Italian Sausage Balls

Photo: flickr user avlxyz

Ingredients

1 bot Bar-B-Q Sauce, (Any Type)

2 pounds Ground Meat (Hamburger, Ground Round or Minced Steak)

2 pounds Hot Sausage Meat

3 lrg Eggs

2 mediums Onions, Finely Chopped

1 cup Italian Bread Crumbs

1 small Bell Pepper, Finely Chopped

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Cayenne Pepper to Taste or Crushed Red

Pepper to Taste

1/2 cup Fresh Parsley, Finely Chopped

Preparation

In a mixing bowl combine eggs, onion, peppers, parsley and seasonings as desired. Blend well with a fork or wooden spoon. In a separate mixing bowl combine both meats and bread crumbs by hand. Make sure all items are thoroughly blended by kneading the items together by hand. Add the contents of the first bowl to the meat mixture and continue to mix by hand until all ingredients are combined and the mixture possesses the same consistency throughout.

Shape sausage balls by rolling small or medium-sized portions by hand.

Place each sausage ball on a baking sheet if preparing in the oven or set aside to fry in a large skillet.

Pre-heat oven to 350-F Degrees and bake sausage balls for 20 to 25-minutes until golden brown. Or place sausage balls in a skillet with 2 Tbs. cooking oil over medium heat and cook until golden brown, approximately 10 to 12-minutes. Be careful not to overcook meat during either method of preparation.

Pour Bar-B-Q sauce in a crock pot or covered casserole dish. To prepare in the Crock Pot select the low setting and add the pre-cooked sausage balls now. To prepare in the oven add sausage balls to the covered casserole with the Bar-B-Q Sauce and heat through in a 350-F degree pre-heated oven for 45 to 55-minutes.

Sausage balls may be frozen and thawed for use at a later time or refrigerated for up to 2-days prior to preparing with the Bar-B-Q sauce.

Preparing the sausage balls in the Crock Pot simplifies serving time and makes a great addition to any feast or game-day activity.

Makes 25 mediumsize or 50 small balls.