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Sweet and Spicy Ham Balls

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Ingredients

Ham Balls

  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 cup finely chopped onion
  • 2 pounds ground ham (grind your own or use something like Frick’s Ground Ham)
  • 1 pound Jimmy Dean Premium All-Natural Regular Pork Sausage (or your favorite pork sausage)

Sweet and Spicy Sauce

  • 1 can (20 oz) crushed pineapple, in juice, undrained
  • 2 red sweet bell peppers, seeded and quartered
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup prepared (yellow) mustard
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes, omit or adjust to taste

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350F
  • In a large bowl, combine the eggs and breadcrumbs.
  • Let stand and allow breadcrumbs to hydrate.
  • Add onions.
  • Crumble ham and sausage over mixture.
  • Mix well (clean hands works best).
  • Shape into 1 and 1/2 inch balls.
  • Place in two greased 13 by 9 inch baking dishes.
  • In a blender, combine pineapple, sweet bell pepper, brown sugar, mustard, vinegar, and red pepper flakes; cover and process until smooth.
  • Pour pineapple mixture over ham balls.
  • Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes or until a thermometer reads 160 degrees. Baste occasionally with sauce.

Notes

Serve with white rice and stir fry vegetables. Make smaller balls and serve as an appetizer. This recipe would also make a great ham loaf.

Reduce sticky hands. Before mixing and shaping the ham mixture, lightly moisten your hands with cold water. A bit of cooking oil works as well.

Freeze half of the ham balls and sauce to use later. Freeze the ham balls on a baking sheet and once frozen store them in a zipper freezer bag. Store the sauce in a freezer-safe container.

Find it online: https://beardy.org/sweet-and-spicy-ham-balls/