Wild Game Cuisine

Barbecue Venison Meatballs

An easy and delicious way to kick off both hunting and football seasons.

Justin Adams •September 6, 20231 min read

Photo Credit: Justin Adams.

It’s finally here - I’m talking about football! Hopefully everybody is almost out of all their last season's deer or big-game supply and ready to fill their freezer for some wild cuisine to accompany a season of watching football with friends.

This simple recipe will have everybody singing your praises for your next tailgate, watch party or football game. I like to pre-make these meatballs and freeze them in advance so they firm up a little, but you can put them in the crockpot right after they bake, too.

If you freeze them in advance, add a couple of hours of reheating until the meatballs are heated all the way through; no one likes a cold meatball!

Ingredients

For the Meatball

2 pounds of ground venison or any wild game ground
2 eggs – beaten
3/4 Cup Milk
1 TBSP Garlic powder
1 TSP Dried Parsley
1 TSP Dried Thyme
1 TSP Onion Powder
1 cup Panko bread crumb
Salt and pepper to taste
Green onion for garnish
BBQ seasoning for garnish

For the Sauce

2-3 cups BBQ Sauce
1/4 cup honey
1 TSP cayenne pepper, optional

Instructions

Set oven to 350 degrees.
Pour milk into breadcrumbs and mix to form a slurry. Set aside to combine for 5 minutes.
Add the rest of the ingredients to milk and breadcrumbs and stir to combine, careful not to over-mix.
Roll meatballs in your hand to form a ball the size of about a golf ball.
Place meatballs on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.
Bake meatballs for 25 minutes or until they reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees.
Transfer meatballs to a crockpot and add the sauce ingredients.
Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours.
Serve warm and top with green onions and your barbecue seasoning of choice.

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