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Pork Meatballs in a Beer BBQ Sauce

Pork meatballs flavoured with mustard and thyme baked in the oven in beer and BBQ sauce, and yes, they are every bit as good as they sound!

Both the sauce and the meatballs can be prepared in advance and then you can roast them at your own leisure.

Pork meatballs in a beer BBQ sauce served on cheesy polenta.

Oven Baked BBQ Meatballs

Talk about cramming lots of my favourite things into a single recipe.

Pork is my favourite meat, I’m rather fond of the occasional beer or seven and BBQ sauce always makes me want to eat it.

So pork meatballs cooked in beer and BBQ sauce is definitely right in my wheelhouse!

My site is no stranger to meatballs either! I have everything from honey and mustard chicken meatballs and minted lamb meatballs to the faggots from my youth and black pudding meatballs that also use beer in the sauce.

I’ve even got meatball curries, this chicken kofta curry is outrageously good!

These meatballs are slowly baked in the oven at a fairly low temperature to keep them nice and moist.

And rather than using breadcrumbs or rusk as a binding agent I use potato. Even if I say so myself it is bordering genius!

Close up pork meatballs in a beer BBQ sauce served on cheesy polenta.

Frequently Asked Questions

What beer should I use?

I’ve made these meatballs with everything from pilsner style beers to really heavy stouts.

I usually settle on a bottle of Leffe Brun which gives the sauce a nice malty wheaty back note.

However, it works well with everything I have tried, although a really heavy stout does introduce bitterness. Something I personally quite like!

What sort of BBQ sauce should I use?

Again choose something that you like and your choice will really define the dish.

If I’ve got some knocking around I use BBQ sauce/glaze that I made for these BBQ smoked ribs. If not I use whatever BBQ sauce I have in the cupboard, which tends to be Sweet Baby Rays, it’s the stuff that features in my slow cooker sausages recipe.

Do I have to use English mustard?

No. You can use any mustard that you like, English mustard can be a little pokey for some. Dijon works well as does wholegrain mustard.

Can this be made in advance?

Yes, the meatballs will sit in the fridge for 2-3 days and will improve with time. They will also freeze, uncooked, for up to 3 months. The meatballs will need defrosting before cooking.

The sauce will be fine in the fridge for up to a week, again it will freeze for 3 months!

Overhead pork meatballs in a beer BBQ sauce served on cheesy polenta.

Serving Suggestions.

I usually serve these pork meatballs on a bed of cheesy polenta. The cheese that I choose is usually a nice mature cheddar which is a great contrast to the bbq and beer sauce.

Sticking with the polenta vibe, then polenta chips work well too!

Mashed potato makes another wonderful option if you want to go for sheer indulgence!

The sauce for these meatballs is superb with potatoes, so a side of air fryer wedges, fried potatoes or even straw potatoes makes a nice side too.

Don’t forget the veggies either, some corn on the cob would be superb with these meatballs.

Pork meatballs with onion wedges in a beer BBQ sauce served on cheesy polenta.

Equipment Used

I only name-check brands of equipment if I think they make a material difference to a recipe. If you have any questions feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.

  • Stovetop.
  • Mixing bowl.
  • Grater.
  • Weighing scales and or measuring cups and spoons.
  • Oven-proof frying pan.
  • Kitchen knife.
  • Chopping board.
Pork meatballs with onion wedges in a beer BBQ sauce served on cheesy polenta.
Yield: 2 Servings

Pork Meatballs in a Beer BBQ Sauce Recipe

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes

A beer rich bbq sauce makes for the sauce for these easy oven-baked pork meatballs.

