I did this in 55 minutes in my turbo oven. Even in a conventional oven 2 1/2 hours seems too long.

I agree, one and a half hours is plenty. Meatballs were tasty and spicy.

Excellent recipe. I did 2.0 hours in conventional oven at 375°F (impatient man's 350°F). Turned out excellent.

The point is to get the sauce thick and sticky on the meatballs, you don't want it runny and greasy, that's why it says 2 1/2 hours rolling every half hour.

2 1/2 hours turning every half hour b/c the sauce should be caramelized onto the meatballs, not runny and greasy! love these things. make them every holiday and keep warm in my rectangle slow cooker! never have leftovers

Great flavor, whole family loves them. I also only cook for 1.5 hours, but wonder do most cooks add the 4 cups water with the dry onion soup mix or just the dry mix?

Water in the chili sauce bottle goes with the cranberries and chili sauce... No water in the meatballs.

I tried to do this one from memory for my 70th birthday and forgot the brown sugar. Oh well. Mom and I used to do this one together for special occaisions. She is home with the Lord now so I know that her dinner will be just perfect. Blessings, Myron from Marion

I do these for 2 hours at the recommended temperature and they turn out great. The only other modification I make is filling the chili sauce bottle with beef broth instead of water for added flavor.