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BBQ meatballs in a slow cooker with a wooden spoon
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Easy Slow Cooker BBQ Meatballs

These Easy Slow Cooker BBQ Meatballs are made fresh or frozen using your favorite sauce and ready in no time in a Crockpot. These are the perfect appetizer or side dish for cocktail parties and gatherings.
Course dinner, lunch
Cuisine American
Keyword BBQ meatballs, Crockpot BBQ meatballs, slow cooker BBQ meatballs
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 50 minutes
Servings 12 large meatballs
Calories 105kcal
Author Brandi Crawford

Equipment

Ingredients

Homemade BBQ Seasoning (If using a store-bought seasoning or rub, use 1 1/2- 2 tablespoons of the store bought rub. Use your judgment)

BBQ Sauce

Instructions

  • Add the ground beef, breadcrumbs, onions, garlic, egg, and 1/2 of the spices to a large bowl. Reserve the remaining spices for the BBQ sauce.
  • Using clean hands, combine the ingredients and form one large ball. Don't overwork the ground beef mixture. That will result in balls that fall apart.
  • Form and shape the mixture into your desired size. I like 2 tablespoons in size.
  • Spray the bottom of the slow cooker with cooking oil. Place the meatballs in the slow cooker.
  • Cook the meatballs on High for 2 hours. (You can also do Low for 4 hours). Don't open the slow-cooker throughout the cooking process. This will slow down the cook time.
  • While the meatballs cook, combine the BBQ sauce, remaining BBQ rub, liquid smoke, and Worcestershire sauce.
  • Open the slow cooker. Carefully, drain any excess fat (if necessary). Pour the BBQ sauce over the meatballs. Do not stir. (If your meatballs aren't fully cooked they will fall apart if you stir.)
  • Cook the meatballs for an additional 1 hour and 30 minutes on High (3 hours on Low).
  • Open the slow cooker and stir. Use a meat thermometer to ensure the meatballs have finished cooking. Insert the thermometer and ensure a temperature of at least 160 degrees.
  • Cool before serving.

Video

Notes

  • A lot of time lean ground beef is preferred when making meatballs because as they cook, they will release a good amount of fat. 80% lean will release a lot more than 93% lean, but you can still use it. You will have to drain the excess fat after the meatballs have slow-cooked for 2 hours on High or 4 hours on Low. Be careful when doing this because you don't want to disturb the meatballs. At this point, they aren't fully cooked, so you risk them falling apart.
  • You can make the meatballs any size you like. I prefer large ones, but smaller ones (a tablespoon or less) will work great for parties.
  • Eggs and breadcrumbs are used to provide structure. You also don’t want to overwork and over-mix all of the ingredients for the meatballs. I like to use my hands because it’s a lot easier to be gentle with your hands than using a spatula or spoon. If you overmix, the meatballs will fall apart.
  • I like to use 1 cup of BBQ sauce, but keep extra sauce on hand just in case. Especially if you are cooking the meatballs on High. The slow-cooker will get hot, sometimes this will cause the sauce to sear. Check along the edges and side of the interior of the Crockpot. If the sauce is turning dark brown you should add more sauce and stir to ensure the BBQ sauce doesn’t burn.
  • Frozen meatballs (no thaw) can be cooked on Low for 4 Hours or on High for 2 to 2 1/2 hours. You can add the BBQ sauce immediately.
  • You can use ground turkey if you wish with no adjustment to cook time.
  • Macros assume Primal Kitchen sugar free BBQ sauce and Lakanto Golden monkfruit sweetener. Feel free to use the macro calculator of your choice to calculate your macros using the branded ingredients you choose to use in the recipe.
  • To make this low carb, you can substitute 1/2 cup of almond meal for the breadcrumbs. Almond meal is different than almond flour. I would not use almond flour because I'm not a fan of the texture when used with meatballs.

Nutrition

Serving: 1meatball | Calories: 105kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 5g