Grape jelly meatball help

[Indigo]

Hi all...

I am planning on trying to cook "Grape jelly meatballs" in the slow cooker for first time.

I have checked the web and found many recipes. Almost all the recipes ingredients include grape jelly and chili sauce. My concern is that I have a 5 and 4 year old children.

Will the sauce be too spicy? The recipes usually call for 3 parts chili sauce and 4 parts grape jelly.

Thanks for the help...

[Piccolina]

Hi Indigo, a big welcome to DC!

My mom often made these (as did her friends and plenty of my friend's moms) when I was growing up, and my mom never used any chilli sauce at all. If you share the recipe that you'd like to use here, perhaps we can help you see if the amount of chilli suace is such that it can easily be left/reduced out with out running into any trouble.

[licia]

Some use barbecue instead of the chili sauce - you could determine how spice you want by the kind you use. I never found the original too spicy, tho.

[letscook]

my mother makes these alot when we have a gathering. Equal parts of grape jelly and chili sauce. She buy frozen meatballs and also puts in the cocktail weiners. Fills up a crockpot pours sauce over them and let them heat thru They always go quick.

[GB]

We make these all the time (with the chili sauce) and they are not hot at all. Actually they are usually the kids favorite thing to eat at parties. Try it yourself before you make them if you are unsure. Just take a little chili sauce and a little grape jelly and put it together in the microwave. Mix to combine and then taste. I am sure you will love it and will see there is no heat at all. It was actually be pretty sweet.

[jkath]

I love those! I've made them (and wanted to make them tonight, only the h refuses to eat any meat with even a hint of sweetness). What chili sauce will you be using? My favorite is "Homade" brand. Heat isn't a worry, and the flavor is yummy.

[mish]

Indigo (love your name), I'm not a big fan of chili or grape juice... For me, personally, the thought of putting the two together makes me queasy. You could probably 86 the grape stuff and chili and go with apricot preserves and/or teriyaki sauce.

[Indigo]

Thanks for all the great replies. GB... great idea. I will put the grape jelly and chilli sauce together first and try the taste.

Chilli sauce and grape jelly just sounds so nasty. I really have to try it.

I was thinking of using Welch's grape jelly and not really sure about the chilli sauce. I will probably use Heinz... I think they make one.

I live in Hong Kong so my choices are limited when it comes to chilli sauce in a bottle.

[marmalady]

Well, living in Hong Kong I can understand your worries about 'chili sauce', as probably what you have most available are the hot Chinese and Thai sauces - and you definitely don't want to use those!! The Heinz should be fine, tho. The sweetness of the grape jelly will tone down any heat at all in the chili sauce.

[letscook]

When these are cooked you can't tell that it is grape jelly or chili sauce, they just blend well together. the very first time i tried them I had to ask my mother what she made the sauce with. I was surprised when she told me. Try you will like it.

[GB]

I use exactly what you are thinking of using (Welches and Heinz). Like letscook said, you would never guess what the sauce is made of once you taste it. Like you, I was very skeptical when I first heard how to make it, but you will be pleasantly surprised once you taste it. Let us know what you think once you do it

[Constance]

I know it sounds strange, but the combination of chili sauce & grape jelly is great!
Here's a recipe...you can use the store-bought meatballs if you prefer.

Cocktail Meatballs

1 LBS hamburger
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/3 cup onions -- minced
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
1 tablespoon parsley
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
12 oz chili sauce -- (heinz)
10 oz grape jelly

Mix first eight ingredients and shape into one inch balls. Use a 13 by 9
pan and place one inch of water in it. Place meatballs in pan and bake at
350 for 45-60 minutes. Mix chili sauce and jelly and heat in a sauce pan on
the stove until they melt. Add meatballs to the sauce and heat about thirty
minutes, stir while heating sauce and meatballs. (I put mine in a crock pot.)

[auntdot]

OK, we like hot stuff but I can't taste any tang in the Heinz-type chili sauce that most people use for this recipe.

Have had the stuff many times and kids adore it.

Agree though that the term chili sauce can include a lot of territory.

Just stick with the Heinz-type product (there are a lot of other brands) and you will be fine.

Although now that I think about it, I might just try making it with the high octane stuff.