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Home » Vintage » Slow Cooker Porcupine Meatballs in a Tangy Sauce

Slow Cooker Porcupine Meatballs in a Tangy Sauce

by Sarah Olson on October 14, 2016 | Updated February 25, 2020 25 Comments

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Meatballs with rice in a sweet and tangy sauce, these Slow Cooker Porcupine Meatballs are a blast from the past!

close up of porcupine meatballs

Hi all! Welcome to the Vintage Slow Cooker Recipe of the month. Today I am sharing my recipe for Slow Cooker Porcupine Meatballs. The Porcupine part of the recipe is the rice in the meatballs. No porcupine meat, I promise! Below is a vintage recipe I found on Pinterest. I jazzed up this recipe with a tangy and sweet sauce. You can see my recipe farther down past the photos.

vintage recipe of porcupine meatballs.

I start with a basic meatball recipe. I don’t add the Minute rice until after I mix these ingredients together first.

ground beef, bread crumbs, barbecue sauce, eggs and onion in a bowl.

The Sauce is a mixture of ketchup, brown sugar and apple cider vinegar, very simple but packs so much flavor. I formed the meat mixture into 20 meatballs. I layered the meatballs and sauce into my slow cooker.

raw meatballs one a plate. Barbecue sauce mixture in a bowl.

Here is what the porcupine meatballs and sauce look like after being cooked on low for 5 hours.

porcupine meatballs in a slow cooker.

The sauce is AMAZING, sweet and lots of tang from the cider vinegar.

porcupine meatballs on a plate

Try these other great meatball recipes too!

  • Slow Cooker Meatball Sliders
  • Slow Cooker Barbecue Meatballs
  • Slow Cooker Honey Buffalo Meatballs
small video of fork slicing into a meatball

I do have to say these vintage recipes have been my favorite to do on the blog, never feels like a chore to me. I hope you are enjoying them too! Have a great weekend.

Want to make more magic in your crockpot? Stay up to date and subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube.

porcupine meatballs on a plate

Slow Cooker Porcupine Meatballs in a Tangy Sauce

5 from 3 votes
Homemade meatballs with rice that makes them into "porcupine" meatballs.
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: porcupine meatballs
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 5 hours
Total Time: 5 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 628kcal
Author: Sarah Olson

Equipment Needed:

  • Slow Cooker – 5 quart or larger

Ingredients:

Meatballs!

  • 1 1/2 lbs ground beef I use 10% fat beef
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. pepper
  • 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup diced onions
  • 1/3 cup barbecue sauce
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1 cup crushed crackers I use Ritz
  • 1 cup Minute Brand rice don’t use standard rice

Sauce

  • 2 cups ketchup I use Hunts
  • 1/2 cup Sweet Baby Rays Barbecue Sauce
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
US Customary – Metric

Instructions:

  • In a large bowl add the meatball ingredients, except the rice. With clean hands mix these ingredients together, add rice and mix in evenly. Form the balls, I made them about the size of 2 tablespoons, I made a total of 20 meatballs.
  • Mix the sauce ingredients in a small bowl until combined.
  • Spray the slow cooker with non-stick spray. Add a layer of meatballs and drizzle over some sauce. Do this a few times, until all the meatballs and sauce are gone.
  • Cover and cook on LOW for 5 hours without opening the lid during the cooking time.

Nutrition:

Calories: 628kcal | Carbohydrates: 89g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 129mg | Sodium: 1524mg | Potassium: 852mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 51g | Vitamin A: 595IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 105mg | Iron: 4mg
Made this recipe?I want to see your photos! Tag me on Instagram @themagicalslowcooker

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    Filed Under: Beef, Dinner, Ground Beef, Vintage Tagged With: bbq, beef, Crock pot, crockpot, rice, slow cooker, sweet, tangy

    Comments

    1. Heather says

      October 15, 2020 at 11:12 am

      5 stars
      these were delicious! I added a bit of water to the sauce after cooking. Next time I will add the water before I cook them. My crock pot runs a little hot and they scorched a bit. Instead of the Ketchup I added a can of tomato sauce (plus one oz of ketchup)

      Reply
    2. Bob Kilmer says

      January 25, 2020 at 10:03 am

      Sara, I use frozen Italian meatballs, sweet baby rays barbeque sauce and can of good whole
      cranberry sauce

      Reply
      • Terry says

        April 2, 2020 at 12:08 am

        5 stars
        Terry, G.
        My mother use to add diced potatoes & Peas half way thru, fantastic with your recipe … & bread ,& butter for dunking..
        Thanks

        Reply
    3. Kerry M. Giesbrecht says

      October 22, 2018 at 10:47 am

      These porcupine meatballs are delish! Just like my mom used to make. The sauce is tangy but sweet, might be nice to use this sauce on ribs or wings.

