I have been obsessed with pirates since I was 13 years old and read Treasure Island for the first time. After that came the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, and now I can’t get enough Black Sails. I had pirates on my mind when I thought of this recipe, which uses brown sugar, pineapple, jalapeno, bacon, and rum. For a true Caribbean experience, a Scotch Bonnet pepper should be used; however, I’m not a fan of having my mouth on fire and used a jalapeno instead. All of the ingredients in this recipe would have been available in the Caribbean at the time Blackbeard and Rackham sailed and plundered. Although they probably wouldn’t have made a dish like this, if it was set before them I’m confident they’d heartily enjoy it.
Spicy Caribbean Meatballs
Makes 20-24
30 minutes
For the meatballs:
1 lb lean ground beef (I used 93%)
1/2 C plain bread crumbs
1 egg
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
For the sauce:
1/4 C brown sugar
1.5 oz spiced rum
8 oz can pineapple tidbits in juice
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
2 T Worcestershire sauce
1/2 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled
Using your hands, combine all ingredients for meatballs in a large bowl and shape into 20 tablespoon-size balls. In a deep pan over medium high heat, brown meatballs in a single layer, turning once or twice until a nice crust is formed on both sides. Don’t worry about cooking them all the way through at this stage.
Combine all ingredients for the sauce and pour into the pan with the meatballs. Mixture should immediately boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for about 10 minutes, until meatballs are cooked through. Remove cover and turn heat to high. Boil 5-6 minutes, until liquid has completely reduced and formed a glaze. Serve hot. Leftovers keep well in the refrigerator for several days.
