A simple, delicious, and elegant appetizer idea for the holidays. Smoked meatballs made from pork and beef, cooked on the smoker, then braised in a sweet and savory cranberry wine sauce.
½cupbreadcrumbsor breadcrumb substitute like Panko
½cupdried cranberries
1eggbeaten
1tablespoonDijon mustard
1tablespoonWorcestershire sauce
½teaspooncrushed red pepper
½teaspooneachsalt and pepper
For the Cranberry Wine Sauce:
116-ounce can cranberry sauce
1cupfruity red winePinot Noir or other fruity red wine like Zinfandel
½cupbrown sugar
2tablespoonsDijon mustard
Instructions
For the Meatballs:
Preheat smoker to 225 degrees.
Mix all meatball ingredients together in a large bowl. Mix well with your hands.
Shape into approximately 1-inch balls.
Place on the smoker until the internal temperature of the meatballs reads 165 degrees (roughly 1 hour on the smoker). Remove from smoker and add to the cranberry wine sauce (below).
For the Cranberry Wine Sauce:
In a medium size saucepan, combine the cranberry sauce, wine, brown sugar and Dijon mustard.
Bring to a simmer and whisk continuously for about 5 minutes to allow the sauce to begin to reduce and thicken.
Transfer the sauce to a crock-pot, add the meatballs, and gently stir together. Keep warm.
Notes
Alternatively you can cook the meatballs on the stovetop in a heavy pot or large pan, coated with oil and set to med heat. Cook, and rotate the meatballs so all sides get browned (roughly 4-5 minutes). After they are browned transfer to an oven set to 375 for an additional 10-15 minutes until the internal temperature of the meatballs is 165 degrees.