These meatballs always inspire a lot of “ooh, yuuumm”s and funny comments from friends and family alike: “Something is different about these meatballs!” They love them, but they’ve never had anything quite like them, either—unless they’re familiar with this old Southern recipe. (We’ve kept ours a secret till now, but we’ll share it with you here.)

　　

Ingredients

makes about 36 mini-meatballs

　　

SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE

Two 15-ounce cans tomato sauce

　　1/2 cup light-brown sugar

　　1/2 cup chile sauce

　　3 tablespoons red-wine vinegar

　　1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

　　

MEATBALLS

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef

　　1/2 small onion, grated

　　1/2 cup plain bread crumbs

　　1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

　　1 large egg, beaten

　　3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

　　Pinch of crushed red-pepper flakes

　　Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

　　

Step 2

Put all the sauce ingredients in a medium saucepan and mix. Let simmer while you prepare the meatballs.

　　

Step 3

Combine all the meatball ingredients in a large bowl, and mix well. Shape the mixture into meatballs the size of walnuts, and place in a single layer in a 13-by-9-inch casserole dish. Pour the sweet and sour sauce over the meatballs, cover with foil, and bake for 30 minutes. Serve with decorative bamboo toothpicks.

　　Reprinted with permission from The Neelys' Celebration Cookbook by Pat and Gina Nelly. Copyright © 2011 by Pat and Gina Nelly with Anna Volkwein. Excerpted by permission of Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.Pat and Gina Neely are restaurateurs, best-selling authors, popular speakers, and hosts of the Food Network hit series Down Home with the Neelys. They recently opened their first New York City restaurant, Neely's Barbecue Parlor. They live with their daughters in Memphis, where they enjoy cooking at home with family and friends.Ann Volkwein is a best-selling food and lifestyle author based in New York City and Austin, Texas. Her previous books include: The Arthur Avenue Cookbook, Chinatown New York, Mixt Greens (with Andrew Swallow), and, with Guy Fieri: Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives; More Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives; and Guy Fieri Food.