The Home Cook: BBQ'd Meatballs

This weekend it snowed. Only a little teeny bit, but still, it snowed.

We also had our first hard frost.

I think the undeniable facts are in...it seems that we have reached the end of fall. There might be a few more weeks rattling around, but I'm convinced that fall is on the way out. And accordingly, it's time for more wintry foods to start making regularly scheduled appearances. We've done a pot roast, meatloaf, lasagna, corn chowder and meatballs.

Meatballs? Yes. Meatballs. Not just for spaghetti any more.



Now don't get me wrong, I like spaghetti and I like spaghetti with meatballs. I'm quite happy to sit down with a plate of the classic, but I grew up in what would commonly be referred to as a "meat and potatoes" household. Pork chops, steaks, hamburgers, pork roasts, beef roasts, swiss steak and potatoes, potatoes, potatoes. It wasn't that mom had a pasta moratorium, in fact she's mad for the stuff...it was just that Dad...was not a fan in the least. So, in order to find a middle ground between meatloaf and meatballs on pasta, mom got creative. Or I should say mom found a creative recipe.

If recipes are judged on the appearance of the recipe card...Excellent being stained, torn and barely legible and disgusting being pristine white, then the recipe for BBQ'd Meatballs is beyond excellent. My mom's original copy is so bedraggled that the original type has been written over...twice. The recipe itself is something straight out of a 1950's newspaper, with zero concern for health, avoidance of processed foods or today's gourmet tastes. It's not sophisticated or haute cuisine. It's not something you'd find featured in Bon Appetit or even Everyday Food...maybe in Taste of Country...maybe. These meatballs with their sweet/tangy sauce are a straight up comfort food and with winter slowly closing in I can use all the comfort I can get.

BBQ'd Meatballs
Mom

Meatballs:
1 1/2 lb. ground beef or ground beef, pork or turkey blend
1 cup Oatmeal
1 cup Milk
1 1/2 teaspoon Salt
Pepper to taste
1/2 cup minced Onion
2 cloves Garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons oil

Sauce:
1 cup Ketchup
1/2 cup Water
1/2 cup minced Onion
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
1 1/2 Tablespoon Vinegar
2 Tablespoons Sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9"x13"x2" glass baking dish with foil.

Mix sauce ingredients in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil, reduce to a low simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep from burning on the bottom of the pan.

Hand mix meatball ingredients in a large bowl. Form into approximately 1 1/2 - 2" diameter meatballs. In a large heavy skillet, heat oil. Lightly brown meatballs in skillet, being sure not to crowd. As meatballs are just browned on all sides, place into a foil lined 9"x13"x2" glass baking dish.

Pour sauce over meatballs and place in oven and bake for 1 hour.


Cook's Notes:

- The meatball mixture is very soft/moist and can be a bit tricky to brown. Patience is recommended.

- I prefer rolled oats, but instant work too...though if you use instant reduce the milk by 2 or 3 Tablespoons.