Tag: food

Smoked Hot Honey Bourbon BBQ Meatballs with Homemade Pan Gravy

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  • hand formed meatballs
  • smoked meat balls
  • egg noodles
  • hot honey bourbon gravy
  • burbon gravy
  • smoked meatballs
  • meatballs in smoker

Sweet heat. Smoky goodness. Rich, savory gravy. All served over tender egg noodles.

This recipe brings together smoky, tender beef meatballs, the sweetness of bourbon barbecue sauce, and a little kick from hot honey seasoning. But the real magic happens after the smoke, when those flavorful pan drippings become a homemade gravy.

Nothing goes to waste, and every bit of flavor finds its way onto the plate!

(Prep: 20 minutes) (Smoke: ~60 minutes) (Servings: 6–8)

Ingredients

Nonna’s Delights

Smoked Hot Honey Bourbon BBQ Meatballs with Homemade Pan Gravy

Sweet heat. Smoky goodness. Rich, savory gravy. All served over tender egg noodles.

This recipe brings together smoky, tender beef meatballs, the sweetness of bourbon barbecue sauce, and a little kick from hot honey seasoning. But the real magic happens after the smoke, when those flavorful pan drippings become a homemade gravy.

Nothing goes to waste, and every bit of flavor finds its way onto the plate!

(Prep: 20 minutes) (Smoke: ~60 minutes) (Servings: 6–8)

The measurements below are estimated to recreate your original method, since you were cooking by feel.

Ingredients

For the smoked meatballs

IngredientAmount
Ground beef (80/20 preferred)2 lbs
Panko breadcrumbs1 cup
Large eggs2
Garlic salt1–1½ tsp
Hot honey seasoning2 tbsp
Bourbon barbecue sauce½ cup in mixture
Additional bourbon BBQ sauce½–¾ cup for coating

For the homemade pan gravy

IngredientAmount
Rendered beef fat and drippings¼ cup
All-purpose flour¼ cup
Chicken stock2–3 cups
Hot honey seasoning1–2 tsp, to taste
Bourbon barbecue sauce¼–½ cup
Salt and pepperTo taste

For serving

  • 12–16 oz wide egg noodles
  • Salted water for boiling
  • Optional butter for finishing noodles

Instructions

1. Prepare the meatballs

In a large mixing bowl, combine ground beef, panko breadcrumbs, eggs, garlic salt, hot honey seasoning, and bourbon barbecue sauce.

Mix until incorporated without overworking the beef. Form into generous meatballs, approximately 2–2½ inches in diameter.

2. Coat with barbecue sauce

Before placing the meatballs into a roasting pan or disposable aluminum tray, gently toss in additional bourbon barbecue sauce, making sure each meatball gets a good coating.

Leave a little space between them to allow the smoke and heat to circulate.

3. Smoke low and slow

Preheat the smoker to 250°F.

Place the uncovered trays in the smoker and cook for approximately 60 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the meatballs reaches 165°F.

Actual cooking time will vary based on meatball size. Keep the rendered fat and flavorful drippings in the pan for the gravy.

4. Make the homemade gravy

Carefully transfer approximately ¼ cup of rendered beef fat to a saucepan over medium heat. If necessary, supplement with butter to reach ¼ cup.

Add an equal amount of flour and whisk continuously to create a roux. Cook for 2–4 minutes, until the raw flour smell disappears and the roux develops a golden-brown color.

Slowly whisk in 2 cups of chicken stock, incorporating it gradually to prevent lumps.

Add the hot honey seasoning and bourbon barbecue sauce. Simmer until thickened, adding more stock to reach your preferred consistency.

For additional flavor, stir in some of the defatted meat juices from the smoker pan. Taste before adding salt.

5. Cook the noodles and serve

While the gravy simmers, cook the egg noodles according to package directions. Drain and optionally toss with a little butter, our toss in gravy.

Place a generous helping of egg noodles on each plate, top with smoked bourbon BBQ meatballs, and ladle the homemade gravy over everything.

Serve hot!

Nonna’s Kitchen Notes

  • Don’t discard the drippings. The rendered beef fat carries the smoke, seasonings, and barbecue flavor that make this gravy special.
  • Balance the sweetness. Bourbon barbecue sauce and hot honey seasoning both bring sweetness. Chicken stock and the savory roux help balance everything.
  • Keep the roux moving. Cooking the flour properly develops a richer flavor and prevents a pasty gravy.
  • Make it your own. More hot honey seasoning brings additional heat, while extra barbecue sauce creates a sweeter, bolder finish.
  • For a thicker gravy, start with less stock and add gradually. The gravy will continue thickening as it simmers.

The story behind the recipe

Smoked Hot Honey Bourbon BBQ Meatballs & Homemade Gravy

Sometimes the best recipes aren’t measured. They’re created by grabbing a little of this, adding a little of that, and trusting your instincts.

These homemade meatballs started with ground beef, panko, eggs, garlic salt, hot honey seasoning, and bourbon barbecue sauce. After another coating of BBQ sauce, they went into the smoker at 250°F until perfectly cooked.

