Smoky Stuffed Mushrooms

When my husband walked into the house while I was baking these amazing appetizers, the first thing he said was, “Mmmm, what smells so good?” The aroma of this finger-lickin’ meat sauce was just a prelude to the amazing taste that these stuffed mushrooms offered! And don’t stop
at mushrooms — I tried it on pulled beef with equally delicious results.

Serves 12–15

36 large stuffing mushrooms, cleaned,
stems removed
½ cup oil
¾ cup red cooking wine
salt and pepper, to taste
1 large Spanish onion, sautéed until
golden
1½ lb (¾ kg) ground beef

SMOKY MEAT SAUCE

• 1 cup ketchup
• 1 cup brown sugar
• ⅓ cup hot and spicy duck sauce
• 3 Tbsp yellow mustard
• 3 Tbsp fish-free Worcestershire sauce
• 3 Tbsp vinegar
• ½ cup Coca-Cola (preferably not diet)
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ¼ tsp pepper

Place mushrooms in a large bowl. Combine oil and wine and pour over mushrooms, then season well with salt and pepper. Combine sauce ingredients in a large bowl and add half of the sautéed onions to the sauce. Place ground beef in another bowl and mix well to break up any lumps. Add ½ cup sauce and the rest of the sautéed onions to the meat and mix well to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Place mushrooms, cap side down, on two lightly greased baking sheets, leaving some space between each of them.

Using your hands, form meat into balls to fill each mushroom, and place in the center of the cap. The size of the meatball should be relative to the mushroom it is being placed in. Drizzle each mushroom with a tablespoon of reserved sauce.
Place baking sheets in oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and drizzle each meatball with additional sauce. Return to oven, alternating the trays on top and bottom oven racks, and bake an additional 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

(Originally featured in FamilyTable 642)