18 Sauces for Cocktail Meatballs, Cocktails Weenies, and Cocktail Sausage

My mom and Aunt Blanche insist that among the fastest disappearing dishes at any gathering are cocktail meatballs, weenies or sausage. Ironic, since there are dozens of recipes for these that are quick and easy, and there are so many other food items on the family feast table that take hours of preparation. My mom says the cocktail weenies are always great to have on hand for the young kids. Her theory is they deter food waste by the young ones overall. They’ll go for the weenies or Little Smokies, instead of grabbing a big piece of chicken that they don’t eat.

We enjoyed preparing for this hub at my house! We had all eaten these little treats many times, but I wanted photos. So we had a mini smorgasbord last night. My brother liked the cocktail weenies best, my sister is a fan of the cocktail sausage, actually Little Smokies. Me, my favorite is cocktail meatballs.

I went to AllRecipes and RecipeZaar to put together some basic sauces for your cocktail meatballs, cocktail weenies, and cocktail sausages. Most of the recipes are for meatballs, but would easily work for cocktail weenies or sausage. Take a walk on the wild side. Enjoy these easy to make appetizers.

Most of the cocktail meatball recipes included the ingredients and instructions for making the meatballs. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for homemade, but in the case of meatballs, I buy frozen. I would just caution to be mindful of your sauce recipe, and whether you want to use plain or Italian meatballs. For those who prefer to make their own meatballs, I’m including one basic meatball recipe.

1 lb ground beef

½ c dried bread crumbs

1/3 c chopped onion

¼ c milk

1 egg

1 tsp salt

½ tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/8 tsp black pepper

Cooking oil

1- Combine all ingredients except cooking oil in a bowl and thoroughly combine. Shape into meatballs, approximately 1”.

2- Heat oil in skillet. Add meatballs and cook until browned, about 5 to 7 minutes. Drain on paper towel.

It doesn’t matter much which meat you prefer.  Most of the sauces can be used for any of the meats.  We cooked our sauces and meats up on the stovetop.  In general, combine all ingredients in a saucepan, and bring to a low boil.  Most sauces and meats will be ready after simmering 30 minutes to an hour.  For parties you could prepare them on the stove, then transfer to a crock pot to keep them warm, or put them in the crock pot on low about 4 to 6 hours before your event. 

The most prevalent of the jelly-based sauces, and perhaps the most prevalent sauces overall are the grape jelly sauces.  The grape jelly sauce recipes were primarily prepared with mustard or tomato-based chili sauce.  Next most popular jelly sauce seemed to be sauces made with cranberry jelly.  Finally, I saw a fair few made with currant jelly. 

Sauce recipe amounts given are for 1 pound of meat.  Based on my recent cocktail meatball, sausage, and weenie experience, I’d say most of these recipes would accommodate 1 ½ to 2 lbs of your meat. 

Grape Jelly Sauce with Chili Sauce

1 ¼ c grape jelly

1 ½ c tomato-based chili sauce

Grape Jelly Sauce with Mustard

1 ½ c grape jelly

½ c mustard

Grape Jelly Variation

1 ¼ c grape jelly

¼ c chili sauce

2 Tbsp mustard

Cranberry Jelly Sauce

1 small can jellied cranberry sauce, 8 oz

¾ c chili sauce

1 Tbsp brown sugar

1 ½ tsp lemon juice

Hot sauce, optional

Currant Jelly Sauce

1 /2 c currant jelly

¼ c dry red wine

½ tsp lemon zest (rind)

2 tsp mustard

Basic Ketchup Sauce

1 c ketchup

½ c packed brown sugar

Ketchup Sauce #2

¾ c ketchup

½ c water

¼ c vinegar

1/3 c brown sugar

1 ½ Tbsp dried minced onion

1 tsp mustard

4 tsp Worcestershire sauce

6 drops hot pepper sauce

Ketchup Sauce #3

2 c ketchup

1 ½ c packed brown sugar

½ c minced onion

1 tsp liquid smoke

½ tsp garlic powder

1/8 tsp ground cloves

Beer Ketchup Sauce

14 oz ketchup

12 oz beer

1 c sugar

Sweet and Sour Sauce #1

½ c packed brown sugar

1 tsp cornstarch

1 can pineapple chunks, 13 oz

1/3 c vinegar

1 tsp soy sauce

1 sm green pepper, chopped

Combine ingredients in pan.  Bring to boil, stirring constantly.  Reduce heat.  Simmer meatballs, weenies, or sausage 10 minutes. 

Sweet and Sour Sauce #2

1/3 c green pepper, chopped or sliced

1/3 c chopped onion

1 c tomato soup

2 Tbsp brown sugar

4 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbsp mustard

1 Tbsp vinegar

1 to 2 c pineapple tidbits, with some juice

Cook as above. 

Swedish Style Sauce

2 pkg mushroom gravy mix

1 pkg onion soup mix

2 c water

2 c sour cream

Combine gravy and soup mixes and water.  Bring to boil stirring constantly.  Simmer 1 minute.  Reduce heat to low and add sour cream. 

Ham Glaze Sauce

This is what my family uses for baked ham.  We tried it for Little Smokie sausages last night, which turned out pretty well.  Recipe amounts per 1 lb of meatballs or per 12 oz package of smokies. 

½ cup packed brown sugar

¼ cup mustard

¼ cup water

Favorite Marinade Sauce

This is my favorite chicken marinade, modified for a simmer sauce for meatballs. 

½ c balsamic vinegar

½ c soy sauce

½ c water

½ Tbsp garlic powder with parsley

1 tsp basil

Barbecue Sauce

Simple but diverse:  use a bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce!  There are thousands to choose from, so your taste experience could be different every time.  You could have classic Kraft barbecue sauce on weenies one week, then next week try a gourmet sauce on meatballs.  Another time have Texas Cattleman’s barbecue sauce on sausage rounds or Little Smokies. 

Marinara Sauce

Another simple but diverse idea.  Buy a jar of your favorite Spaghetti Sauce, or treat your guests to a gourmet sauce. 

For Something Really Different

Coconut Fennel Cocktail Meatballs

Ginger Sesame Cocktail Meatballs

Cocktail Meatballs in Cabbage Sauce

Thanks for your support!

Join HubPages

Not a member of HubPages? Sign up and then you can make comments on hubs, follow your favorite hubbers, &/or write your own hubs.

Party Recipes

Horderves- Dozens of Quick and Easy Appetizers

12 Super Fast, Cheap, and Easy Dip Recipes for Your Next Party

Chicken Wings for Your Next Party- 26 Chicken Wing Recipes from Famous Chefs

Easy Fruit Punch Recipe for Your Next Party

FAST AND EASY RECIPES:

12 Super Fast, Cheap and Easy Main Dishes

12 Super Fast, Cheap and Easy Pasta Recipes

8 Super Fast, Cheap and Easy Casseroles

Cooking Methods

Vita Mix Soup Recipes- How to Make Soup with Your VitaMix Blender

How to Make Chicken Cutlets- Perfect for Chicken Parmigiana

How to Cook Cubed Steak- 5 Ways to Prepare Cube Steak

How to Prepare Fish: Blackened Fish, Cedar Plank Salmon, Salt Fish- 18 Ways to Cook Fish