To say we love meatballs would be an understatement. Whether tinkering with old recipes or trying new ones, meatballs are always a treat. This recipe falls in the middle: old and new together. I adapted this recipe from Vindulge. I have made smoked meatballs before with great success. But these smoked barbecue meatballs are more complex. The centers are filled with just the right amount of pepper jack cheese that makes for a wonderful surprise when you cut into them. They are delicious served with a side of potato salad or mac and cheese. I can imagine they would also be excellent served with grilled polenta or piled on top of a garlic toasted baguette.
Once you have your meatballs prepped, there is little left to do but patiently wait for them to smoke, which takes about 2 hours. These meatballs are particularly tender and flavorful due to the little bit of cheese in the center. Use any good quality cheese that melts nicely. Pepper jack is my first choice, but mozzarella or cheddar would also be tasty.
We don’t have TJ’s in Hawaii so whenever I’m in San Francisco I pick up a few items to bring back home with me. I love the flavor of their Bold & Smoky Kansas City Style barbecue sauce. Brush or drizzle the sauce over the smoked meatballs then send them back to the smoker for another 30 minutes. You could also warm up the sauce and brush it on the meatballs once they are done smoking.
Very tender and flavorful meatballs served with eggy potato salad and green beans.
- 1 pound ground chuck
- ⅓ pound ground pork
- ¼ cup fine panko
- ¼ scant cup milk
- 1 tablespoon of your favorite dry rub or see below*
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 heaping teaspoons finely chopped parsley
- ¼ cup finely chopped onion
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 5 pepper jack cheese sticks, cut into 5 even pieces
- 1 cup barbecue sauce
- *dry rub ingredients (save the leftovers for more meatballs or grilled chicken)
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup paprika
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground coarse black pepper
- 2 teaspoons mild chili powder
- 1½ teaspoons onion powder
- 1½ teaspoons garlic powder
- ¼ - ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- Preheat your smoker to 225 degrees.
- Combine panko with milk in a small bowl. Stir and set aside.
- In a large bowl mix ground chuck and ground pork together with two large forks. I find this keeps the meat from getting dense and tough. Add softened panko and all the other ingredients to the bowl except the cheese and barbecue sauce. Mix gently to ensure all ingredients are well distributed.
- Divide the meat into golf ball sized portions. You should end up with 22-24 pieces. Gently form each piece into a ball and make a small indentation in the center for the cheese. Pinch the meat together around the cheese and gently re-roll into a ball if needed. Do your best to make a tight seal around the cheese. Some of the cheese may seep out as the meatballs smoke but don't worry, they will be just fine.
- Place meatballs on a smoker tray or rack. Smoke for about 1½ hours, or until the internal temperature reads 155 degrees. Once they are 155 degrees, remove the meatballs to a heat proof pan (cast iron, stainless steel, or carbon steel pans work great). Pour or brush barbecue sauce over the meatballs and return to the smoker. Raise the temperature up to 275 degrees. The meatballs are done when they reach 165 degrees. Total time in the smoker is about 2 hours. Serve right away with your favorite side dishes.
