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Cosmopolitan Cornbread

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Drunk Moose Meatballs | A Cocktail & Appetizer Collection for Your Holiday Parties

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Drunk Moose Meatballs – one of my all-time most popular recipes.

Drunk Moose Meatballs from Cosmopolitan Cornbread

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This time of year is a special time for families, friends and loved ones to gather together. For some, it is the only time each year that they get to do this. They come together, laugh, share, remember, cry and hold on to memories of past years and holidays gone by. There is nothing more important than our loved ones, and food can be the magnet for bringing us all together.

To begin, preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Place 2 pounds of ground moose (or beef, venison, etc) in a mixing bowl, taking a moment to break it up a little bit.

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Add in a quarter cup of Worcestershire Sauce to the meat.

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In a food processor, tear apart a couple slices of fresh bread. You’ll need enough to make about 1 1/4 cup of fresh bread crumbs. Give them a buzz until you have fine crumbs.

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In the measuring cup of bread crumbs, add a tablespoon of parsley and a teaspoon each of salt & pepper. Stir them together.

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Pour the crumb mixture into the bowl with the meat.

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Then gently mix this together with your hands until it is just combined.

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Measure out your meat into balls the size of a golf ball. I find that a “rounded Tablespoon” scoop is perfect for this. Scoop it into your hand, briefly press and shape it into a ball. Place it on a large baking sheet. Repeat with all of the meat mixture.

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Bake these for 20 minutes.

While they are baking, sauté together 3 tablespoons of butter and a finely diced onion. Sauté them on low-medium heat until they are golden and beautiful.

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Now you’ll add in 1/3 cup of bourbon whisky. This is why they are called drunk moose meatballs.

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Pour it into the skillet.

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Let it simmer for about a minute.

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Now you will add in 2 cups of your favorite bottled barbecue sauce. Stir it all together and let it simmer another minute. Turn the heat off on the stove, and let the sauce sit for a moment.

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After the meatballs have finished baking, place them in a small crockpot or a chafing dish.

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And then pour the sauce over the meatballs.

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Very gently turn the meatballs with a spatula to coat them, then leave them alone. Put the cover on and let them sit on low heat for about 30 minutes, and they are ready!

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Enjoy!

Drunk Moose Meatballs from Cosmopolitan Cornbread

Drunk Moose Meatballs from Cosmopolitan Cornbread

Drunk Moose Meatballs
 
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Ingredients
  • 2 lbs ground moose (or beef)
  • ¼ c Worcestershire Sauce
  • 1¼ c fresh bread crumbs
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 1 Tb parsley
  • 3 Tb butter
  • 1 onion, finely diced
  • ⅓ c bourbon whiskey
  • 2 c Favorite bottled BBQ sauce (such as Sweet Baby Ray's Brown Sugar & Hickory)
Instructions
  1. To begin, preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Place 2 pounds of ground moose in a mixing bowl, taking a moment to break it up a little bit.
  2. Add in a quarter cup of Worcestershire Sauce to the meat.
  3. In a food processor, tear apart a couple slices of fresh bread. You’ll need enough to make about 1¼ cup of fresh bread crumbs. Give them a buzz until you have fine crumbs.
  4. In the measuring cup of bread crumbs, add a tablespoon of parsley and a teaspoon each of salt & pepper. Stir them together.
  5. Pour the crumb mixture into the bowl with the meat.
  6. Then gently mix this together with your hands until it is just combined.
  7. Measure out your meat into balls the size of a golf ball. I find that a “rounded Tablespoon” scoop is perfect for this. Scoop it into your hand, briefly press and shape it into a ball. Place it on a large baking sheet. Repeat with all of the meat mixture. Bake these for 20 minutes.
  8. While they are baking, sauté the onions in the butter until they are golden brown and beautiful. Pour in the bourbon and let it simmer for a minute. Stir in the BBQ sauce, and combine. Let it cook a minute, and then turn off the heat.
  9. When the meatballs are done baking, place them in a small crockpot or chafing dish. Pour the sauce over the top, and then gently stir to coat. Cover and let them sit on low heat for 30 minutes.
  10. Enjoy!

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Check our these great cocktail and appetizer recipes for your holiday parties:

Holiday Cocktails

Holiday Appetizers or Hors d’oeuvres

Can you believe all those goodies? Although I love living in Alaska, we miss having our own family reunions and gatherings with loved ones. I look forward to having those again after we move back to the lower 48 this summer.

Do you have a favorite dish or beverage to take to a party?



Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. I’m making these for my Halloween party on Saturday. Everyone has been dying to try moose and I just so happen to have shot one a few weeks ago :) I’m having about 50 people over but I’m not quite sure how much of everything to use much less how many pounds of moose to use. Can you please help?….

    Reply

    • Holly, as an appetizer for 50 people, I would double or triple this recipe. And can I say how incredibly jealous I am? We now live in Alabama, and SO miss having a freezer full of moose meat. Congratulations on your harvest!

      Reply

  3. Making these today for Thanksgiving… With moose meat my bro-in-law brought back from a hunt in Canada! They smell great and I sampled a plain meatball before the sauce and so far so good! I will report back later!

    Reply

  4. Not usually a big fan of moose but I feel like the bourbon would compliment gamey taste of the meat nicely! Do you think this recipe could be adapted to be frozen uncooked then cooked completely in a slow cooker? since ground moose seems to be fairly tender my biggest concern is that they would all fall apart and turn into a big pot of (tasty) mush!

    Reply

  6. I made these tonight and they were very good. Hubby liked them too. I'll definitely make them again. I was fresh out of moose meat so I substituted very lean, organic, ground beef. delish!
    Cynthia Briggs
    Cookbook Author

    Reply

  10. Conni, I love these meatballs! I'll also have to substitute the meat since I've never seen moose sold around here, but hot damn, these sound delicious. Bourbon whiskey? Yes please! Your gorgeous step by step photos make raw ground meat look pretty darn good (that's quite a feat!). Thanks for sharing and for hosting this week. Happy holidays! BTW, your comment on my bacon peanut caramel popcorn was one of my favourites – it definitely put a big smile on my face.

    Reply

  14. I might not have any access to moose meat but don't you believe that is going to stop me from tasting these amazing meatballs. I have already pinned it and planned it for my visit with my parents this Christmas.

    Reply

  24. These meatballs look wonderful – I have never tried moose before, but I am pretty sure my adventurous husband would be all about it!

    Reply

  34. Reblogged this on At Home With Cat and commented:
    If you have not met Conni, The Foodie Army Wife, you are in for a treat! And I mean that literally! Her cooking is unpretentious and she helps you with step-by-step instructions and pictures that make you want to dive right in. Enjoy!

    Reply

  35. I am definitely trying this! Conni…you make things look so easy! You do a fantastic job showing the step-by-step how to. It just makes ya wanna get in there and try it! :)

    Reply

  37. I can see these are tantalizing appetizers. (Not many moose running around our Santa Monica beaches, but I'm sure I can muster up some ground turkey.) Thank you for sharing your Drunk Moose Meatballs, Conni!

    Reply

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