BBQ Lamb Meatballs

 BBQ Lamb Meatballs

Yield: 16 Meatballs

Side Dishes

I remember when I decided to truly take the plunge and start a food blog. Few were doing it for fun, and even fewer were making an actual living from it. Someone once told me, “You discover who you are when you take a path less traveled.” The decision to make a career out of sharing my family’s legacy recipes, as well as recipes I’ve leveled up, didn’t have a road map and has been more difficult than people might think. It requires many skills, from photography to styling to recipe development, which just happened to be one of my favorite parts.

Take these meatballs, for example: They are the quintessential Black folks’ party app, and my family always served them for festive gatherings, like my prom send-o‑and college trunk party. They’re typically made with ground beef—here I give them a remix with lamb, but all in all, I stay true to what made them special in the first place: that unbelievable sticky-sweet spiced sauce. I hope that when someone makes this recipe for the first time, it’ll t right into their life, like a well-made glove. It’s moments like these, being invited into someone’s space when they make one of my recipes, that have made me truly grateful for all the blessings that food blogging has provided me.

MEATBALLS

  • 1 pound ground lamb
  • ¼ cup plain bread crumbs
  • 3 tablespoons Mesquite
  • Seasoning, recipe follows
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced or finely grated

BARBECUE SAUCE

  • 1 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • ½ small yellow onion, finely diced
  • 1 garlic clove, minced or finely grated
  • 1/2 (24-ounce) bottle ketchup (1 1/4 cups)
  • 1/2 cup crushed pineapple with juices
  • ¼ cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon hickory liquid smoke
  • 1 teaspoon Mesquite
  • Seasoning, recipe follows
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

MESQUITE SEASONING

  • 2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
  • 1 tablespoon chipotle chile powder
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons onion powder
  • 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoons cayenne pepper

Lamb Bread Crumbs Mesquite Worcestershire Sauce Mayonnaise Egg garlic onion Olive Oil Ketchup Pineapple Brown Sugar Maple Syrup Apple Cider Vinegar Dijon Mustard Liquid Smoke

Make the mesquite seasoning

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, salt, paprika, chile powder, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, cumin, thyme, and cayenne until combined. Store in lidded jar in a cool, dark place for up to 3 months. Makes about 3/4 cup.

Make the bbq lamb meatballs

  1. Make the meatballs: Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Now it’s time to get those hands dirty, homies. Set a bowl of water near your workspace (trust this). In a medium bowl and using your hands, mix the lamb, bread crumbs, mesquite seasoning, Worcestershire, mayonnaise, egg, and garlic until well combined. Using a spoon, shape the mixture into golf ball–size meatballs and transfer them to the prepared baking sheet. Dampen your hands with water between forming meatballs to prevent the mixture from sticking to your palms.
  3. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until fully cooked through and evenly browned. Remove from the oven and set aside.
  4. Make the barbecue sauce: In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until aromatic, about 15 seconds. Stir in the ketchup, pineapple, brown sugar, maple syrup, vinegar, mustard, Worcestershire, liquid smoke, mesquite seasoning, and salt until fully incorporated. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat.
  5. Add the cooked meatballs to the sauce and gently stir until the meatballs are coated. Cook until the meatballs are warmed through, about 5 minutes more, then remove from the heat. Serve hot.