Firecracker Venison Meatballs
Tender baked venison meatballs smothered in a sweet, spicy, sticky, and amazingly flavorful firecracker sauce. Whether you serve these Firecracker Venison Meatballs as an appetizer or for dinner, they’re sure to be a hit!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 servings as a dinner, 10 servings as an appetizer 1x
Ingredients
Scale
Venison Meatballs
- 1 pound Ground Venison
- 1/3 cup Panko Breadcrumbs
- 1 large Egg
- 1 tablespoon Soy Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Minced Garlic
- 1 tablespoon Minced Ginger
- 1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- 1 teaspoon Onion Powder
- Salt and Pepper to Taste
- 1 Green Onion, White Parts, Finely Chopped (Save the Green Parts, to Garnish)
Firecracker Meatball Sauce
- 2/3 cup Buffalo Sauce (Not Hot Sauce)
- 1/2 cup Honey
- 1/4 cup Mayo
- 3 tablespoons Soy Sauce
- 2 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Minced Garlic
- 1 teaspoon Minced Ginger
- ¼ teaspoon Smoked Paprika
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper then set aside
- In a large bowl, add in the ingredients for the venison meatballs and mix until the ingredients are well combined, avoiding overmixing.
- Roll into equal sized meatball using an ice cream scooper and place onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 18-25 minutes for larger meatballs, until cooked through. Smaller meatballs will take less time to cook so monitor the internal temperature closely. If your ground venison is mixed with pork, make sure they are cooked to 165 degrees. If no pork is added, cook until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.
- While the meatballs are cooking, make the sauce. Heat a large skillet or saucepan over low heat. I like to use a skillet big enough to add the meatballs to to toss the sauce in but you can also pour the sauce over the meatballs you serve. To your preheated saucepan, add in sauce ingredients and mix well. Cook for about 5-7 minutes, or until reduced by half, stirring frequently.
- Once the meatballs are done, toss with the firecracker sauce, and serve, either with toothpicks as an appetizer or over rice with vegetables for dinner. Garnish with green onions.