Belize Boys’ Trip: BBQ Venison Meatballs

It’s good to have old friends and old traditions.  My long time friend Don has been inviting groups of friends down to Belize for over a decade now and we have made some great memories on those trips.  One of our traditions is that everyone participates in planning and preparing the food.

For our 2017 Belize Boys’ Trip, I made some BBQ venison meatballs to bring along. They’ve been a favorite in the past and go great with a beer alongside cheese, crackers or other snacks.

RECIPE

Ingredients

• 2 lb. ground venison
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups bread crumbs
• 1 cup very finely chopped onions
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. garlic powder or fresh minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• A splash of hot sauce
• Your favorite BBQ sauce

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, combine the meatball ingredients. With your hands, mix them together thoroughly.
2. Roll meatballs to desired size. (I like them less than 1” for serving as finger food and so they can be managed easily with a toothpick.)
3. Brown meatballs in a large pan. (Since you are using very lean wild game you may want to drizzle a little olive oil in the pan first.)
4. Place the browned meatballs into your crockpot.
5. Pour the BBQ sauce onto the browned meatballs. (Use as much or as little as you want. Some folks want them totally covered in sauce to slow cook. I typically use much less, just coating the meatballs, not covering them.)
6. Cook on low for several hours until the meatballs are hot through.