Meatballs
3lbs lean ground beef
3 eggs
33 saltine crackers
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup plus 3 tbsp whole milk
2 tbsp light brown sugar
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp salt
1 ½ tsp garlic powder
¾ tsp chili powder
¾ tsp smoked paprika
¾ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp pepper
Sauce
½ cup Frank’s hot sauce, divided
½ cup plus 2 tbsp honey
½ cup apricot preserves
½ cup light brown sugar
4 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp corn starch
Preheat the oven to 450°
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and add the remaining meatball ingredients. Mix until well combined. Roll the meatballs into 1 ½ inch balls or cocktail size and place on a foil baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until lightly brown.
While the meatballs are cooking, using only ¼ cup of hot sauce, mix all the sauce ingredients in a medium bowl.
Make a layer of meatballs in the bottom of your crockpot and drizzle with some of the sauce. Continue layering until you are out of meatballs and sauce.
Cover and cook on low for 2 hours; gently stir the meatballs halfway through cooking. When done add additional hot sauce to taste.
Serve with rice, pasta or twice baked potatoes.
