Kentucky Derby Party: Bourbon Meatballs

Below is a description of one of the many dishes I made for a Kentucky Derby-themed party last year. Go to the main post for details about the party, links to all the dishes I made, and a simple schedule to help you host your very own Derby party!
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You can't think of Kentucky without thinking of Bourbon, so I knew I had to incorporate it into one of my dishes (and not just the cocktails). Mini BBQ meatballs was the perfect solution, because who doesn't love a bourbon BBQ sauce?!?

I looked at quite a few recipes for both the meatballs and the BBQ sauce, and Frankensteined each of the recipes together. This dish definitely took me the most time to come up with, because I wanted to mix/match my favorite elements from different dishes to create my own starting point! I also wanted to figure out a way to make the meatballs gluten free, since a few ladies at my party don't eat gluten. 

I'm proud to say that the final result was delicious! And a great dish to have in your pocket for any party, not just a Kentucky themed one.

Buen provecho,
Jacqueline

Bourbon Meatballs 

Notes: I adapted these recipes from a variety of sources. The sauce was inspired by The View From Great Island and Midwest Foodie Blog. Meatball recipe was adapted from Tastes Lovely. By using almond flour instead of breadcrumbs/regular flour, these meatballs are naturally gluten free (but beware if there are nut allergies in your group). 

In full disclosure, I can't remember exactly how I made my final sauce recipe (doh)! I know I started with the base recipe below, but I can't remember which of the optional ingredients I used (or if I increased any of the ingredients). You may ask yourself why I'm even posting the recipe then... Well, I know that my recipe was at least limited to these ingredients (haha), and a BBQ sauce is a super easy one to play around with to your liking. So, think of it more as a jumping point than a final recipe! 

To make ahead: prepare your meatballs and sauce the day before and refrigerate. The day of your party throw everything into a slow cooker to warm it up. Serve directly from the slow cooker with some toothpicks.

Ingredients

Meatballs
1 lb beef
1 lb pork
½ to ¾ cup almond flour (I used smaller amount)
⅓ to ½ cup chicken stock (I used smaller amount; you can use larger amount if using more almond flour)
½ onion, finely chopped (about ½ to ⅔ cup)
3 cloves garlic, grated
2 eggs
1 tsp pepper
1 to 2 tsp Diamond Kosher salt
1.5 TBSP Lea and Perrins Worcestershire sauce (or another gluten-free brand, as not all brands are gluten free!)

Sauce (see note above)
½ cup apricot preserves
½ cup bourbon
½ to 1 cup barbecue sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray's Hickory & Brown Sugar BBQ sauce)
Optional: ¼ cup brown sugar, ½ TBSP apple cider vinegar, ½ tsp chili powder, ¼ tsp garlic powder, 1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce

Directions

1. PREPARE MEATBALLS: In a large mixing bowl, combine the almond flour and chicken stock. Stir and set aside for 5-10 minutes to hydrate.
2. To the hydrated almost flour, add ground beef, ground pork, onions, garlic, eggs, salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Use a spatula or hands to mix until completely combined. (If you want to test the meatballs and make sure they're to your liking, cook a mini patty on a small frying pan and taste before forming all the meatballs.)
3. Scoop and shape into 1” to 1.5" meatballs. 
4. Bake at 350 in air fryer for 5-7 minutes.
5. PREPARE SAUCE: Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Simmer gently for about 10 minutes until thick. 
6. ASSEMBLE: Place cooked meatballs into the sauce and heat through until ready to serve. 
7. Either serve on a plate with toothpicks (for a sit-down dinner) or add to a slow cooker and keep on low (for a buffet style dinner party).