Bourbon Meatballs Appetizer

Name: Bourbon Meatballs Appetizer
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1 pound ground beef (grass fed ); .50 cup bread crumbs; 1 egg; .25 cup parmesan cheese; 2 teaspoon garlic powder; 2 teaspoon onion powder; 2 teaspoon basil (dried ); 1/2 teaspoon salt; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 4 ounces bourbon; 3/4 cup ketchup; 1/3 cup brown sugar; 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar; 3 dashes paprika; 2 teaspoon garlic powder; 2 dash chipotle powder; 1/4 teaspoon salt

Last updated on April 14, 2020. Originally posted on January 27, 2020 By Elaine 58 Comments

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This bourbon meatballs recipe fits the bill of a well-loved and delicious appetizer. The meatballs are succulent, the bourbon sauce is scrumptious and their flavors complement each other famously!

A white shallow bowl with the meatballs in bourbon sauce with others in the background

I usually serve these meatballs as an appetizer but you can also serve them as your main dish.

Christopher and I love appetizers and will periodically eat them instead of a typical dinner. So, when I told Christopher I was making these delicious meatballs, he advocated loudly that he wanted me to make them with a full pound of ground beef.

I crowed silently in my head because I knew I wanted to eat my fill of these bourbon meatballs without having to worry about how much I was eating and whether Christopher was getting his fair share.

Of course, we supplemented this appetizer with some bacon wrapped chicken livers, air fryer pickles, an assortment of olives, pub cheese on crackers and a salad.

Yum. We certainly know how to live!

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Helpful tips

If you can, buy grass-fed beef because you can taste the difference.
Make the bourbon sauce at the same time as the meatballs as this will save you time.
Hubby is sensitive to heat, so I only use a little chipotle powder, I encourage you to use as much as you like.
These meatballs freeze very well. Just make sure they are in an airtight container.
They can also be made ahead of time. You can keep them in the refrigerator, formed but uncooked up to 24 hours before cooking.

How to make bourbon meatballs

Pre-step

Get a sauté pan and a mixing bowl.

Step one

Gather the ingredients – bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, egg, herbs and spices and ground beef.

Ground beef, bread crumbs, parmesan cheese egg and spices for the meatballs

If you care how and where your meat and fish are sourced and you haven’t tried ButcherBox yet, you really should. It is so convenient because the products are delivered right to your door and you can feel good knowing you are consuming quality meat.

Step two

Place all the ingredients above into a mixing bowl.

Ground beef and all the ingredients in a glass bowl with the pan in the background

Step three

With your hands, mix the ingredients together.

Take small amounts of the ground beef mixture with your fingers and roll them into medium-sized meatballs.

Raw meatballs on a blue platter with a cast iron pan in the background

Step four

Heat a sauté pan (or two if you don’t want to cook the meatballs in batches) on medium. Add 1 – 2 tablespoons olive oil and once that heats up, place the meatballs in it and stand there while they brown, turning them every 30 seconds or so. Cook for approximately 8 minutes.

Sautéed meatballs in a cast iron pan with other meatballs in the background

Step five

Remove meatballs from the pan and set aside.

Gather the ingredients for the bourbon sauce – ketchup, bourbon, brown sugar, garlic powder, paprika, apple cider vinegar, chipotle powder and salt.

The ingredients for the sauce for the meatballs

Step six

Add the bourbon sauce ingredients to a saucepan and heat on medium. Once the sauce comes to a boil, let it cook for 10 minutes. Lower the heat and add the meatballs, stir and let them simmer for 5 minutes.

Place the meatballs on a serving plate, making sure to get all of the bourbon sauce out of the saucepan.

Time to sample one.

Bite taken out of one of the meatballs and held over the plate

Now for the overhead view.

Overhead view of the plate of bourbon meatballs

Perfect!!

I hope you enjoyed this bourbon meatballs appetizer recipe.

Other meatball recipes

And as always, may all your dishes be delish!

If you’ve tried this bourbon meatballs or any other recipe on the blog, I’d love the hear what you thought about it in the comments below. I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more of my delicious food and delightful cocktails!