Ingredients

1 cup bottled chili sauce
3/4 cup unsalted chicken stock
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cider vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons sauce from canned Chipotle peppers
2 (14-ounce) cans cranberry jelly
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 pounds 85/15 ground beef
1 1/2 cups Panko bread crumbs
1/4 dried parsley
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 large eggs
6 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

Whisk together first 7 ingredients and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large sauce pot over medium heat.  Cook, whisking frequently, 12 minutes until sauce thickens slightly. 

Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onion, celery, and garlic; saute 5 minutes or until softened.  Transfer mixture into a large bowl, let cool 10 minutes.  Add remaining 1 teaspoon salt, beef and next four ingredients.  Mix thoroughly by hand and shape into 48 (3/4 ounce) balls.

Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add half of meatballs. Cook 5 minutes, turning to brown evenly.  Remove from pan, repeat with remaining oil and meatballs.

Heat sauce in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Adjust heat to maintain a very low simmer.  Add meatballs and simmer for 7-10 minutes. (for a party low on crock pot works great -- and it's a serving dish on a buffet line!)