Bacon Wrapped Cherry BBQ Meatballs Recipe
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Bacon Wrapped Cherry BBQ Meatballs Recipe

Bacon-Wrapped Cherry BBQ Meatballs are -- Meatballs...Wrapped in thick-cut Bacon...Sprinkled with Brown Sugar...Swimming in Cherry BBQ Sauce.  Seriously, if your mouth ain't watering yet, just move on.
Course: Appetizer, Party Favorite
Keyword: Appetizer, Party Appetizer

Ingredients

  • 12 Beef Pork or Turkey Meatballs, store bought (thawed, if frozen) or homemade (See recipe below for the Meatballs Recipe we made and links below for other good meatball recipes to make at home - Coming soon)
  • 6 strips of Bacon, thinly sliced, cut in 1/2 across
  • Light Brown Sugar, for sprinkling
  • Cherry BBQ Sauce, store bought or homemade (See recipe below for the Cherry BBQ Sauce recipe we made and links below for other good cherry BBQ sauce recipes to make at home - Coming soon)
  • 1/2 cup Luxardo Gourmet Maraschino Cherries or other premium Maraschino or Cocktail Cherries + Cherry Juice from Jar (See Note #1 below)

Instructions

  • Prepare Cherry BBQ Sauce, according to recipe, if making at home. Set aside.
  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Prepare meatballs, according to recipe, if making at home.
  • Wrap 1/2 slice of bacon around each meatball. Secure with a toothpick if you like.
  • Place all bacon-wrapped meatballs in an oven-safe cooking or casserole dish, seam-side down.
  • Place dish in preheated oven.
  • Bake for 20 minutes.
  • While the meatballs are cooking prepare the serving dish or dishes, by pouring a small amount of cherry BBQ sauce, just enough to cover the bottom, into each dish. Set aside to use immediately when the meatballs are done.
  • Remove meatball dish from oven.
  • Sprinkle a generous amount of light brown sugar over all the meatballs.
  • Return dish to oven and bake for another 10 minutes.
  • Remove dish from oven and use an instant read thermometer to check to see that meatballs are done cooking. (See Note #2 Below)
  • If the meatballs are not done cooking, return dish to oven and cook, repeating the checking, until they are.
  • When the meatballs are done, if you like, set the oven to broil and brown the top of the bacon to a nice crisp.
  • Remove dish from oven and place meatballs in prepared dish or dishes, however you choose.
  • Add a dozen or so Maraschino Cherries cherries to a large single serving dish or 2 or 3 cherries to each individual serving dish.
  • Using a spoon, drizzle a small bit of the cherry juice from the jar over the meatballs.
  • Serve immediately, hot.

Notes

Note 1 - Do not be tempted to skimp on the cherries. If you can't find or afford gourmet cocktail cherries, it is better to just leave them out than to use the cheap, neon-red, artificial tasting maraschino cherries.
Note 2 - Click HERE to see the Safe Minimum Cooking Temperatures Chart for All Meats and Seafood