Ingredients

For the Meatballs:

  • 100g (¾ Cup) Potato
  • 300g (10oz) Ground Pork Shoulder
  • 1 Egg Yolk
  • ½ Tsp Dried Thyme
  • 1 Tbsp English Mustard
  • ½ Tsp Salt
  • ½ Tsp Pepper

For the Sauce:

  • 30g (2 Tbsp) Butter
  • ½ Tbsp Plain Flour
  • 75ml (⅓ Cup less 1 Tsp) Water
  • 250ml (1 Cup) Dark Beer
  • 100ml (⅓ Cup + 1 Tbsp) BBQ Sauce
  • ½ Tsp Salt
  • 1 Medium Onion

Instructions

  1. Grate the potato using the coarse side of a box grater and squeeze out some of the liquid. You should be left with around 75g of potato after squeezing.
  2. Cut the onion into 6 wedges.
  3. Take the potato, egg, pork shoulder, mustard, thyme, salt and pepper and mix together in a bowl.
  4. Form into 6 evenly sized meatballs and set aside.
  5. Heat a frying pan that can be transferred to the oven over a medium-high heat.
  6. Melt the butter for the sauce and when melted add the flour.
  7. Stir to and cook until lightly browned, this will take 2-3 minutes
  8. Now pour in the beer and simmer for 5 minutes, the sauce will thicken a little.
  9. Pour in the water, BBQ sauce and salt, then stir to combine.
  10. Add the meatballs and onion wedges.
  11. Spoon a little of the sauce over the meatballs.
  12. Transfer to the oven and cook for 30 minutes at 160°C or 325°F basting the balls with sauce a couple of times during the cooking process.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

2

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 824Total Fat: 47gSaturated Fat: 20gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 23gCholesterol: 259mgSodium: 2065mgCarbohydrates: 44gFiber: 3gSugar: 23gProtein: 40g

Calorific details are provided by a third-party application and are to be used as indicative figures only.

Did you make this recipe?

If you made this recipe, I'd love to see what you did and what I can do better, share a picture with me on Instagram and tag me @krumplibrian and tell me how it went!

Marta

Sunday 6th of November 2022

Update... Thanks for your suggestions Brian, however, I decided to make this exactly as the recipe states as I didn't want to compromise things too much. I just swapped out the potato for grated swede instead and it worked perfectly. In fact, I'd give it 10/10 for flavour, texture, presentation, quick and simple to make, and cost effective. I think the beer really makes the flavour. Thanks for the recipe Brian, it's a keeper!

Brian Jones

Sunday 6th of November 2022

Awesome, I love the idea of making this with swede rather than potato, it would give it something very different indeed!

Thanks for taking the time to come back to me and tell me that you enjoyed this and I am so glad that you did enjoy it!

Marta

Sunday 2nd of October 2022

Hi Brian, I don't eat potatoes but would like to make this. Is there another option? Thanks

Brian Jones

Sunday 2nd of October 2022

Hi Marta...

You could make meatballs "sans" potato quite easily. I have a few options on my site that you could crib proportions of ingredients and use pork as main meat. And the flavourings as per this recipe.

Here are a few :)

https://www.krumpli.co.uk/moroccan-beef-meatballs/

https://www.krumpli.co.uk/minted-lamb-meatballs/

https://www.krumpli.co.uk/spaghetti-and-meatballs/

Cindy

Saturday 8th of June 2019

Do you use cooked potato? Raw doesn’t seem right.

Brian Jones

Sunday 9th of June 2019

Yes Cindy, raw potato, the 45 minute cooking time is ample for them to cook through and they are almost unnoticeable as a flavour but help the overall texture of the meatball.

April @ Girl Gone Gourmet

Friday 24th of March 2017

Beer in hand and beer in the 'balls... sounds perfect to me lol. Great recipe, as always, Brian!

Brian Jones

Friday 24th of March 2017

Hehe, thanks April :D

Meaghan | Cook. Craft. Love.

Monday 20th of March 2017

Braised with meat is just about the only way I'll consume beer. These sound fabulous and you can't ever go wrong with cheesy polenta!

Brian Jones

Monday 20th of March 2017

Noooooo, beer is the stuff of life, you must try harder ;) :p

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