• Grilling
  • BBQ
  • Smoking
  • Miscellaneous
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

BBQing with the Nolands

  • Home
  • About Me
  • Recipes
  • Contact
    • Privacy Policy

Smoking

Smoked BBQ Meatballs

Sharing is caring!

290 shares
  • Share
Jump to Recipe

Looking for something a little different than the same old, same old meatballs? You need to try these Smoked BBQ Meatballs! The sauce is crazy good, and the meatballs are tender and juicy. This is the perfect way to enjoy your meatballs.

Whether you are cooking these up as an appetizer for your next party or game day snack or to serve as the main course, these would pair perfectly with a great-tasting salad or grilled veggies. This recipe is one that I know you are going to love!

Smoked meatballs in a metal skillet on a wooden board garnished with chopped parsley.

These are not your mamma’s meatballs! The flavors in these smoked bbq meatballs are going to be familiar, but the smoke takes this recipe to another level!

HELPFUL ITEMS FOR THIS RECIPE

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small portion from qualifying purchases at no extra charge to you. 

Cast Iron Skillets 2-Piece Pan Set: 10″ & 12″

O-Yaki Heat Resistant Gloves

Hamilton Beach Food Processor

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO MAKE Smoked BBQ meatballs?

Ingredients to make smoked meatballs laid out on a wooden board.

Meatballs and the sauce have a ton of flavor and, by extension, quite a few ingredients. That is why I think they are just so darn good!

INGREDIENTS

  • Bacon
  • Ground beef
  • Ground sausage
  • Garlic
  • Chipolte peppers in adobo
  • Kosher salt
  • Fresh ground pepper
  • Fennel seeds
  • Gouda cheese
  • Red onion
  • Bell pepper
  • Fried onions
  • Heavy cream
  • Egg
  • Brown sugar
  • Tomato paste
  • Soy sauce
  • Abodo sauce
  • Worcestershire sauce
  • Molasses
  • Apple cider vinegar
  • Ketchup
  • Dijon mustard
  • Bourbon
  • Chili powder
  • Parsley (for garnish)

There are really 2 separate parts to this recipe. Firstly, the meatballs, and secondly, the sauce. The meatballs cook in the sauce while they are smoking. This is the reason that these BBQ meatballs taste so good!

Making Smoked BBQ meatballs

Preheat your smoker to 225 degrees F while you prepare the sauce and the meatballs. I like to use a combination of hickory and mesquite wood for smoking these meatballs. Although you can play around with whatever wood smoke combinations you like.

To make the sauce add the brown sugar, tomato paste, soy sauce, adobo sauce, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, bourbon, and crushed garlic in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, whisking to combine.

Lower the heat on the sauce to medium-low and add the Worcestershire sauce, molasses, ketchup, chili powder, and pepper to the sauce. Continue to simmer gently for 5 minutes.

While the sauce is cooking, you can prepare the meatballs. Start by crunching the fried onions into crumbs. You can use a food processor or put them in a resealable plastic bag and crush them using a rolling pin.

Making the meatballs

Add all the ingredients for the meatballs into a large bowl and mix until combined. Be careful not to over mix the meat mixture. If you do, it can change the texture of the meatballs; they will become too firm and dense.

Add the canola oil to a cast-iron skillet and spread it around to cover the bottom of the pan. Using a cookie scoop to make them roughly the size of a golf ball, make the meatballs and lay them into the pre-oiled cast-iron skillet.

SMoking the bbq meatballs

Meatballs covered in sauce in a cast iron skillet on the smoker grill.

Pour about 1/2 the prepared sauce over the meatballs and place the skillet into your preheated smoker. Smoke the meatballs for about an hour. Then using a large spoon, try to remove as much of the grease from the skillet as you can.

Pour the remaining sauce over the meatball and return the skillet to the smoker. Continue to smoke the meatballs for another hour or until they have reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees F using an instant-read thermometer.

This post contains affiliate links. As a Thermoworks Affiliate, I earn a small portion from qualifying purchases at no extra charge to you.

Thermapen Instant read thermometer in red.

I always use my trusty Thermapen One instant-read thermometer for an accurate and quick read of internal temperature.

Close up of smoked BBQ meatballs in sauce sprinkled with chopped parsley.

Remove the meatballs from the smoker once they are done. I like to plate them on a serving platter with a serving spoon or tongs so people can help themselves.

Smoked BBQ meatballs garnished with chopped parsley on a black serving platter with tongs and a bottle of bourbon.

The BBQ sauce with these meatballs is spectacular! It is sweet, a little tangy, and a little spicy. Although there are only a couple of ounces of bourbon in the sauce, it adds a hint of familiar flavor. You might not be able to put your finger on it, but it helps to make sure that the sauce has great depth of flavor.

Smoked BBQ meatballs on a small white plate with one cut in half.

Just look at that juicy little smoked bbq meatball! Don’t you just want to eat one right now?!

Pin it HERE!!

These smoked BBQ meatballs aren't your mamma's meatballs! Smoky, sweet and a little spicy, they are the perfect little bite!

Pn it HERE!!