But I wasn’t about to waste all those flavorful drippings!

I took the rendered beef fat, made a roux, added chicken stock, more hot honey seasoning, and bourbon barbecue sauce, and turned it into a rich, homemade gravy.

Served everything over egg noodles.

Smoky. Sweet. Savory. A little heat. And a whole lot of comfort food.

That’s what cooking is all about.

#NonnasDelights #HomemadeCooking #SmokedMeatballs #ComfortFood #FromScratch #HotHoney #BourbonBBQ

Chicken Scarpariello – an underrated crowd favorite!

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Ingredients

Directions

  1. In small batches, add chicken along with seasoned flour in a medium sized mixing bowl. Mix until combined. 
  2. Over medium heat, place a large, high-walled skillet. Once hot, lightly drizzle with olive oil then add in the sausage. Cook until browned on all sides. Once browned, remove from the pan and set aside. The sausage does not need to be fully cooked.
  3. Drizzle the pan with a little more olive oil and add the lightly floured chicken. Work in batches, repeating step 1 with unfloured chicken. Brown chicken on all sides. Once browned, remove and set aside, again not to worry if chicken isn’t fulled cooked. While the chicken is browning, slice on a the sausage on a diagonal angle.
  4. Add a little more olive oil to a pan as needed, along with the smashed garlic. Lightly season with salt, and cook until fragrant. Add in herbs, then peppers. Then add in equal amounts of flour & butter. Allow the flour to cook, and thicken with butter / pan drippings. Deglaze the pan with white wine. Allow alcohol took cook off. Liquid with thicken, and reduce to about half. Gently scrap the bottom of the pan to release all the fond, as needed.
  5. Once the wine has reduced, add the sausage and chicken back to the pot. Then pour in the broth. 
  6. Let the Scarp simmer until the sauce thickens and the chicken is tender, stirring occasionally. This process can take 10-20 minutes. Give that sauce a taste, and adjust seasoning along the way.
  7. Once thicken, remove the Scarp from the heat and enjoy.

Plating

Scarp serves very well over pasta. While Penne is one of my favs, Farfalle is a great option, too. Just be sure to not overcook. The pasta should be served al dente. If you go this route, under cook the pasta by a few minutes. After drained, over heat, toss in with some sauce, and butter. Place the pasta in a bowl, and top with the Scarp. Pasta can help cut some of the heat, see below for more modifications in that regard.

Modifications

Chicken Scarp is traditionally made to have some heat to it. You can certainly sub the hot cherry peppers with sweet, and go with a mild sausage. I’ve made batched with only 1 cup of hot cherry peppers vs the 2. I’ve also made 1/2 mild, and 1/2 sweet Italian sausage. This will layer the flavors, while providing some heat, but not overwhelm the masses. Fennel sausage is key. With that said, I would not sub with a non Italian sausage.

Easy Homemade Bread: Step-by-Step Guide

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Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preparing the dough: In a large mixing bowl, add the yeast, water and a drop of honey. Allow to rest for 5-10 minutes until foaming and bubbly. (This method is referred to as “proofing” the yeast, to make sure it is active. If it doesn’t foam, the yeast is no longer good, and you need to start over with fresh yeast).
  • Add remaining honey, salt, oil, and 3 cups of the flour. Mix to combine.
  • Add another cup of flour and mix to combine. With the mixer running, add more flour. Do this ½ cup at a time. Continue until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. The dough should be smooth and elastic, and slightly stick to a clean finger, but not be overly sticky. Add a little more flour, if needed.
  • Knead the dough: Mix the dough for 4-5 minutes on medium speed. Alternatively, knead with your hands on a lightly floured surface for 5-8 minutes.
  • First Rise: Grease a large bowl with coconut oil or cooking spray and place the dough inside, turning to coat. Cover with a dish towel or plastic wrap. Allow it to rise in a warm place* until doubled in size. This should take about 1 1/2 hours.
  • Spray two 9×5” bread pans (or cast iron pans) generously with cooking spray on all sides. You can also line the bottom of the pans with a small piece of parchment paper, but this is optional.
  • Punch the dough down well to remove all air bubbles. Divide into two equal portions. Shape each ball into long logs, or circles, depending on the shape of your pans. Then place into greased pans.
  • Second rise: Cover pans with a lightweight, dry dish towel. Alternatively they can be covered with plastic wrap, as long as they generously covered with cooking spray. Allow dough to rise again for 45 minutes to one hour. The dough should rise about 1 inch above the loaf pans. Gently removing covering.
  • Bake: Preheat oven to 350 F. Bake bread for about 30 – 33 minutes, or until golden brown on top. I noticed it took a bit longer in the cast iron pans, vs bread pans. Give the top of a loaf a gentle tap; it should sound hollow.
  • Invert the loaves onto a wire cooling rack. Brush the tops with butter and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing.
  • Once cool, store in an airtight container or bag for 2-3 days (at room temperature). Bread should stay up to 5 days in the refrigerator.

The easy shopping list can be accessed here: https://amzn.to/4pomslT