Do you bake or sear meatballs first?

Baking. Browning in the oven at high heat is neater than frying and, if you're making meatballs in quantity, both faster and easier than skillet searing . Baking them on a rack set over a baking pan ensures even cooking, and using your oven's convection setting (if you have one) yields nicely browned surfaces.

Can you put raw meatballs in sauce to cook?

Put your raw meatballs aside in a dish. In a large skillet or pot, heat some tomato sauce on the stovetop. I usually start it out on medium-high heat and add my raw meatballs to the pan. When the sauce comes to a boil, I lower the stove to medium-low heat and let the meatballs cook slowly.

Is it better to bake meatballs or cook them in sauce?

There is no right or wrong way; try them all and see what works best for you. Cooking your meatballs in a sauce is a sure-fire way to keep them moist and succulent – one of the reasons why dishes like Spaghetti and Meatballs is a classic family favourite.

Why do my meatballs fall apart in sauce?

Because meat shrinks when cooked, mince proteins are likely to separate and crumble unless bound together . Whether it's breadcrumbs or egg (or both), or simply salt, binding the mince is a crucial step in maintaining the softness of your meatballs while preventing them from falling apart.

Can you overcook meatballs in tomato sauce?

Don't overcook your meatballs ! Most recipes instruct us to bake the meatballs until they are completely cooked. Next, we are to let them simmer away in some kind of sauce for hours. It should be no surprise that your meatball is going to be completely overcooked and dry by the time you eat it.

What do you eat as a side with meatball subs?

The best side dishes to serve with meatball subs are onion rings, french fries, kale chips, cheese curds, crispy green beans, blooming onion, coleslaw, mac and cheese, Caesar salad, pickles and stuffed mushrooms, antipasto salad, and Italian pasta salad.

What do Italians eat meatballs with?

Although meatballs cooked in tomato sauce and served with pasta is likely what most Americans first imagine when they think of them, this meatball preparation is virtually nonexistent in Italy. In most regions, meatballs are just fried and eaten as is —enjoyed as a snack or served as a second course without any sauce.

What do you hold meatballs together with?

Add a lightly beaten egg , but not too much. Egg acts as a binder for the ingredients, but you only need a small amount. One small egg will do for one pound of minced meat. Alternatively, if you're following an egg-free diet, you could soak fresh bread in milk, squeezing out any excess milk, to use as a binder.

Bacon Wrapped BBQ Meatballs (2024)

Jump to Recipe

This recipe is inspired by my husband’s classmate, who won first prize at the Big Bite Bacon Fest held at the Del Mar Country Fair in San Diego. His classmate is part of a Southern California competition grilling team, called Meat, Inc. He was nice enough to bring his winning dish to my hubby’s night class and my hubby was able to bring some home for us to sample. Unfortunately, he didn’t give my hubby the recipe and I had to improvise and make my own version of “Bacon Wrapped BBQ Meatballs”, which turned out pretty darn good, if I must say so myself.

I’ll be honest though, I’m not a fan of BBQ sauce or most things BBQ. I know…so un-American and I’ll often make the sacrifice and make dinners that I don’t really eat just to satisfy my BBQ sauce loving family. Can you see my glowing halo? LOL! But guess what? I can totally get down with these BBQ Bacon Wrapped Meatballs because they’re so good!

Anyway, the next day my hubby brings home thick cut bacon, ground beef, and store made pork sausage (we used Albertson’s store made ground pork sausage). I guess it was a BIG hint that he wanted me to recreate his classmate’s winning dish. Well, it’s a good thing it has bacon on it because I’ll totally get down with anything with bacon 🙂

Bacon Wrapped BBQ Meatballs

Shape the Meatballs

Since theground pork sausage already had seasoning, I kept any added seasoning to a minimum. I just added ground beef, eggs, Italian bread crumbs, minced garlic, and onion powder into a large bowl with the pork and mixed everything together. To keep it quick and simple, I also used a store-bought BBQ sauce to coat the meatballs with.

Tips:

You can always use your own family favorite meatball recipe or premade store bought meatballs. *If using premade meatballs, adjust your cook time to ensure the meatballs are heated through and the bacon is cooked.*
If your meatball recipe containsParmesan cheese, you may want to omit it. The bacon and Parmesan cheese will make it too salty.

Rollout approximately 28 meatballs the size of golf balls (maybe a little smaller). Optional – makeholes in the center of each one and place a pinch of shredded Mexican cheese blend or a small cube of cheese into each center.

Wrap with Bacon

Wrap each meatball with a half slice of bacon and place on a foil lined baking sheet with the seam side down. Bake at 350F for 20 minutes and drain the bacon fat out of the pan. Baste with BBQ sauce and return to the oven for 10 minutes. Check meatballs again and drain bacon fat again if needed. Baste for a second time with BBQ sauce and return to the oven for 5 minutes. Drain any remaining bacon fat.

Tips:

You can also buy bacon at the meat counter to get the exact amount of bacon needed. You’ll need approximately 14 pieces of thick cut bacon to wrap around the 28 meatballs.
You can place the meatballs on a cookie cooling rack to keep them out of the bacon fat when cooking. I prefer a quick clean up and just place the meatballs directly on the foil.
If you don’t care for too much BBQ sauce, you can always baste only once and serve BBQ sauce on the side.
You can slightly vary the taste of the meatballs by using different types of BBQ sauce. I used Sweet Baby Ray’s Cola-Q BBQ sauce.
Use thick cut bacon or the bacon will cook too fast and become too crispy.
This bake time makes a crispy bacon outside. Adjust the bake time for a less crispy bacon by cutting the bake time by 5 minutes. Just make sure the internal meatball temperature is 160F.

Remove meatballs and serve. YUM!

So there is my version of a quick and easy Bacon Wrapped BBQ Meatballs. We ate ourBacon Wrapped BBQ Meatballswith rice and corn. What will you eat yours with?

Yield: 28 meatballs

Ingredients

1 lb. ground beef (I used 85/15)
.75 - 1lb ground pork sausage
2 packages thick cut bacon
2 Large eggs
1 1/2 cups Italian bread crumbs
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 T. onion powder (can use 1/4 cup finely chopped onions)
1/4 cup shredded mexican cheese mix (optional)
1 1/2 cups BBQ Sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray's Sweet Cola-Q Sauce)

Instructions

Place ground beef, pork sausage, eggs, bread crumbs, garlic, and onion powder into a bowl and thoroughly mix the ingredients together.
Roll into approximately 28 golf-sized balls. Optional - Make a hole into the center of the ball and insert a pinch of cheese and pinch the ball shut. Shape back into a ball.
Cut the bacon in half and wrap each meatball with a half slice of bacon.
Place meatballs about an inch apart on a foil covered pan with the bacon seam down. Bake at 350F degrees for 20 minutes on the center rack. *You can also place the meatballs on a cookie rack in the pan. This will keep the meatballs out of the bacon grease.*
At 20 minutes, take pan out and drain out bacon fat. Brush on BBQ sauce and place back into the oven for 10 minutes and brush on more BBQ sauce. Drain out pan again if needed. Brush on more BBQ sauce and place back into the oven for 5 minutes. *If you're not big on BBQ sauce, you can skip the third brushing of BBQ and serve BBQ sauce on the side*
Drain any remaining bacon fat and serve.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support.