Meatballs in Amaretto Barbecue Sauce

It all started out with a Guinness barbecue sauce recipe I saw, however, the recipe called for far too much sugar. That got me thinking that I wanted to make meatballs with some kind of barbecue sauce. The researching started.

I eventually found a recipe for Dr. Pepper barbecue sauce and went from there. I know that Dr. Pepper tastes like amaretto, and I figured meatballs in amaretto sauce sounds classier. I adjusted several ingredients, found some ingredients that were lower sodium (ketchup, Worcestershire sauce) and generally used less salt, and added an ounce of amaretto liqueur for extra flavour.

Unfortunately, I didn't have time to make the meatballs from scratch. If I did, I probably would've added some of the sauce into the meatball mixture as well.

The sauce was excellent. We had a bit left over so I bottled some up for a couple of people.

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Meatballs in Amaretto Barbecue Sauce

by Daniel Saraga May-4-2012

The sauce is a tasty change for meatballs. Serve it with mashed potatoes for a warming meal.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 large sweet onion, chopped
• 1 tsp (rounded) garlic puree
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1 small bottle (412ml) Dr. Pepper
• 1 oz Disaronno liqueur
• 1/2 cup cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1.5 kilos (3 lbs) meatballs, cooked (we used 2 lbs and kept the extra sauce aside)

Instructions

1. In a saucepan, melt the butter on medium and saute the onion and garlic for 10 minutes.2. Add all remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.3. Reduce to medium and let simmer for 45-60 minutes, stirring every few minutes until thick.4. Let the sauce cool slightly and puree using an immersion blender.5. Let simmer on low for another 5-10 and pour over meatballs.

Details

Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 1 hour Total time: 1 hour 15 mins Yield: 6 servings

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