I get a lot of email from groups/places/people/things that I only vaguely recall why I ever signed up to be reached out and touched in the first place; so I think about hitting that ‘unsubscribe’ link buried in the bottom of the text… then, a tasty little recipe like this one shows up, sandwiched in between offers for gym memberships and mini-van steam cleaning or some such.
I guess I’ll keep All You in my in box for a while longer; this slow cooker recipe was worth all that other stuff.
INGREDIENTS
•1 pound ground pork
•1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
•3 scallions, white and light-green parts, chopped
•1 large egg
•1 tbsp soy sauce
•1 tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger
•2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
•1/2 cup barbecue sauce
•1/4 cup plum sauce
•2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
A note: if you have a favorite commercial barbecue sauce, by all means go ahead and use it, but trust me, home made hoisin and plum sauce is way more better than the stuff you’re gonna find at the market, and not really all that big a deal to make. And, with the leftovers, you can make one mighty-fine Hawaiian ‘Za.
Combine the ground pork with the panko, scallions, egg, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger in a large bowl – it’s messy, but use your hands.
Shape the pork mixture into small balls – I used a one tablespoon scoop a good friend’s mom gave me a few years back (Marilyn, forgive me for ever doubting you, this is now probably one of my favorite (and most used) kitchen tools!) – and place in a slow cooker that has been lightly coated with cooking spray.
Stir together the barbecue, plum, and hoisin sauces and pour over the meatballs, making sure to coat all of them more or less evenly.
Cover and cook on low for about four hours, until the meatballs are cooked through.
Using my handy scoop, I got 22 meatballs out of this recipe, which was more than enough for dinner for the two of us (plus a bit to stash in the freezer for lunch at a later date); but if I were offering these little beauties as an appetizer, I would double the recipe. Of course, I’m kinda known for going heavy on the whole appetizer thing…