Crock Pot Beer Meatballs
This is my classic pot-luck party dish, for which I’ve received many recipe requests. These meatballs end up quite soft if you don’t roll them tightly enough. The slow-cooker process allows the meat to soak up the beer, the longer you cook it. Make beer meatballs for your next party (they make a great fall recipe or New Years Eve party food).
Ingredients
- ground beef
- breadcrumbs
- egg
- milk
- parmesan cheese
- parsley
- oregano
- ketchup
- beer
Meatball Prep
Mix all ingredients except ketchup & beer; roll into Tablespoon-size meatballs & place in a 9×12 baking dish. (I made these a bit larger using my ice cream scoop.)
Par-Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
Combine the beer & ketchup in the crockpot on high.
When you place the meatballs in the crockpot, reduce cooking heat to low.
Cook on low for 6 hours, or on high for 3. Longer cook time results in a juicier meatball.
Crock Pot Tips
Remember that you don’t need a crock pot, you can just slow cook the meatballs in a large pot on the stove. Bring the heat up to boiling, reduce heat to really low, and simmer about 6 hours, stirring occasionally.
For the breadcrumbs, you can make your own, or use Panko bread crumbs, but for the tastiest meatballs (or meatloaf), I recommend an Italian-style breadcrumb for the extra seasoning.
Regarding beer for cooking:
There will be little alcohol content, as having 3-4 meatballs will be like sharing a bottle of beer with 6 people, but you can use a non-alcoholic lager. I always cook with Heineken for the enhanced flavor of the recipe.
Servings: While the recipe is calculated to serve 6 people, at 3.3 meatballs each, most people will only eat about two or three, so these 20 meatballs can serve 8-10 carnivores.
Crock Pot Beer Meatballs
Equipment
- crock pot
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 1 c breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- ½ c Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 T parsley
- 1 t oregano
- ¼ c milk
- 1 12-oz bottle of Heineken
- 1 16-oz bottle of ketchup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F
- Mix hamburger, breadcrumbs, egg, seasonings & milk until smooth.
- Roll about 20 tablespoon-sized meatballs, plase them into a glass 9×12 baking dish and bake them for 20 minutes. This reduces the fat by cooking most of the grease out, and helps hold the meatballs together during the slow cooking process.
- Mix ketchup and beer in crock pot and begin to heat on high.
- Place the par-baked meatballs in the crock pot and cook on low for 6 hours, or high for 3 hours. When cooked on high, the meatballs tend to become more firm.
Notes
