B-B-Que Meatballs

I heard through the family grapevine that my nephew Chris really wanted me to post my b-b-que meatballs and a few other favorite recipes.   Being the great Aunt that I am (ha ha ha ...... and by the way great refers to awesome not 2 generations down the line)  I must make and post the requested recipes.  I'm old but not THAT old.   However, now that I think about it I could be a Great Aunt.  Chris is old enough to have a child which means I would be a Great Aunt.  Ughhhh!  Time marches on!  

So this one's for you Chris, enjoy!

There is actually a funny story about these meatballs.  When Gary and I first started dating eons ago I invited him over for dinner.  After I extended the invitation there was silence on the phone.  And then this is how the conversation went down..........

Me -   Hello are you there??????? 

Gary - Yes I'm here.

Me - So what do you think.  Wanna come over for dinner?


Gary - Are you cooking or are we ordering in?


Me - Ordering in are you kidding me?  I'm cooking!

Gary - I have something to tell you.

Me - Ok.  What is it?

Gary - You know I'm a picky eater right?

Me - Yes.

Gary - Well I have to tell you that I ONLY like my mother and grandmothers cooking.  I will come for dinner but please don't be offended if I don't like it and don't eat it.

Me - (trying not to laugh because I already knew I was making my meatballs)  That's fine.  Just be here around 7:00

Gary showed up for dinner looking a little nervous.  We sat down to eat.  He slowly raised the sandwich closed his eyes and took a bite.  Instantly his eyes sprung open and they were sparkling like diamonds.  "Wow, this is really good" he said.  He gobbled down the first one and when he asked for seconds I knew he was hooked!  I probably should rename these Marriage Worthy Meatballs (hehehe).

You will see what I mean once you've made them.  Just try and announce "we're having b-b-que meatballs for dinner" as quietly as you like, but I'm telling you once you've shared these with your families their ears will perk up even if you whisper that you will be making them.  The announcement will spread like wildfire and your phone will be ringing off the hook with everyone wanting to know what time dinner will be ready.

This recipe makes a large batch!  My suggestion is to either invite everyone you know for dinner, be prepared to freeze some, or half the recipe.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Here's what you'll need:

Meatballs

3 pounds lean hamburger

1 12 ounce can evaporated milk

2 cups old fashioned oatmeal

2 eggs

1 cup diced onion

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

Sauce

3 cups ketchup 

1 1/4 cup brown sugar

4 tablespoons liquid smoke

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 cup diced onion

Throw all the ingredients for the meatballs in a large bowl. 

Dig in and mix it all up with your hands. 

Form walnut size meatballs and place in a baking dish.  Decide if you are going to freeze some.  As you can see from the picture I decided to freeze enough for two more dinners.

To make the sauce just combine all the sauce ingredients in a medium size bowl.  Oops, I forgot to take a picture of this.

Pour the sauce all over the meatballs making sure each one is covered.  

Bake at 350 for 50 minutes to 1 hour.

Here is what the meatballs will look like hot out of the oven! Yum!

We like to make sandwiches with hoagie style rolls.  However you can serve these over noodles, rice, or mashed potatoes as well.

Enjoy!

Cheers, 

Shannon