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The smoked meatballs on a white plate set on top of burlap with a grated Parmesan and chopped parsley around it.
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Best-Ever Smoked Meatballs

Put these best-ever smoked meatballs on your next dinner party or game day menu and watch how happily and quickly everyone gobbles them up! Featuring a blend of ground beef and pork with loads of freshly grated Parmesan, these ultra juicy meatballs show off the perfect touch of smoky flavor for an added complexity, and you can serve them in so many ways. Make sure you keep this smoked meatball recipe handy because you'll turn to it again and again.
Course Main Dishes
Cuisine American-Italian
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings 24 meatballs
Calories 146kcal
Author Amanda McGrory-Dixon

Equipment

  • Smoker
  • Wood pellets, wood chips or wood chunks mesquite, hickory or oak recommended

Ingredients

  • 1 cup soft bread crumbs torn from white sandwich bread, no crust (see notes)
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 large eggs
  • 6 garlic cloves minced or grated
  • 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan using the small holes of a box grater
  • 1 cup grated yellow onion using the large holes of a box grater
  • ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon anchovy paste optional
  • 1 pound 80/20 ground beef
  • 1 pound ground pork

Instructions

  • In a bowl, combine the bread crumbs and milk. Allow the bread crumbs to soak as you prepare the other ingredients.
  • Beat the eggs in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the garlic cloves, Parmesan, onion, parsley, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and anchovy paste if using. Drain the bread crumbs in a fine-mesh sieve. Stir in the bread crumbs.
  • Add the ground beef and pork. Using a gentle touch, stir with a wooden spoon to form one cohesive mixture. You could even use your hands to mix the ingredients together. Mix just until combined and don't overwork the mixture. The mixture will be wet — this is normal and helps keep the meatballs juicy.
  • Heat the smoker to 225 degrees F. As the smoker heats, lightly oil your hands and form into balls slightly larger than the size of a golf ball. Set the shaped meatballs in a disposable aluminum pan or smoker-safe pan.
  • Place the meatballs in the smoker with a water pan. Close the lid and smoke the meatballs until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about two to two and a half hours. Remove the meatballs from the smoker and allow them to rest for five minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

  • Store leftover meatballs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Alternatively, you can freeze them for three to four months.
  • If you'd like to finish the meatballs in sauce, remove the meatballs when they hit an internal temperature of 140 degrees F. For Italian meatballs, simmer them in your tomato sauce to finish cooking. For BBQ meatballs, pour BBQ sauce into the dish, brush the outside of the meatballs with more sauce and place the meatballs back in the smoker to finish cooking and allow the sauce to caramelize.
  • For easier shaping, you can refrigerate the meatball mixture for 30 minutes first.
  • Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Nutrition

Serving: 1meatball | Calories: 146kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 335mg | Potassium: 149mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 78IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 87mg | Iron: 1mg