Meatballs and parties go hand in hand and when they are smoked meatballs full of cheesy goodness, it’s a no brainer!
Course Appetizer
Cuisine Hot Smoking
Prep Time 35 minutesminutes
Cook Time 1 hourhour
Total Time 1 hourhour35 minutesminutes
Servings 20
Author Jeff Phillips
Ingredients
1lbof 85/15 ground chuck
¼lbground pork or ground breakfast sausage
⅓cupbread crumbs
½cupgrated parmesan
½cupshredded cheddar or cheddar mix
½cupchopped onion
⅓cupchopped jalapeno
⅓cupplain yogurtI used greek style
1large eggthe whole thing
¼cupWorcestershire
¼cupJeff's original rub
½cupJeff's barbecue sauce
¼inchcubes of cheddaryou can also use pepper jack, or other favorite cheese. (sharp cheddar is my recommendation
Instructions
Step 1: Make the Meatball Mix
Place the ground chuck, ground pork (or sausage), egg, parmesan, jalapeño, onion, grated cheddar, bread crumbs, rub, barbecue sauce, Worcestershire and yogurt into a large mixing bowl and get in there with your clean bare hands to combine everything thoroughly.
Step 2: Form the Meatballs
Use your hands to form meatballs that are about 1.5 inch in diameter. I used an ice cream scoop to make sure I was getting the same amount every time then rolled it between my cupped palms to make it round.
Step 3: Add the Cubed Cheese
Press the ¼ inch cubes of cheese right down into the center of each meatball.
Roll the meatball between cupped palms again to reform them into round shapes.
Optional: Transfer the meatballs to a Bradley rack or cookie sheet to help transport them to the smoker.
Step 4: Smoke the Cheesy Meatballs
Set up your smoker for cooking at about 225°F using apple wood if you have it. Other fruit woods will work as well as pecan, oak, or almost any smoking wood that you have and like.
Once ready, place the cheesy meatballs (or the entire Bradley rack if you are using them), directly onto the smoker grate.
Keep the smoke going the entire time and do your best to maintain 225°F throughout.
Step 5: Brushing on Sauce (optional)
I chose to serve the sauce on the side but I was asked by more than one person why I did not sauce them. I'm just saying.. you might consider it;)
If you choose to sauce them, do so at about the 30 and 45 minute mark. This will give the sauce time to glaze over so they are not too sticky.
Step 6: Finishing Up
Check the temperature of the meatballs and when they reach 160 °F, they are done. This should take about an hour, but you might check them sooner than this to get a feel for how fast they are getting done. The amount of time required will be determined by the temperature of the meatballs when they go into the smoker, how often you open the door and let the heat escape, the diameter of the meatballs
Step 7: Serve the Cheesy Smoked Meatballs
Serving the cheesy smoked meatballs simply means that you bring them into the house (after having hid a few for yourself).
Other Options
Wrap in half slices of bacon
Use these for meatball subs (delicious)
Use ground turkey or ground chicken for healthier choices