer these balls sit in that delectable sauce, the better & softer they will be without falling apart – hence why we always use pre-made, frozen meatballs!
If you have a mini crockpot for your mini balls, that is the perfect holding tank for them – keep the crockpot on WARM so nothing gets too hot & they will be perfect all night!
***Just be sure to turn the burner OFF if you’re not going to transfer these lil balls to a CrockPot – otherwise, just slap a lid on it & the meatballs will stay warm – reheat on LOW heat for about 10 minutes & they will be good as new!***
he’s simply the best.
But seriously, not to brag because he’s my man, but Chris’ Party Balls recipe really does shine brighter than the rest. I mean, all the other recipes I’ve ever seen are literally 2 basic-ass ingredients : “Grape Jelly & BBQ Sauce. Heat thru, stir in meatballs & serve” WOMP *fucking* WOMP. Boring. Ain’t no way. His recipe has Apple Cider Vinegar – Hello, much-needed acid! Adding in some aromatic spices to level up? Hell Yes. My mouth is positively watering. At the end of the day, the simplest recipes can sometimes truly be the best. Gathering with friends for the start of NFL Football, an Ugly Christmas Sweater Party, Happy Hour or anything in between calls for Chris’ Party Balls & I guarantee people will be asking you for the recipe because *something* about it is different than anything else! You’re welcome in advance.
Thanks for stopping by!
I appreciate you stopping by! If you loved it, I’d love to hear from you.
If you hated it, then same.
Have a great day & look for my next entry!
© 2021 Cookin’ & Cussin’
