Smoke-N-Hot BBQ Meatball Appetizers

It dawned on me that while I have 15 meatball recipes on this blog I haven't done anything with BBQ sauce yet... Let's address that:@) A basic recipe is BBQ sauce mixed with some kind of jelly or jam, in a 2:1 ratio. But I wanted to go a different route and make these Smoke-N-Hot BBQ Meatballs for folks that like to spice things up a little bit, liquid smoke adds a depth of flavor and hot sauce/cayenne make these as hot as you'd like. These bad boys will warm up your next party for sure!

For about 1 1/2 lbs of meatballs you want at least 2 cups of BBQ sauce, if you think you need more add it and another splash of hot sauce. Note: I wanted my meatballs to be a little more assertive and kept the tang from the sauce, if you want heat but with more sweet just add more jam/jelly and cook it a little longer.

Earl says, just be ready to put out the fire with, um, something...

Smoke-N-Hot BBQ Meatball Appetizers
Approx 1 1/2 lbs of meatballs, frozen or homemade
2 C BBQ Sauce, your favorite brand
4 tsp hot sauce, more if you'd like
1/4 tsp liquid smoke
1/4 C peach or apricot jam
cayenne pepper, I added a few hearty shakes-you know your crowd:@)
a light shake or two of ground ginger

1. Cook meatballs.
2. Add all sauce ingredients to separate pan and heat through, let gently cook until sauce thickens up a bit, about 15-20 minutes. 
3. Mix sauce and meatballs. Can keep warm in crockpot on low if desired.

Have a happy day:@)