Firecracker Meatballs
These Firecracker Meatballs are spicy, saucy, and seriously hard to stop eating. They come together fast and taste amazing over a pile of rice. Once you try them, you’ll get why we keep making them on repeat.
Servings 4
Ingredients
- 1 Pound Ground Beef
- ¼ Cup Bread Crumbs
- ¼ Cup Milk
- 2 Tablespoons Garlic minced
- ¼ Cup Scallions thinly sliced (white bulb ends)
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
- 2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
- ¼ Cup Sour Cream
- ¼ Cup Mayonnaise
- 2 Tablespoons Buffalo Hot Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Honey
- Extra Chopped Scallions for topping (green ends)
- Sesame Seeds for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425℉.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, breadcrumbs, milk, garlic, scallions, salt, and red pepper flakes.
- Form into 1½ inch meatballs and place on the baking sheet.
- Brush vegetable oil on top of the meatballs.
- Put in the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
- In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the sour cream, mayonnaise, buffalo sauce, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and honey. Set aside.
- Place the meatballs on a plate or on top of rice and drizzle the sauce over the top.
- Top with more chopped scallions.
- Sprinkle with sesame seeds (optional).
Notes
Don’t overmix the meat. Gently combine the ingredients just until mixed—overworking the meat can make your meatballs dense or tough.
Use a cookie scoop. If you want evenly sized meatballs that cook at the same rate (and look nice), use a medium cookie scoop to portion them.
Line your pan. Parchment paper or foil makes for easier cleanup and helps prevent the meatballs from sticking or burning on the bottom.
Let the sauce sit. Mix the sauce early and let it rest in the fridge while the meatballs bake—the flavors meld with a little chill time.
Taste and tweak the sauce. Everyone’s spice tolerance is different, so feel free to adjust the hot sauce, honey, or vinegar to make it milder or bolder.
Chill the meat mixture if it’s too soft. If your mixture feels too wet or sticky to roll, put it in the fridge for 10–15 minutes. It’ll firm up and be a lot easier to handle.