Can we please stop playing teams from Indiana? The food they are most proud of is a fried pork cutlet on a bun. I know they grow a lot of corn, but that’s not exactly tailgate food. I heard the corndog was invented there; and as much as I love corndogs, I just can’t see anyone frying up one up at a tailgate and they only taste good for about 5 minutes after they’ve come out of the fryer. So, in honor of our guests, here are a couple of my favorite Ball recipes.
For my tailgating articles, I try to only use recipes that I know and love. I also try to do something a little more upscale or something with a twist. At the very least, I want to offer our readers some tips on how to make ordinary foods better than anyone else can make them. But sometimes, it’s the simplest recipes that are the biggest hit at parties. It’s the simplest recipes that lead tailgaters to hit the grocery store instead of the fried chicken joint. I’ve included a couple of recipes here that any kitchen novice can make with very little time spent at the grocery store and very little time spent in the kitchen.
Sausage Balls
There are some foods you just can’t stop eating. Whenever someone serves sausage balls at a party, I get a little pitter-patter in my heart. I love biscuits, I love sausage and I love cheese. Not only are they really, really easy to make, they’re also one of the hardest recipes to mess up (and for the record, those two attributes are not the same when it comes to cooking!). My twist is to add grated pepper jack cheese for a little heat. Here’s a tip when grating cheese … put it in the freezer for a few minutes first … it will grate much easier!
Ingredients
- 1 pound roll of breakfast sausage (I like Jimmy Dean)
- 2.5 cups of Bisquick
- 2 cups of grated cheddar
- 1 cup of grated pepper jack (if you don’t want it spicy, Monterey Jack works fine)
- Optional: fresh ground pepper, 2 teaspoons finely minced onion
Time To Cook
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the ingredients with your hands. If the mixture is too dry to form a ball, you can add a little milk to moisten it up. If it’s too wet and sticky, you can add a little more Bisquick. Form balls one inch in diameter between your hands. Place them on a cookie sheet with a piece of parchment paper (to assist in cleaning up) and bake for 20 minutes. If you want your balls to be closer to perfectly round, put them in the fridge for a couple of hours (or overnight) prior to baking (the warmer the mix, the more the balls will spread out in the oven).
Crock-Pot Meatballs
I’m all for making things from scratch, but meatballs are a little trickier than sausage balls. Some recipes call for some kind of jelly to be added to the sauce, but I’m not a fan. This recipe is great because you can make the bbq sauce the night before and you’re ready to throw everything in the Crock-Pot when you wake up in the morning. And if you really want it to be easy, just use 3-4 cups of your favorite store-bought bbq sauce instead of making your own.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds frozen meatballs (beef or turkey)
- 2.5 cups ketchup
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup Worcestershire Sauce
- 1/4 cup yellow mustard
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon each garlic powder and onion powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
Time To Cook
Combine the bbq sauce ingredients in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Place meatballs in a Crock-Pot and add the sauce. Stir well. Cook for 2 hours on high. For the best results, these are better when they’re not screaming hot. Let them sit in the Crock-Pot for 30 minutes or so with the Crock-Pot turned off.
