Welcome fellow food enthusiasts, to a world where the time-honored tailgate delight collides with modern day convenience - behold the Air Fryer Bacon-Wrapped Juicy Lucy Meatballs. This irresistible blend of crispy bacon, juicy meat, and melty cheese is the gameday appetizer you didn't know your watch party needed. It's a full cheeseburger in meatball form with a molten, gooey cheese center surrounded by flavorful beef with a crispy bacon exterior! What else can a person ask for on gameday when looking for snacks and finger foods? To beat it all, you can let the Air Fryer do most of the work and even save a few calories along the way. If this sounds like your kind of appetizer, grab a few beers and follow along as I explain this simple, yet satisfying meatball of your future...Let's Get Cooking!
Like any meatball recipe, we will begin by combining the ground beef, egg, panko, Worcestershire sauce, and salt/pepper. Mix these well without overworking the mixture too much, which leads to dried out, less appetizing meatballs.
Once the meat is ready, cut your block of cheddar cheese into small, 1/2 to 3/4-inch cubes. The beauty of this recipe and Juicy Lucy burgers in general is that you can use just about any flavor cheese you want, from mild to spicy to smelling like a zombie's butthole, get creative and go wild. Hell, make one meatball with some fiery hot, Carolina Reaper cheese and play meatball Russian Roulette with your friends later on. Talk about a gameday full of laughs, for most of the guests, anyway.
Use your hands, an ice cream scoop, or medium cookie scoop to portion out small meatballs, about the size of a golf ball. Try to make them all the same size to ensure even cooking. You can make them as small or large as you prefer, in all reality, it will just vary the cooking time from the golf ball size I suggest. Anyway, grab a portion of meat and push a block of cheese into the middle. Use your hands to reform the meat completely around the cheese hiding it and hopefully holding it all in when it is heated and begins to melt. This was a double batch, I believe, so plan ahead, especially for a big gameday party. Make a triple, quadruple batch the day before and just have them ready to cook in the Air Fryer.
Once you have formed all the Juicy Lucy meatballs, grab a slice of bacon and wrap it around each meatball, trying to cover the entire thing. You should be able to get by with just the bacon wrap, but if necessary, use a toothpick to secure it in place.
When you are ready to cook these little bacon-wrapped umami bombs, preheat your Air Fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Arrange them in a single layer and cook for 7 to 8 minutes, if golf ball size, or adjust accordingly.
Flip the meatballs over and cook an additional 7 to 8 minutes, again, adjusting for different sizing. The final temperature of the beef itself needs to reach 160 degrees, but keep in mind the molten cheese in the middle may throw off your actual meat temperature. Otherwise, the bacon should crisp up nicely by the time the beef is actually cooked. If you did a great job, no cheese should leak from your meatballs. If you did a "good enough for government" job, then they will prob leak a little, like below. If you half-assed it from the get-go, well, more than likely all your cheese is in a puddle all over your Air Fryer now, oops!
Otherwise, serve these Juicy Lucy Meatballs hot with some mustard and ketchup. Feel free to get fancy and garnish with some sesame seeds as well, but it isn't necessary. Fun fact, these actually reheat quite well, so if somehow you end up with extras at the end of the night, count your blessings and call it meal prep for the week!
These Air Fryer Bacon-Wrapped Juicy Lucy Meatballs are a delectable gameday appetizer that comfortably straddles the line between comfort food and gourmet cuisine. With the ease of preparation and room for personalization, this crowd-pleasing delight is the superstar your gameday menu needs. In the grand scheme of entertaining, what truly matters is the company and the food. These meatballs will not only satiate your guests' taste buds but also serve as an engaging conversation starter. So, what are you waiting for? Whip up a batch of these and watch them vanish faster than you can say 'touchdown'!!!
Remember to share your experiences with me in the comments below! How did your guests enjoy the Air Fryer Bacon-Wrapped Juicy Lucy Meatballs? What adjustments did you make to suit your preferences? I can't wait to hear your stories...Just Keep Cooking!
AIR FRYER BACON WRAPPED JUICY LUCY MEATBALLS
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