      Reply
    4. Anonymous says

      July 30, 2018 at 10:43 am

      Have you made these with ground chicken?

      Reply
    5. Colleen Porter says

      December 12, 2017 at 3:16 pm

      can I make the meatballs and then freeze until ready to cook

      Reply
      • Sarah Olson says

        December 12, 2017 at 4:04 pm

        I think that would work fine.

        Reply
    6. Becky says

      May 9, 2017 at 7:48 am

      Could you use miracle whip instead of eggs?

      Reply
      • Sarah Olson says

        May 9, 2017 at 7:53 am

        I’m unsure how that would work, sorry!

        Reply
    7. Robert says

      November 3, 2016 at 10:56 am

      Can I bake these?

      Reply
    8. Mick says

      October 17, 2016 at 2:34 pm

      I made this recipe as a meatloaf. Made half of the sauce and used as a glaze on top. Baked at 350 for 70 min. Very good. Thanks for the great recipes.

      Reply
      • Sarah Olson says

        October 17, 2016 at 7:41 pm

        I will have to try that Mick. And call it porcupine meatloaf!

        Reply
      • Kim says

        January 28, 2020 at 7:30 pm

        I wondered if it would work as a meatloaf. Thanks for sharing how you did it.

        Reply
    9. Linda says

      October 17, 2016 at 9:57 am

      Printed the meatball and chicken recipe and plan to try them this week. Love your page and appreciate all the great recipes! I am older with health problems which cause me to lose energy during the day so if I can get a slow cooker meal ready in the morning I can enjoy a tasty dinner later. Please keep the recipes coming. Linda from Kansas

      Reply
      • Sarah Olson says

        October 17, 2016 at 9:59 am

        Thank you for your kind comment Linda! I add about 2 recipes a week. I’m glad you are enjoying them.

        Reply
      • Pat says

        April 8, 2020 at 3:19 am

        I love using the slow cooker for the very same reason…..more energy in the morning than the afternoon. I love The Magical Slow Cooker Recipes as they never disappoint
        !

        Reply
    10. Deb says

      October 15, 2016 at 1:49 pm

      Is rice cooked or uncooked when making this?
      Thanks

      Reply
      • Sarah Olson says

        October 15, 2016 at 4:22 pm

        It’s uncooked Minute brand rice.

        Reply
    11. Sonsie Hollingsworth says

      October 15, 2016 at 9:31 am

      I like to use leftover cooked rice when I make this ; I just cook for as long ! Hope that helps a little bit !!

      Reply
      • Sarah Olson says

        October 15, 2016 at 11:57 am

        Yes, that works too. Thank you for mentioning that.

        Reply
    12. Chelsea says

      October 14, 2016 at 7:20 pm

      Can I use long grain rice and cook meatballs longer?

      Reply
      • Sarah Olson says

        October 15, 2016 at 6:22 am

        I’ve never had luck with regular rice in the slow cooker. It seems the slow temperature rise of the slow cooker doesn’t cook the rice properly and it gets gummy.

        Reply
    13. Mary // Chattavore says

      October 14, 2016 at 3:29 pm

      These look so delicious and easy, Sarah! I’ve never made porcupine meatballs, but I may have to fix that!

      Reply
    14. Thomas Kasiewicz says

      October 14, 2016 at 12:34 pm

      my mom made these all the time when we was younger, Now my wife makes them for me. they are good.

      Reply
    15. Debbie Wimberly Caraballo says

      October 14, 2016 at 11:49 am

      Amazing old recipe, it’s so delicious. I’ll be making this very soon!

      Reply

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