Want to make easy meatballs with grape jelly? If you are in a big hurry, you can use frozen meatballs. However, if you really want the best grape jelly meatballs, use fresh ground meat and make your own. These meatballs are flavorful inside and out. A slurry made from fresh breadcrumbs and milk makes the meatballs tender.
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Meatballs with Grape Jelly
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds hamburger
- 1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs
- milk
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 jar grape jelly
- Barbecue sauce
Directions:
Place the ground meat, egg, salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a large bowl. Pour just enough milk (about 2 Tablespoons) onto the breadcrumbs to make a paste. Add the bread and milk mixture to the meat and spices in the bowl and combine.
First, shape the meatballs. In order to be bite-sized, use a 1-1/2 inch scoop. To make it easy, scoop the meat, dip your fingers into cold water, and then roll it. The water helps keep the fat from sticking to your hands.
Brown the meatballs in a large skillet. (Don’t overcrowd the skillet. You want to brown the meat, not boil it!)
Then, remove the meatballs to a sheet pan and place them in a 250° oven while you prepare the sauce.
Fond is the leftover browned bits of food in the bottom of the pan after browning meat or vegetables.
After browning the meatballs, add equal parts of jelly and barbecue sauce to the fond in the pan. I use 3/4 cup of grape jelly and 3/4 cup of barbecue sauce.
Heat and whisk until the sauce just comes to a boil and is smooth.
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Remove the meatballs from the oven and place them in a crockpot. Pour the heated grape jelly sauce over the meatballs. Set the crockpot to warm. You don’t need to cook the meatballs anymore.
Serve with toothpicks or wooden paddle picks. We use these since this crockpot is deeper. We have a smaller crockpot, but it doesn’t have a warm heat control option. We don’t want to overcook the meatballs.
Grape Jelly Meatballs
Ingredients
- 2 pounds hamburger
- 1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs
- milk
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 jar grape jelly
- Barbecue sauce
Instructions
Place the ground meat, egg, salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a large bowl. Pour just enough milk (about 2 Tablespoons) onto the breadcrumbs to make a paste. Add the bread and milk mixture to the meat and spices in the bowl and combine.
First, shape the meatballs. In order to be bite-sized, use a 1-1/2 inch scoop. To make it easy, scoop the meat, dip your fingers into cold water, and then roll it. The water helps keep the fat from sticking to your hands.
Brown the meatballs in a large skillet. (Don't overcrowd the skillet. You want to brown the meat, not boil it!)
Then, remove the meatballs to a sheet pan and place them in a 250° oven while you prepare the sauce.
Fond is the leftover browned bits of food in the bottom of the pan after browning meat or vegetables.
After browning the meatballs, add equal parts of jelly and barbecue sauce to the fond in the pan. I use 3/4 cup of grape jelly and 3/4 cup of barbecue sauce.
Heat and whisk until the sauce just comes to a boil and is smooth.
(We are an Amazon affiliate and may receive a small percentage of any sales through the links in this post at no cost to you. Thanks for supporting this website!)
Remove the meatballs from the oven and place them in a crockpot. Pour the heated grape jelly sauce over the meatballs. Set the crockpot to warm. You don't need to cook the meatballs anymore.
Serve with toothpicks or wooden paddle picks. We use these since this crockpot is deeper. We have a smaller crockpot, but it doesn't have a warm heat control option. We don't want to overcook the meatballs.
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