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    Home » Recipes » Appetizers

    Maple Sweet-Spicy Bacon-Wrapped Meatballs

    By Nancy Mock January 31, 2019 Updated January 24, 2022 Leave a Comment

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    Meatball appetizer with beer in background

    Homemade chicken and pork meatballs wrapped in bacon with a spicy bite and a touch of maple syrup sweetness. Maple Sweet-Spicy Bacon-Wrapped Meatballs are the best appetizer ever!

    Meatball appetizers next to a beer
    → Jump to Recipe

    These little bacon-wrapped meatballs are quite popular in our house and with our friends. We've enjoyed them as a casual dinner, as an appetizer... once we even had them as a savory breakfast treat!

    Most of the time though, we make this easy recipe for a snack when friends come over for movie night, or we bring them to parties for game day. Basically anytime you have folks coming over and want to set up something tasty to nosh on.

    Bacon wrapped meatballs with toothpicks on white plate

    Why you'll love this recipe

    The meatballs are homemade, meaning you get to control exactly what goes into them - a huge advantage over frozen meatballs. The mixture is a savory blend of ground pork and chicken with spices and diced onion.

    Bacon meatball with drizzle of maple syrup

    The bacon-wrapped meatballs with brown sugar and cayenne coating the outside, along with a drizzle of sweet Vermont maple syrup, bake up quickly in the oven. The meatballs come out hot and delicious, with a crispy wrapping of bacon and sweet-spicy caramelized sugar.

    Meatballs with toothpicks on a plate

    This is an amazing recipe to make for a Super Bowl party, as a holiday appetizer, or as a fun weekend comfort food snack.

    Want more Super Bowl party food ideas? Tap here to see a whole bunch!

    🔪 How to make Maple Sweet-Spicy Bacon-Wrapped Meatballs

    Raw ground meats, onion, cayenne, brown sugar, and bacon

    Step 1: Make the meatball mixture

    Bowl of meatball mixture

    Mix together the ground meats, parsley, onion, and spices.

    Step 2: Make the meatballs

    Scooped meatballs on a baking sheet

    Use a cookie scoop or your hands to shape the mixture into balls.

    Step 3: Wrap them in bacon

    Bacon wrapped raw meatballs on a baking sheet

    Wrap each meatball in a short piece of bacon, and skewer them with toothpicks. Wrap the meatballs and chill them for 1 hour.

    Step 4: Coat the meatballs

    Bacon wrapped meatballs rolled in sugar

    Coat the meatballs in a small bowl of brown sugar blended with cayenne pepper, along with a drizzle of Vermont maple syrup and put them on a baking sheet. Add a touch of maple syrup to each meatball.

    Step 5: Bake 'em

    Meatballs with toothpicks on a plate

    Bake the meatballs for about 30 minutes until they're cooked through and the bacon is crisp. Serve them while they're hot!

    Three bacon wrapped meatballs, one with bite out

    Notes:

    • Soak the toothpicks in water for an hour before skewering the meatballs. This will keep the toothpicks from burning in the oven. 
    • Keep the bacon very cold until you're ready to wrap the meatballs. This will make it easier to separate and maneuver the strips.
    • The meatballs are quite spicy - to bring the heat down use less cayenne pepper in the sugar mixture.  
    Meatball appetizers next to a beer

    The recipe for Maple Sweet-Spicy Bacon-Wrapped Meatballs is below. Here are a few other tasty apps you'll want to make, too!

    Country Style Gravy Meatballs
    This is comfort food at its finest! Serve these savory Country Style Gravy Meatballs, made with sausage and a rich, seasoned gravy, as an app or make them into a meal.
    Take me there
    Gravy topped meatballs on a white plate
    Savory Shredded Pork Sliders for a Crowd
    These tasty pork sliders are made with shredded, seasoned pork on slider rolls, and you can bake up a big batch to make everyone happy! 
    Take me there
    Shredded pork with cheese on slider rolls.
    Taco Salad with Catalina Dressing
    It's at home on the appetizer table or as a casual dinner! Taco Salad with Catalina Dressing has loads of fresh, chopped veggies, spicy ground beef, and a sweet-spicy flavor.
    Take me there
    Image of Chopped Taco Salad in a glass bowl with Tortilla Chips

    💬 What do you think of these spicy, bacony meatballs? Leave a comment and a star rating!

    📖 Recipe

    Three toothpick skewered meatballs

    Maple Sweet-Spicy Bacon-Wrapped Meatballs

    Nancy Mock
    Homemade chicken and pork meatballs wrapped in bacon with a spicy bite and a touch of maple syrup sweetness. Maple Sweet-Spicy Bacon-Wrapped Meatballs are the best appetizer ever!
    4.75 from 4 votes. Tap stars to vote
    Print it! Pin This Recipe
    Prep Time 45 minutes mins
    Cook Time 30 minutes mins
    Chilling time 1 hour hr
    Total Time 2 hours hrs 15 minutes mins
    Course Appetizer, Lunch, Snack, Super Bowl Food
    Servings 15 servings

    Equipment

    • 35 toothpicks, soaked in water for at least 1 hour

    Ingredients
     
     

    For the meat mixture:

    • 1 pound ground chicken
    • 1 pound ground pork
    • ½ cup diced onion
    • ⅓ cup chopped fresh parsley
    • 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
    • 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
    • 2 teaspoons salt
    • 1 teaspoon black pepper

    To coat the meatballs:

    • 1 pound smoked bacon strips
    • ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
    • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
    • ¼ cup Vermont maple syrup

    Instructions
     

    Shape the meatballs:

    • Set a wire rack into a baking sheet and cover the rack with foil. Poke holes through the foil in several places.
    • In a large mixing bowl, mix together by hand the chicken, pork, diced onion, parsley, Parmesan, the tablespoon of cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper. Mix just until ingredients are evenly combined.
    • Use a cookie scoop or your hands to roll the meat mixture into 1½-inch balls.

    Wrap the meatballs:

    • Cut the bacon strips into thirds. 
    • Wrap a section of bacon around each meatball and skewer it in place with a soaked toothpick. Place it on the foil-covered rack.
    • Repeat with the remaining bacon pieces and meatballs.
    • Cover the meatballs loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

    Coat the meatballs:

    • Preheat oven to 375° F. When the oven is hot, take the meatballs from the fridge.
    • In a shallow dish mix together the brown sugar and the ½ tablespoon of cayenne. 
    • Roll each bacon-wrapped meatball in the brown sugar mixture, pressing the sugar to the surface to thoroughly coat each one. Place the coated meatballs back onto the foil-covered rack.
    • Sprinkle leftover cayenne sugar over the tops of the meatballs. Drizzle Vermont maple syrup over the tops of the meatballs, about ½ teaspoon on each one.

    Bake:

    • Bake the meatballs for about 30 minutes, until they're cooked through to an internal temperature of 160° F.
    • Use tongs to place the meatballs on a serving platter, and serve them while they're hot. 
    • Makes about 35 bacon-wrapped meatballs.

    Notes

    • Soak the toothpicks in water for an hour before skewering the meatballs. This will keep the toothpicks from burning in the oven. 
    • Keep the bacon very cold until you're ready to wrap the meatballs. This will make it easier to separate and maneuver the strips.
    • The meatballs are quite spicy - to bring the heat down use less cayenne pepper in the sugar mixture. 
     

    Nutrition

    Serving: 2meatballsCalories: 312kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 15gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 68mgSodium: 560mgPotassium: 357mgFiber: 1gSugar: 14gVitamin A: 299IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 34mgIron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Leave a comment, tell me what you think!

    Post first shared in 2017.

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