I may not sit and watch football for hours, but my husband does. Like many others, Jeremy will watch any bowl game that happens to be on; it doesn’t matter which teams are playing. The one thing that I’m thankful for is that we never host or go to football parties. However, I know plenty of people who have parties every time their teams play, every Superbowl, and tailgate even when they don’t have tickets to a game.
To be honest, I have been to a tailgate party, and I’ve competed in a tailgating cook-off. In both cases, there was a firm belief that the food had to be a step above the typical chips ‘n dip, grilled hot dogs & burgers, and crappy beer.
The first time I made these meatballs was for a Meatball Cook-off at our local little theater. Over the course of the evening, I served nearly 200 meatballs. To say the least, they were a hit!
Apricot Teriyaki Pork Meatballs
Meatballs
1lb ground pork
2 TBSP finely grated onion
1 clove garlic–finely chopped
1 TBSP dried parsley flakes
1 egg–lightly beaten
1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese
1/2 c. dried bread crumbs
3 TBSP soy sauce
1/2 tsp ginger powder
2 TBSP brown sugar
Sauce
1/4 c. finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove–minced
1- jar apricot preserves
1 c. soy sauce
1 c. brown sugar
4 TBSP butter
1 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tsp grated ginger
Directions:
In a bowl, combine all meatball ingredients. Using your hands, mix until completely combined. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Using a cookie scoop and hands, roll 30 equally sized meatballs. Bake at 45 minutes for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a saucepan, melt butter. Saute onions and garlic over medium-low heat until soft. Add apricot preserves, soy sauce, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, and ginger. As mixture heats, whisk to break down the apricot preserves. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium high and continue boiling for 15 minutes. Be careful and adjust heat to prevent a boil over.
Place partially cooked meatballs into a large crock pot. Pour sauce over meatballs and set the crock pot on low. Cook on low for 11/2 hours. After 45 minutes, gently stir meatballs to move the top layer to the bottom. Continue cooking another 45 minutes. Reduce heat to keep warm and serve.
