Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Barbecue (apricot) meatballs


Barbecue apricot meatballs


This recipe is simple and straightforward, but these make the perfect little party bites, especially for a game night. If you're looking for something fast and yummy (and not so sophisticated), that is pretty much foolproof, this is the recipe for you!

Easy Barbecue Apricot Meatballs
What You'll Need:
3/4 cup barbecue sauce (I recommend Annie's, or making your own!)
1/2 cup apricot preserves
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup beer (or more water)
About 20 vegan meatballs (if you're not preparing your own, I'd try Nate's Meatless Meatballs)

What You'll Need to Do:
Add barbecue sauce, apricot preserves, water, and beer (if using) to a large pot. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low, and simmer for about 20 minutes. Add the meatballs, stirring until they're well coated. Raise the heat slightly, simmering until heated through (about 5 minutes).

Tips and Tricks:
Nate's meatless meatballs are frozen, so heating them through takes a full five minutes. If you've made your meatballs yourself and they're not frozen, you might need to lessen the time--just pop one in your mouth as you go to make sure they're heated through.

A good barbecue sauce makes all the difference here. You want something that has a bit of a spicy, peppery kick to it, because the sweetness of the apricot will balance that out nicely. I'll try to post one of my favorite barbecue sauce recipes sometime soon. I like to make barbecue sauce myself because it makes a big difference in terms of flavor, is a great way to save some money (particularly if you enjoy the more expensive, organic sauces), and sometimes it can be hard to find vegan barbecue sauce at the grocery store.

If you're looking to make your own meatballs, I recommend trying this recipe, from Kathy Patalsky. It looks great, but I'll admit I haven't tried it yet. I'm generally not a big meatball person, so I've never actually made my own..although it's on my list of things I'd like to try!

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