Preheat oven to 375°F and line a sheet pan with aluminum foil.
Cut each piece of bacon into four pieces; first cut in half across the width then cut in half again lengthwise for long, narrow strips.
Place about 1 ½ cups BBQ Sauce in a medium bowl and toss the meatballs until fully coated.
Wrap a piece of bacon around each sauced meatball and secure with a toothpick.
Place the skewered meatballs on the prepared pan in a single layer.
Bake for 20 minutes.
Remove from oven, turn the meatballs to crisp the other side, baste with remaining BBQ sauce (about ½ cup).
Return to the oven for another 20 minutes until the bacon is crispy and the BBQ sauce is slightly caramelized and sticky.
Serve hot or room temperature with additional BBQ Sauce for dipping, if desired.
Chef’s Tips
The meatballs can be assembled and skewered up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated. The meatballs can also be cooked a few hours ahead and reheated in a 350°F oven for about 10-15 minutes.
The easiest way to defrost the meatballs is to refrigerate overnight but things can be sped up with the microwave. Place the meatballs in a shallow dish and start with 1 ½ minutes at 50% power. Give a stir and repeat as needed. They need to be soft enough to push a toothpick through.
Brushing the half-baked meatballs with BBQ sauce can be a bit tedious. If you don’t mind sticky toothpicks, place the ½ cup or so of BBQ sauce in a bowl, place half-baked meatballs in the bowl and gently toss to coat with a rubber spatula. Return to the pan in a single layer and continue baking.
Don’t like BBQ sauce? Try a sweet chile sauce or a thick teriyaki glaze. Scan the sauce section in your grocery store for all kinds of ideas.
