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Spicy Cranberry BBQ Meatballs

Spicy cranberry BBQ meatballs made in a slow cooker with glossy deep red sauce. Frozen fully cooked meatballs simmer until coated, then finished with jalapeño and parsley.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 5 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine: American
Calories: 320
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Meatballs
  • 2 lb frozen fully cooked meatballs
Sauce
  • 1 can (14 oz) jellied cranberry sauce
  • 1 cup BBQ sauce
  • 2 tbsp sriracha
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 0.5 tsp garlic powder
  • 0.5 tsp chipotle chili powder
Garnish
  • 1 jalapeno thinly sliced
  • 0.25 chopped fresh parsley

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven
  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Make the cranberry BBQ sauce
  1. Add jellied cranberry sauce, BBQ sauce, sriracha, apple cider vinegar, garlic powder, and chipotle chili powder to the slow cooker and whisk until smooth and uniform.
  2. Add frozen fully cooked meatballs to the slow cooker and stir until every meatball is coated with the sauce.
Slow cook
  1. Cover and cook on LOW for 3-4 hours, or HIGH for about 2 hours, stirring once halfway so the sauce clings evenly.
  2. Continue cooking until the sauce becomes thick and glossy, with a deep red coating that looks shiny on the meatballs.
Finish and serve
  1. Top with thinly sliced jalapeno and chopped fresh parsley for bright color and heat.
  2. Keep on WARM and serve immediately with toothpicks, letting the sauce drip from the meatballs for a glossy finish.

Notes

For the glossiest coating, stir once halfway so the sauce thickens evenly around the meatballs. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days; rewarm on LOW in the slow cooker until hot. Freeze is not recommended because the sauce texture may change after thawing. For a gluten-free option, use a BBQ sauce labeled gluten-free and confirm the meatballs are gluten-free as well.