Bourbon Cocktail Meatballs

By KitchenGnome

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 lb ground pork
• 1/2 cup (1 sleeve, finely crushed) Ritz Cracker crumbs (you can use plain bread crumbs)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• lots of fresh cracked pepper
• 1 egg
• 2 Tbsp olive oil (for browning the meatballs)
• Bourbon Sauce
• 1 jar apricot preserves (about a cup, give or take)
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp hot chili sauce (use mild chili sauce if you can't take the heat)
• 1/2 cup bourbon
• 1/2 cup barbecue sauce
• 1 Tbsp molasses
• 1/4 cup water

Preparation

Step 1

Set oven to 350F
Put the above ingredients, except the olive oil, in a large mixing bowl, breaking up the meat as you put it in. Mix together, using the tips of your fingers to gently combine everything without compacting the meat. I like to do this in my stand mixer.
Form into small 1" balls, I use a small scoop to make them nice and uniform.
Heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a skillet and brown the meatballs, working in batches. Transfer the meatballs to a baking sheet, and bake for about 10 minutes, until cooked through. (Check with a thermometer, it should read 160 degrees)
Place cooked meatballs into the sauce, and let heat through until ready to serve. Serve on a plate with toothpicks, a drizzle of sauce, and lots of napkins. Serve a bowl of sauce on the side for extra dipping.
To make the sauce, combine all the sauce ingredients in a skillet and bring to a simmer. Simmer gently for about 10 minutes until thick.