Crockpot Honey Garlic Meatballs
Ingredients and substitutions
Meatballs
- Extra-lean ground beef – you could also try making these meatballs with ground turkey for a healthier option.
- Breadcrumbs – try using panko, cracker crumbs or crushed unsweetened cornflakes instead.
- Egg – plain yogurt or buttermilk would also help hold your meatballs together. You can leave this out altogether but your meatballs might fall apart.
- Yellow onion – white onion would be the best substitute here.
- Garlic powder – if you don’t have any garlic powder, try swapping it out for some finely minced garlic.
- Salt & pepper – to taste.
Sauce
- BBQ sauce – I suggested using a tomato-based BBQ sauce.
- Ketchup – tomato paste with a bit of maple syrup and apple cider vinegar will provide a similar flavour.
- Honey – maple syrup or agave would be the next best thing.
- Garlic – fresh minced garlic is best but garlic powder will work in a pinch.
How to make meatballs in the crockpot
- Assemble your ingredients.
- Make the sauce.
- Form then brown the meatballs.
- Transfer the meatballs to the crockpot.
- Cover with sauce.
- Cook on high for 2 hours or on low for 4 hours.
What type of BBQ sauce to use
When choosing your BBQ sauce, pay special attention to the flavours you want in your meat. There are a variety of BBQ sauces to choose from, and they each have a distinct taste.
- Tomato-based BBQ sauces are made with ketchup. It is sweet, tangy and thick and can be used on nearly any kind of meat. This is the most common store-bought kind of BBQ.
- Vinegar-based sauces are thinner and spicier. They’re used almost exclusively on pork.
- Mustard-based sauces are usually found in South Carolina. They are thin and spicy and are frequently used on pulled pork sandwiches.
- Mayonnaise-based sauces are what you find in Alabama white BBQ sauce. The sauce is thinned using vinegar and lemon juice and is perfect on chicken.
