Hickory Barbecue Meatball Sandwiches

80/20 quality ground beef works very well, but you'll have more run off. I 'd prefer, maybe, 85/15 quality. You may reserve about 1/2 cup of sauce to serve with sandwiches.

• Ready In: 1 hr 20 mins
• Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• For meatballs

• 2  lbs ground beef
• 1 1⁄2 cups  breadcrumbs
• 1⁄4 cup  chopped  white onion, chopped very fine
• 1⁄2 cup evaporated milk (no substitute)
• 1  teaspoon garlic powder
• 2  eggs
•  salt and pepper

• For Sauce

• 1 1⁄4 cups ketchup
• 3⁄4 cup  hickory barbecue sauce (can sub regular bbq sauce with 3/4 tsp liquid smoke added)
• 3  tablespoons brown sugar
• 1⁄2-1  teaspoon  dried chipotle powder
• 1  dash garlic powder

• The Rest

•  toasted  bun
•  cheddar cheese (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, combine ground beef, bread crumbs, onion, milk, salt & pepper and eggs. Shape into little meatballs, about 1 inch in size. Place the meatballs into a 9×13 inch baking dish.
3. In a small mixing bowl, combine ingredients for the sauce and then pour barbecue sauce over the meatballs. (If desired, reserve small amout of sauce for sandwiches.).
4. Bake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes of bake time, turn the meatballs over and drain off the grease. Cover pan with aluminum foil and bake an additional 30 minutes. Remove foil and drain grease.
5. To serve, place enough meatballs and sauce on a toasted bun to fill. Top with cheddar cheese.