Tangy BBQ Meatball Sliders

Sure, you can buy frozen meatballs and bottled BBQ sauce, but homemade is well worth the effort. These sliders are great Game Day snacks or bite-sized party appetizers. We like our sliders with coleslaw, but a little cheese wouldn't hurt either.

• Preparation Time: 15 mins
• Cooking Time: 50 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins
• Calories: 313 Calories

Ingredients

• ¼ cup milk
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• ¾ cup fresh bread crumbs
• ½ pound ground beef
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• ½ pound ground pork
• ½ cup finely chopped onion
• 2 cups ketchup
• 1 ½ tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
• cooking spray
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 12 slider-size burger buns
• 1 tablespoon stone-ground mustard
• 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco®), or to taste
• ⅔ cup molasses (such as Grandma's®)
• 1 ½ tablespoons dry mustard powder (such as Colman's®)
• 1 teaspoon grill seasoning (such as Montreal Steak Seasoning®)

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place a baking rack sprayed with nonstick cooking spray onto a foil-lined baking pan.

Step 2

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and saute for about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add ketchup, molasses, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard powder, hot sauce, and cayenne pepper; mix well. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. Add a bit of water if sauce gets too thick.

Step 3

Meanwhile, combine beef, pork, bread crumbs, milk, egg, mustard, steak seasoning, and garlic in a bowl. Use a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop to form meat mixture into balls, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Place meatballs on the rack, leaving enough space between them so they'll brown on all sides.

Step 4

Bake meatballs in the preheated oven until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F (71 degrees C), 25 to 30 minutes.

Step 5

Gently stir meatballs into the BBQ sauce. Simmer until meatballs are heated through, 10 to 15 minutes. Divide saucy meatballs among the slider buns.