Heavenly Ham Balls Recipe

Ham Balls
1½ pounds cubed ham
1 pound ground pork
2 eggs
1 cup saltine cracker crumbs
1 cup finely chopped onions, optional
1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup vegetable oil

Glaze
1¼ cups packed dark brown sugar
¾ cup orange juice
¼ cup rice vinegar
¼ cup prepared mustard
1 tablespoon dry mustard

Garnish
Cilantro leaves, optional
Orange slices, optional

1. To prepare the ham balls, place the ham in a food processor container and pulse to a coarse texture. Combine the ham, pork, eggs, cracker crumbs, and onions, if using, in a large bowl; mix well.
2. Form into 60 meatballs about the size of a walnut. The mixture will be very sticky and soft.
3. Pour the flour into a shallow pan and coat the meatballs with the flour. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours to overnight.
4. To prepare the glaze, combine all of the ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
5. Heat ¼ cup of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 20 meatballs and cook until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Repeat twice with the remaining meatballs.
6. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Arrange the browned meatballs in a 13 x 9-inch glass baking dish. Pour the glaze mixture evenly over the meatballs and bake, uncovered, for 1½ hours, or until richly glazed, turning every 30 minutes. Garnish with cilantro leaves and orange slices, if desired. Serves 20.

Tips From Our Test Kitchen: For easy handling, use a fork and spoon when turning the meatballs.