Blackberry Chipotle BBQ Meatballs
These blackberry chipotle BBQ meatballs are a little sweet, a little spicy, and a lot of smoky, meaty flavor for an easy, crowd-pleasing appetizer.
Ingredients
- 26-32 ounces frozen meatballs, see note
- 1 ½ cups blackberry preserves, see note
- 2 cups BBQ sauce, or 1 18oz bottle
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- ½ - 1 teaspoon liquid smoke, optional
- 2-3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped
- 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
Directions
- In a mixing bowl or a large measuring glass, add 2 cups BBQ sauce, 1 ½ cups blackberry preserves, 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, and ½ - 1 teaspoon liquid smoke (if using).
- For the 2-3 chipotles, I like to give them a quick chop into small pieces. Add them to the rest of the ingredients, as well as 1 tablespoon of the adobo sauce they’re packed in. Use a spoon or whisk and give the ingredients a good mix until thoroughly combined.
- In your slow cooker, add 26-32 ounces of frozen meatballs (do not thaw) and the rest of the ingredients you combined already. Stir everything so the meatballs are completely coated.
- Cover and turn your slow cooker to low and cook for 4-5 hours, or 2-3 hours on high. Uncover and give them a stir about once every 45 minutes to an hour. For the last 30 minutes of cooking time, keep them uncovered to thicken the sauce. Leave the slow cooker uncovered and set to warming mode and serve with toothpicks or a serving spoon.
Equipment Used
- Warming Mat (to keep warm if no slow cooker)
Notes
1) Meatballs – For slow cooker meatball recipes I prefer to use frozen ½ inch meatballs. These are typically sold in 26–32-ounce bags and can be “homestyle” or “Italian style” and either will work. In slightly smaller packages you may also find Angus beef, chicken, or turkey meatballs, or larger “family” packs sold in 48oz versions.
If using a smaller, 18-22oz package, I would cut back by ½ cup on both the blackberry and BBQ sauce. Using the larger family pack, you would have to tweak the recipe as well and need a second bottle/jar of BBQ and blackberry, so it may be easier to get two smaller packs and double the recipe.
If you wish to use a homemade meatball recipe, I recommend pan-searing or baking first, cooling completely, and freezing overnight. Fresh made meatballs will easily fall apart during a long cook time in a slow cooker.
2) Blackberries – I suggest using jarred blackberry preserves for this recipe, and not fresh or frozen blackberries. If possible, I also recommend a seedless version, and one made with sugar and not high-fructose corn syrup.
3) Different Ingredients – If you want to try other ingredients, check out the variations section in the post above the recipe card.
4) No Slow Cooker – Instead of using a slow cooker, you can make these the same way but dump everything into a pot on the stove set over medium heat and stir together. Once the sauce begins to bubble, lower the heat to low and simmer, covered, for about 25-30 minutes, giving it another stir occasionally. Uncover, and let simmer for a few minutes more if the sauce needs to thicken.
If you have a slow cooker, or the party host has an extra one, you can place the meatballs in one at their house and set it to warm for serving. You can also transport them in your slow cooker if you have one but need to use this method for time.
Nutrition
Serving: 5 meatballsCalories: 370kcalCarbohydrates: 42gProtein: 13gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 53mgSodium: 819mgPotassium: 350mgFiber: 1gSugar: 31gCalcium: 35mgIron: 1mg
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