When it comes to delicious recipes, there are few ingredients that can elevate a recipe as quickly as bacon can. This savory meat seems to have the perfect flavor profile of salty, savory and greasy that brings so many recipes together. Though meat-heavy recipes in general are often crowd-pleasers, this one crosses several different comfort foods together to make one incredible dish that your family will want again and again.
What we’re talking about today are bacon and onion-wrapped meatball bombs. Plain meatballs are often a family favorite because they’re so easy to make and they’re still so satisfying on their own or with spaghetti noodles. Still, this version ups the size and adds all kinds of other ingredients for a result that’s a truly memorable twist on a dinner classic. So let’s get started.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 1 pound of ground beef
- 1 lightly beaten egg
- 1/2 cup of fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/4 cup of diced onion
- 2 minced garlic cloves
- 1/4 cup of panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup of barbecue sauce
- 2 small onions
- 1 package of bacon
Here’s what you do:
1. To begin, preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Those who have a smoker can also use that later in the recipe and can ignore this step! Otherwise, get a large mixing bowl and combine your beef, egg, parsley, diced onion, garlic, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper and barbecue sauce. Mold the meat mixture into little meatballs and set them aside.
2. After that, get your two small onions and cut them in half lengthwise, peeling their layers apart. Take the layers and cover each of your meatballs in a few slices of onion (add more for the bigger meatballs as necessary). Make sure to keep each one as round as possible.
3. Once those are set, open up your package of bacon and wrap the meatballs wit a few strips of bacon as well. Use a few toothpicks to pin everything in place as need be.
4. With your meatballs finally ready to cook, pop them in the oven when it’s ready in a baking dish for about 40 minutes. Once enough time has passed, use a meat thermometer to ensure that the meat has hit an internal temperature of 175 degrees! On the other hand, these are even better in a smoker if you have one handy. To cook them this way, set your smoker to full smoke and let them cook for an hour. After that, set the heat to 350 degrees and cook for another 45 minutes. Enjoy!
Just like regular meatballs, this recipe is incredibly easy to make and results in a delicious side dish that can be served at parties alongside other barbecue food. Still, these meatballs are hearty enough to serve as a main course as well. While this recipe is pretty delicious just the way it is, there are always additional ways to tweak it to make it your own. You could add in some minced celery or some additional spices into the mix before wrapping them. If you’re feeling even more ambitious, you could even mix in other kinds of ground meats for a true hybrid of flavors. We leave the details up to you—happy cooking!
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