Spaghetti and meatballs are some of my personal favorites when it comes to a big family meal. Most everyone loves it, and it’s pretty easy to make and make well. But we all know it really hinges on the flavor of the meatballs. Most recently, I have been smoking my meatballs to give them that delicious smoke ring while keeping them moist and tender on the inside. You can use this recipe for Smoked Italian Meatballs in your spaghetti or make meatball subs with them or even turn them into a nice potluck dish or appetizer.
You will notice that one of the ingredients is not all that typical for meatballs, and that’s the tomato boullion. If you aren’t familiar with this product, you will probably be thanking me later. It is a powdered tomato product that packs tons of tomato flavor into a small amount. One day, when I have a freeze dryer, I will make my own. Until then, I find it in the Mexican or Hispanic food aisle of my grocery. One item of note – it has its own salt, so you may not need any extra when you use it.
Even though you wrap the baking sheet in foil before putting it on the smoker, I strongly recommend that you do NOT use your very favorite baking sheets. The smoker will give them a bit of yellowish tint as well as potentially cause some warping. I use my oldest sheets that the kids have already messed up, lol.
To be clear, this is just the recipe for the meatballs – not spaghetti and meatballs. So, there is no red sauce recipe here. I do have a few recipes that include a red sauce recipe that you can check out though – like my Ultimate Spaghetti & Meatballs.
Now Let’s Get Cookin’!
Smoked Italian Meatballs
Equipment
- 1 Large Baking Sheet
- Aluminum Foil
Ingredients
- 2 lb Ground Beef
- 1 lb Italian Sausage (ground)
- 2 tbsp Dried Minced Onion
- 1 Tbsp Granulated Garlic
- 1 cup Bread Crumbs
- 1 tsp Fennel seed
- 2 Tbsp Tomato Boullion
- 1 Tsp Paprika
- 1 tbsp Italian Seasoning
Instructions
- Preheat smoker to 215degF.
- Add everything but the meat to a mixing bowl and thoroughly combine. Then add beef and pork and combine. Use a two inch scoop (or your hands) to make 2-inch meatballs. Line them out on a smoker safe baking sheet that is lined with aluminum foil.
- Once smoker is to temperature, place meatballs in smoker for 45 minutes.
- Without opening smoker (if possible) increase temperature to 275degF. Once it has reached that level, cook for 30 minutes more.
I love to link up my posts to lots of blogs around the internet – check out this Ultimate Handy Linky Party List to find some of the places I share to!
Estelle Forrest self-published this cookbook after a lot of playing around in the kitchen. You can purchase your own copy here:
AVAILABLE IN PRINT OR KINDLE eBOOK VERSIONS
Don’t miss new recipes from Homemade on a Weeknight – subscribe and get an email with every new post!
Yum! These sound delicious!