TENDER AND JUICY MEATBALLS WITH SPICY SAUCE

Prep Time: 1 Hour
Yields: 30 large meatballs

Comment:
Most Cajuns love hot and spicy food. This recipe most likely evolved when a Cajun family threw slices of peppers into a pot of meatballs being prepared for a holiday treat or a wedding.

Ingredients:
1 pound ground chuck
1 pound ground pork or wild boar
6 eggs
1 cup minced onions
1 cup minced celery
¼ cup minced garlic
¼ cup chopped basil
1¾ cups Italian breadcrumbs
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp salt
2 tbsps black pepper
1 tbsp granulated garlic
¼ cup butter
½ cup ketchup
½ cup barbecue sauce
1 tbsp Tabasco®
2 tbsps brown sugar
1 tbsp Louisiana cane syrup
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp Creole mustard
dash Worcestershire sauce
salt to taste
Louisiana hot sauce to taste
¼ cup chopped parsley

Method:
In a large mixing bowl, combine beef and pork. Using your fingers, blend meat well. Add eggs, onions, celery, minced garlic, basil, breadcrumbs and cheese. Continue to blend then season with 1 tablespoon salt, 2 tablespoons black pepper and 1 tablespoon granulated garlic. Fry a small patty of meat mixture in a dash of extra virgin olive oil to test seasoning. Adjust seasonings if necessary. Roll meatballs to desired size. Meatballs should be slightly larger than a golf ball. Set aside. In a 14-inch sauté pan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add meatballs and brown on all sides. Remove meatballs from pan and set aside. In the same pan, whisk together ketchup, barbecue sauce, Tabasco®, brown sugar, cane syrup and vinegar. Add mustard, Worcestershire, salt to taste and hot sauce. Continue to whisk until ingredients begin to simmer. Place browned meatballs into sauce, reduce heat to simmer and cook 15–20 minutes. Sprinkle in fresh parsley. Transfer to serving dish and serve hot.