Having had a great food adventure with Hannah and company on Wednesday, I was really looking forward to New Year’s Eve with them. Well, Julie couldn’t make it, but there were lots of my other friends: Roger & Sally, Jim & Debbie, Alicia and her friend Brian, and a cast of thousands. Slight exaggeration, again. Has anyone but me noticed that I sometimes exaggerate? Not too much, just a little. I think it has to do with my personality, zest for life… Well, I don’t need to tell you anymore about my inner being. You’ll start to charge me $150 an hour, just like all the head shrinkers. So, back to my little story. Where was I? Oh, right, at Hannah’s with friends.
Everyone was supposed to bring something. Hannah and Andrew made an amazing Chocolate/Raspberry Mousse cake. Wow, that was awesome. I want the recipe. HEY HANNAH! I WANT THE RECIPE! Please. It’s so good I want to try it, and I hate making cakes. There were bacon wrapped water chestnuts, homemade egg rolls, cupcakes, cookies, several kinds of very yummy cheese, artichoke dip. And everything was outstanding. Really, I mean everything was outstanding.
My contribution to the feast was a crock-pot full of Moink Balls. Moink balls are meatballs wrapped in bacon and then smoked for at least an hour. I’ll give you the recipe in a minute or 2. As many of you know I love Bar-B-Que. Aside from a big thick steak there is nothing I would rather eat. So I’m always on the lookout for good Bar-B-Que recipes. Good recipes are difficult to find. I know that’s hard to believe, but it’s true. See, the problem is that most people haven’t had good Bar-B-Que and so anything with some sauce is okay in their book. Well, I know good Bar-B-Que. I know what it looks like. I know what it smells like. I know what it tastes like. So, for me, finding a good recipe is fairly tough. I found this in a book by The Bar-B-Que Addicts. These are the guys that brought the Bacon Explosion to the world (recipe and review to follow as soon as I can make it), and for new comers to the world of Bar-B-Que competition, they have made quite a bang!
So, without further ado, I give you:
Moink Balls
12 precooked Italian-style meatballs
6 strips of bacon, cut in half
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
½ cup barbecue sauce
½ cup grape jelly
4 tbsp Liquid Smoke (only if you don’t have a smoker)
Wrap each meatball with bacon, combine brown sugar and cayenne & sprinkle over meatballs.
Smoke at 250 for 1 hour or until bacon is cooked to your taste (if you don’t have a smoker you can cook them in the oven or on your grill)
Put Moink Balls into a crock-pot along with the barbecue sauce and grape jelly. Simmer for several hours.
Serve hot.
These little gems turned out perfectly. Everyone seemed to enjoy them as did I. They will be a new addition to my Bar-B-Que repertoire.
Moink Balls, Anyone?
Moinks are great. I do mine with the sweet and fiery Roasted Raspberry Chipotle Sauce that you can find at costco/sams.