Smoked BBQ Meatballs

Made-from-scratch smoked BBQ meatballs make the perfect appetizer or main course. These meatballs are smoked right on the grill or smoker, then bathed in a flavorful BBQ sauce.

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Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American BBQ

Keyword: grilled meatballs, meatballs on smoker, smoked BBQ meatballs

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 55 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Servings:

Calories: 521kcal

Author: Sabrina Baksh

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 1/2 pounds ground pork
4 strips uncooked, thick-cut bacon, minced
1/3 cup minced onions yellow or sweet onions
1/3 cup bread crumbs
1 4- ounce can of diced green chilis (mild or medium heat)
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 large egg
2 cloves garlic minced
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
1 1/4 teaspoons Mexican oregano sub with regular oregano
1 cup BBQ sauce (homemade or store bought)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro or flat-leaf parsley

Instructions

Place ground beef and ground pork in a large bowl. Mince the bacon into very small pieces. It should resemble ground meat.
Add all remaining ingredients to the bowl, except BBQ sauce and garnish. Using your hands or spatula, combine the meatball mixture. Be gentle and do not overmix. This will cause the meatballs to become tough during the cooking process. Set bowl aside
Prepare your grill or smoker to 225 degrees F. We used a pellet grill for this recipe but have also made it on a kamado unit.
While your grill is heating, form the meatballs into 1 3/4"-2" uniform-shaped meatballs.
Place the meatballs on a jerky tray. Set that tray onto a large baking sheet. Do not crowd the meatballs. Leave at least 1/2" of space between them.
Place the meatballs into your smoker, close the lid and let them smoke for 40 minutes, or until they reach an internal temperature of 145 degrees F.
It's time to coat the smoked meatballs with BBQ sauce.
Option 1: Place the meatballs into a large disposable aluminum pan, pour the sauce over the top and gently toss to coat with tongs.
Option 2: Leave the meatballs on the jerky tray, and brush them with BBQ sauce.
After saucing, let the meatballs continue cooking until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
Remove meatballs from the grill, and place them onto a serving dish topped with chopped cilantro of flat-leaf parsley.

Notes

Oven option

Don't own a smoker or grill, don't worry. You can cook these smoked BBQ meatballs in the oven. Follow the instruction above, but cook the meatballs in a 350-degree oven for 20 minutes, coat them in sauce and continue cooking until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.

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