Smoked Cranberry Meatballs (in a Cranberry Red Wine Sauce)

Smoked meatballs braised in a sweet and savory Cranberry Pinot Noir Red Wine Sauce is one of our all time favorite holiday appetizers. These cranberry meatballs are ALWAY a hit at any party or gathering!

The best part is the cranberry wine sauce comes together with 4 simple ingredients!

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Ingredients + Substitutions

The full recipe list can be printed in the recipe card.

Meatballs

• Ground Meat – We recommend an 80/20 lean/fat ratio of ground beef for the best binding. Add ground unseasoned pork for more flavor. You can also substitute ground turkey or ground chicken in the same portion. If you use chicken or turkey be sure it’s the lowest lean percentage so it will bind.
• Dried Cranberries – Infuse the meatballs with the sweet flavor of dried cranberries. Be sure you chop them up.
• Binders – To help the meatballs bind, add liquids like egg, Worcestershire, and Dijon mustard. Breadcrumbs help absorb the liquid, bind, and provide a nice texture to the meatball. You can use gluten free breadcrumbs in the same portions.

Cranberry Sauce

• Cranberry Sauce – We use jellied (canned) cranberry sauce, you can also use chunky or you can make our red wine cranberry sauce for even more flavor.
• Wine – Use a fruit forward red wine like Pinot Noir or Zinfandel. Be sure it’s a wine you would drink, don’t use anything labeled “cooking wine”.
• Sugar – Use dark or light brown sugar to sweeten the sauce. The molasses flavor in the brown sugar is a better flavor profile than using cane sugar.
• Mustard – Dijon adds the right acidic balance for the sweet. You can use yellow mustard too but we do not recommend any sweet style mustards.

Cranberry Meatballs Appetizer

For this recipe we roll homemade meatballs with a base of ground pork and beef, then cook them on the smoker, and finally add them to a rich, sweet, and slightly savory ingredient cranberry red wine sauce.

If we serve these during the holidays we’ll even add some dried cranberries to the meatball mix. It adds a lovely sweet kick to them.

This recipe is super simple, and oh-so delicious, and the cranberry wine sauce makes for a festive holiday appetizer.

How to Make Cranberry Meatballs

1. Start by smoking your meatballs. These meatballs are a combination of pork and beef, with some additional seasoning ingredients. Sometimes we’ll also add some dried cranberries to our cranberry meatballs (especially if we’re serving them around the holidays). Smoke the meatballs at 225 degrees for roughly 1 hour, or until the internal temperature of the meatballs are 165 degrees F using a good instant read thermometer.
2. While the meatballs are smoking make the sauce. This sauce is so simple (only 4 ingredients!). Combine the canned cranberry sauce, red wine, brown sugar, and Dijon mustard in a sauce pan over medium heat. That’s it! Simmer together and keep warm.
3. Once the meatballs are done, add them to the sauce. If you’re taking this to a holiday party transfer everything to a slow cooker, and keep it warm.

Variation

If you want to make the meatballs stuffed with dried cranberries, just add in a 1/2 cup of cranberries before you form the meatballs.  The meatballs in this recipe are less sweet and more savory (though with the same delicious sauce). You can also make them with turkey meatballs too. Whatever you fancy.

Impress your friends this holiday season, and try these festive meatballs.

If you’re traveling to a party or event and want to keep them warm, just transfer them into a slow cooker. Easy peasy (and oh-so-delicious).

There’s a reason they’re (almost) famous. Believe me!

Wine Pairing 

These meatballs may seem too sweet to pair with wine. But there’s a delicate and intentional balance of smokey, sweet, and savory flavors, along with that acidic bite from the Dijon mustard, that make them rock solid with wine. I promise you these aren’t sugary sweet meatballs.

Since the inspiration for this was in the Willamette Valley wine country we always default to Pinot Noir (ideally a bigger style or one from a warmer vintage). But you can use any fruity wine that is low in tannins. Zinfandel is another one that works well with this dish. It’s also a crowd pleaser if you’re serving these at a party.

At the end of the day, this is meant to be an appetizer, likely at a holiday party, where loads of flavors are going to be competing for one another. So no need to really overthink it. Whatever you used in the sauce is likely a good match for the dish!

Frequently Asked Questions