Baked Bacon Meatballs - Appetizer

This recipe was actually perfect for the Superbowl but seeing as how it's almost a week late, I figured I may as well share it for other events or next years Superbowl even. You can really use this as an appetizer for any holiday or meal. The original recipe used whiskey in the recipe. I didn't want to do that so I just made it my own below. If you make these, please let me know if you like them. I really, really loved them!

Ingredients for the meatballs:
6 pieces of cooked bacon
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp garlic powder
1.5 pounds ground beef
1/3 cup breadcrumbs
2 tsp parsley
1/4 cup half and half
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt

Ingredients for the sauce:
1 cup BBQ sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
chopped chives to top

Directions:
Cook bacon on the stove. 

Use a potato masher to crush cooked bacon. In a bowl, combine the bacon bits, onion powder and garlic powder. Mix in the ground beef, breadcrumbs, parsley, half and half, and seasonings. 

Roll the meat mixture into golf ball sized balls and place on a baking sheet. 

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. 

While it's cooking, heat the sauce on the stove in a saucepan. Combine the sauce ingredients on low and and let it heat up for about 5-10 minutes. A little bit of boil is okay. Once the meatballs are done, let sit for a few minutes and pour the sauce over them. 

Use toothpicks or a fork and enjoy! If you are making this for the Superbowl, serve with deviled eggs, chips and queso, and vegetables.