Preheat your oven to 400°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil for easy cleanup. This prevents meatballs from sticking and makes transferring to your slow cooker effortless when baking finishes.

Combine ground beef, breadcrumbs, eggs, milk, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper in a large mixing bowl using your hands. Mix gently until just combined—overworking creates tough, dense meatballs rather than tender ones. Don't knead or squeeze the mixture.

Roll mixture into 24 equal meatballs, spacing them 1 inch apart on your prepared baking sheet. These sticky cocktail meatballs crowd recipe works best when meatballs have slight space between them for even heat circulation.

Bake for 12–15 minutes until meatballs are cooked through and lightly browned on the outside, but don't worry if they're not deeply caramelized yet. They'll develop color from the sticky glaze during the next cooking phase.

While meatballs bake, whisk together ketchup, grape jelly, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, and red pepper flakes in a medium saucepan. This creates the sticky coating that makes cocktail meatballs so memorable at game day events.

Heat the sauce over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until grape jelly melts completely and sauce reaches a gentle simmer. The mixture should coat the back of a spoon thickly without being pourable like gravy.

Transfer baked meatballs to a slow cooker or serving bowl, then pour the warm sticky glaze over them and stir gently to coat. Keep on warm setting if serving over time, or transfer to a chafing dish to maintain temperature throughout your football night gathering.