Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 5 pounds of ground beef
- 10 ounces Italian bread crumbs
- .5 cup canned milk
- 2.5 cups finely chopped onion
- 3 garlic cloves, pressed
- .5 cup 1 stalk of celery, chopped
- 2 whole eggs
- 3.75 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- .5 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 24 ounces barbecue sauce
- 1 (10.5 ounces) can of regular or golden cream of mushroom condensed soup
- .33 cup butter, melted
- 1 cup water
Instructions
-
- Mix bread crumbs and milk together to make a panade; see notes below.
- Add ground beef, onion, garlic, celery, bread mixture, eggs, and seasonings into a large bowl and mix well.
- Preheat the oven to 350° F and line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Measure out one tablespoon of ground beef mixture for each meatball, or use a small cookie scoop.
- Place meatballs on the lined baking sheet.
- Bake meatballs for 30 minutes or until they are cooked through and through.
- While the meatballs are baking, mix the barbecue sauce, soup, butter, and water in a large, heavy pot and heat until bubbly.
- Turn the sauce off.
- Remove meatballs from the oven and add them to the sauce; stir and heat under medium-high heat until the sauce is bubbly, then serve from the pot, a crock pot, or a chafing dish.
- Or for slow cooker party meatballs, while the meatballs are baking, mix the sauce in a crock pot and heat on high for 30 minutes, then add meatballs and set on a warm setting until ready to serve.
Notes
- A panade is a simple paste of bread and milk that makes the meatballs tender and juicy.
- Gently form the ground meat into meatballs; too much pressure when handling makes a tough meatball.
- Party meatballs will be about the size of a walnut.
- Easily divide the recipe in half for a smaller batch.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Appetizers
- Method: Bake and Simmer
- Cuisine: American
