Cheddar and Bacon Meatball Sliders

For the meatballs:
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the diced bacon and onion and cook until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook a minute until fragrant. Remove bacon, onion and garlic from the skillet with a slotted spoon and set aside for a few minutes to cool.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl whisk together the bread and milk. Add the salt and pepper and let the bread crumbs soak for 5 minutes.

Into the bowl with the bread crumbs, mix in the egg and cheese. Add the ground beef and the bacon mixture and mix, making sure it is thoroughly combined. I’ve found my hands are the best tools for this job. I just wear a pair of food service gloves so my hands aren’t so messy.

Roll mixture into meatballs. I use a 1 ounce cookie scoop so mine are uniform. It is about 2 tablespoons of the mixture per meatball. I like to cook the meatballs on a broiler pan. They will brown evenly and the fat will drain away. Line the bottom of the pan with foil to make cleanup easier. You could also use a cooling rack set into a cookie sheet.

Bake the meatballs at 375 F for 25 to 30 minutes until cooked through.

This recipe will yield about 24 to 26 meatballs.

For the BBQ sauce:
Combine all of the sauce ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring the mixture to boiling, reduce the heat and let simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Makes about 1 1/2 cups sauce.

On your toasted bun place 2 meatballs and add any desired toppings.

Enjoy!