Juicy Lucy Cocktail Meatballs
Juicy Lucy burgers are one of the best things to come out of the Midwest, specifically Minnesota. Imagine biting into a burger oozing with cheesy goodness in the center, now that seems like perfection. While deciding what the perfect party app would be, this amazing burger creation came to mind. I wrapped this concept up into a smaller package, creating my Juicy Lucy cocktail meatballs. These meatballs are meant to be messy and enjoyed while watching the BIG GAME!
MAKES: 20 each 2 oz meatballs
INGREDIENTS:
Meatball:
2# ground beef (I use Snake River Farms American Wagyu Ground Beef)
1 ea shallot, minced
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
2 ea egg
2 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
TT black pepper, ground
1 LB cheddar cheese, cubed
Meatball Glaze:
1 cup Ketchup
1 cup Brown sugar
Mustard Dipping Sauce:
¼ cup Mustard
¼ cup Mayo
Garnishes:
20 pcs Cornichon
20 pcs Iceberg lettuce
20 pcs Cherry tomato
20 pcs onion
20 ea wooden skewers
DIRECTIONS:
For the meatballs:
Whisk together the eggs, shallot, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, salt and black pepper.
Using your hands, mix the ground beef and egg mixture together. Work the mixture with your hands. (Pro Tip: working the meat activates a protein called myosin which helps the meat adhere to itself while cooking...the egg also helps with this too!)
Roll 2 tbsp of the meat mixture into a ball. Take the meat and flatten it in your palm, place the cheddar cube in the center and form the meatball around the cheese, roll again. Make sure to fully cover the cheese or it’ll ooze out while cooking.
For the glaze: Whisk together the brown sugar and ketchup until smooth. Brush the raw meatballs in the glaze using a pastry brush. Cook the meatball at 425°F for 20 minutes total. After 10 minutes, reglaze the meatballs.
For the dipping sauce: Mix the mustard and mayonnaise together.
To assemble the meatballs:
Cut the cherry tomato into ¼ inch thick rings.
Cut the iceberg lettuce into thick strips.
Julienne the red onion (this method is cutting the onion in thin strips following the natural line of the onion), then cut these in half vertically.
Cut the cornichons in half.
Skewer the garnishes as a stack on top of the meatball.
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