Smoked Italian Meatballs are tender, flavorful, and smoked rather than baked! Enjoy in your spaghetti dinner or as an appetizer!
Smoked Italian Meatballs
About 5 years ago, I bought my hubby a smoker for Father’s Day and since then, it has been the best investment! From ribs, to beer pizza dough, steaks, and now meatballs…. everything that comes off there, is a hit! Well, okay, early on, probably a few misses too (learning curves, right??).
Last week, I planned on keeping dinner simple. I typically make meatballs and keep them in the freezer for simple dinners. That was my plan for dinner until I realized I never made another batch after using the rest up earlier. Well, I whipped up the meat and formed them, ready for the oven. My hubby saw them ready to go and had the idea to smoke them rather than bake.
Intrigued with the idea, I went along with it and sure enough, he had quite the genius idea!
The wood pellets added such a smoky flavor, it really enhanced the meatballs! I served them in a tomato vodka sauce over pasta, but these could definitely be enjoyed as an appetizer or snack without sauce!
Even my three kids enjoyed theirs and asked for seconds!
Tender meat, combined with an assortment of seasonings! Formed into balls and cooked on the smoker! Who knew that Smoked Italian Meatballs would be better than baked?!?!
Ingredients Needed for these Smoked Italian Meatballs
Ground Beef- I tend to use 80/20, feel free to use what you have on hand
White Bread- just one slice is needed
Milk
Salt/Pepper
Onion Powder
Minced Garlic- fresh or store bought
Italian Seasoning
Parmesan Cheese- yep, the green can is what I use. Fresh works too though
Breadcrumbs– I use Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
How to prepare:
Other tasty smoker recipes to try:
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Smoked Italian Meatballs
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 slice white bread
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- ¼ cup Italian breadcrumbs
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, add all listed ingredients.
- Using hands, mix ingredients until all is combined.
- Roll meat into golf ball sized meatballs and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet.
- Place cookie sheet onto preheated smoker and smoke for about 25 minutes.
- Turn meatballs over and bump smoker to 325 degrees.
- Cook an additional 25 minutes, or until internal meat temperature is 160 degrees.
- Remove from smoker and serve in spaghetti or as is. Enjoy!
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