Meaty Monday - The BEST BBQ Meatballs ever!

I have the very best friends...have I said that before? Well, let me say it again. A couple of gals that let me hang around with them are amazing in so many ways. One of them is food! They are both awesome cooks!

My buddy Mary Ann and I have been sharing recipes since our daughters were in daycare together. She cooks like I do--homemade and with real ingredients (as opposed to fake ingredients, I guess). But I mean, we both live in the country where there are no fast food restaurants! NONE! So we have been cooking 3 meals a day since we each were married! And the addition of kids to our families only added to the variety and amount of our recipes.

Let me make a very big admission here--I am not a good meatball or meatloaf maker! Seriously. For some reason, my recipes are pretty bland and dry. But my kids fight for Mary Ann's meatballs! If they are invited over to her house near a mealtime, they pray that she will make meatballs! So I will give credit where it is due...this recipe is hers--but she shared it with me and I can sometimes replicate her delicious meatballs. Let's see how it goes today:

Mary Ann's Famous Meatballs 
(I say they are famous--within our community of nearly 600 folks. I guess fame is relative!) 
3 lbs ground beef
2 eggs
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp pepper
1 c. chopped onion
2 c. oatmeal
2 tsp salt
1 lg can evaporated milk

Sauce: 
2 c. ketchup
2 Tbsp liquid smoke
1¼ c. brown sugar
½ c. chopped onion
½ tsp garlic powder

Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl--use your hands! Then when it is all uniformly mixed, form into meatballs about the size of golfballs or a bit larger. Place in a casserole pan. The meatballs may touch, but don't crowd them together (just like kids in the backseat).

Dump the ingredients for the sauce into a saucepan, stir well and simmer over medium heat until bubbly.

Pour the sauce over the uncooked meatballs. Bake uncovered for 1 hour at 350 degrees. Although her recipe says "uncovered" I have seen her cover them and I have covered them from time to time because I forget that they can be uncovered, but remember to uncover them the last 10 minutes or so, to allow them to brown and get a bit crispy on top! Don't forget to use your meat thermometer to make sure the middle meatballs are 165 degrees inside.  I pull them out of the oven at about 150, and cover them with foil for a few minutes while I get the rest of the dinner together.  Enjoy!  MMMMMmmmmmm!!