These smoked BBQ meatballs aren't your mamma's meatballs! Smoky, sweet and a little spicy, they are the perfect little bite!

Smoked BBQ Meatballs

Ken Noland
These smoked BBQ meatballs are spectacular. The sweet, tangy, spicy taste of the sauce pairs perfectly with the flavor of the meatballs themselves.
4.67 from 3 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 2 hours hrs 10 minutes mins
Total Time 2 hours hrs 25 minutes mins
Course Smoking
Cuisine American
Servings 9 servings
Calories 235 kcal

Ingredients
 

Meatballs

  • ½ lb bacon chopped
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 lb ground mild Italian sausage
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 2 tbsp chipotle pepper in adobo from the can
  • 1 tsp Kosher salt
  • 1 tsp fresh black pepper
  • ½ tsp fennel seeds
  • 3 oz smoked Gouda cheese grated
  • ½ red onion finely diced
  • 1 bell pepper finely diced
  • 1 cup fried onions
  • ¼ cup heavy cream
  • 1 egg whisked
  • 1 tbsp canola oil

Sauce

  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp adobo sauce from the can
  • 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • ¼ cup molasses use light or dark molasses, do not use blackstrap molasses
  • ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
  • 2 cups ketchup
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 2 oz bourbon
  • 3 garlic cloves crushed
  • 2 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp fresh ground pepper

For garnish

  • Chopped parsley optional

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the smoker to 225*F as you prepare sauce and meatballs (at least 15 minutes). I like to use a combination of hickory and mesquite wood for smoking these meatballs. Although you can play around with whatever wood smoke combinations you like.
  • Prepare the sauce. Add brown sugar, tomato paste, soy sauce, adobo sauce, apple cider vinegar, mustard, bourbon, and crushed garlic to a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk to combine and cook for 5 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, add fried onions to a food processor, blender, or ziplock bag to grind/crush into crumbs. Next, add this crumb mixture to a large mixing bowl along with all remaining ingredients for the meatballs. Mix well until fully combined, do not over mix.
  • Lower the heat for the sauce and whisk in the remaining ingredients. Simmer for 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Add 1 tbsp canola oil to a cast-iron skillet and spread to cover the surface of the pan.
  • Use a cookie scoop to scoop uniform meatballs (about golf ball size). Place onto the cast iron skillet as you work.
  • Pour ½ of the bbq sauce over the meatballs. Place into the smoker and cook for 1 hour.
  • At the 1 hour mark, carefully remove as much grease as you can from the skillet. Pour the remaining sauce over the meatballs. Smoke for 1 more hour or until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
  • Garnish with chopped parsley, and enjoy!

Equipment

Cast Iron Skillets - Pre-Seasoned 2-Piece Pan Set: 10" + 12"-Inch + 2 Heat-Resistant Silicone Handle Covers - Dual Handle Helpers - Oven Safe Cookware - Indoor/Outdoor, Grill, Stovetop, Induction Safe
Cast Iron Skillets – Pre-Seasoned 2-Piece Pan Set: 10″ + 12″-Inch + 2 Heat-Resistant Silicone Handle Covers – Dual Handle Helpers – Oven Safe Cookware – Indoor/Outdoor, Grill, Stovetop, Induction Safe
Cookie Scoop Set - Include 1 Tbsp/ 2 Tbsp/ 3Tbsp - 3 PCS Cookie Scoops for Baking - Cookie Dough Scoop - Made of 18/8 Stainless Steel
Cookie Scoop Set – Include 1 Tbsp/ 2 Tbsp/ 3Tbsp – 3 PCS Cookie Scoops for Baking – Cookie Dough Scoop – Made of 18/8 Stainless Steel
Hamilton Beach Food Processor & Vegetable Chopper for Slicing, Shredding, Mincing, and Puree, 10 Cups - Bowl Scraper, Stainless Steel
Hamilton Beach Food Processor & Vegetable Chopper for Slicing, Shredding, Mincing, and Puree, 10 Cups – Bowl Scraper, Stainless Steel

Nutrition

Serving: 3Calories: 235kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 12gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 46mgSodium: 651mgSugar: 10g
Nutrition calculation is an estimation only. If you need nutritional calculations for medical reasons, please use a source that you trust.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!


Leave a Comment

Previous Post: « Grilled Asparagus Bundles
Next Post: Crispy BBQ Chicken Wings »

Reader Interactions

4.67 from 3 votes (3 ratings without comment)

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Hi, I’m Ken thanks for stopping by BBQing with the Nolands! I was born and raised in Western Canada. I grew up on the great wide open farmlands that produce some of the worlds’ best livestock and grains.
Read More…

Footer

You might also like

BBQ Thai Mussels on a plate with toast rounds.

BBQ Thai Mussels

Grilled Chicken Involtini sliced and piled on a serving platter.

Grilled Chicken Involtini

Smoked BBQ Meatballs

Grilled Korean Short Ribs

3 cobs of grilled corn stacked on a white plate plater

Grilled Corn On The Cob

Copyright © 2025 · BBQing with the Nolands · Privacy Policy

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.