One meatball and you’ll never be the same.

This recipe was by special request. More specifically, she called them the “steal yo man meatballs” because she says her husband is “literally ungrateful for mine because of her meatballs.” (And she was kind enough to send us the photo we have featured on the blog. 🙂 )

Mama V first tried out this recipe for a New Year’s Eve party in 2005. For many years, their home hosted NYE parties with lots of food and games (usually cards), and then the fun spilled out into the driveway for fireworks and champagne at midnight. Each year, she liked to find new recipes to try for NYE, and she usually made some longtime favorites as well, like her clam chowder.

These meatballs passed the test and quickly became filed under the “favorites” category, with them being served at other family gatherings and barbecues.

Once, she made a batch ahead of time and put them in someone’s refrigerator so that they could be cooked later. When someone peeked in the fridge later to find a snack, she recognized Mama V’s meatballs. She grabbed a fork and ate them up happily. It wasn’t until later when she found out that the meatballs had not been cooked yet. We all laughed until we cried, and she shrugged and said, “Oh well, they were still really good!”

I hope you enjoy this recipe – and use it responsibly. (We are not responsible for ruining any relationships with these meatballs.)

Ingredients
Meatballs:
3 pounds ground beef
1 can evaporated milk (12 oz)
1 cup oatmeal
1 cup cracker crumbs
2 eggs
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons chili powder

Sauce:
2 cups ketchup
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup diced onion

Instructions

Combine meatball ingredients in a bowl and mix using your hands. (The mixture will be soft.)

Divide mixture into four sections. From each section, roll mixture into 20 meatballs.

Place meatballs in a single layer onto cooking sheets lined with wax paper. Freeze until solid. (If you’re making them ahead, you can store the frozen meatballs in freezer bags until you’re ready to cook them.)

To make the sauce, combine the ketchup, brown sugar, liquid smoke, garlic powder and onion in a bowl. Stir until the sugar is dissolved.

Place frozen meatballs in a 13-inch by 9-inch baking pan, and spoon the sauce over the meatballs.

Place into 350 degree over for 1 hour.

Yield: 80 meatballs