Go Back
+ servings

Smoked Meatballs

Smoking meatballs is easy, and it adds so much flavor. These smoked meatballs are cooked to perfection then smothered in a spicy red sauce.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time2 hours
Servings: 6 Servings
Calories: 523kcal

Ingredients

Meatballs

  • 1 cup saltine crackers around 23
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 pounds lean ground beef (85 % is ideal
  • 1 cup Parmesan cheese grated
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano or basil or Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper

Sauce

  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 10 garlic cloves peeled and smashed
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes more or less to taste
  • 2 cans (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
  • salt and pepper
  • ¼ cup fresh oregano or basil chopped or a tablespoon of dried Italian seasoning

Instructions

  • Get out and measure your ingredients.
  • Preheat your smoker to 250 degrees.

Meatballs

  • Place saltine crackers in a large resealable bag and crush with a kitchen hammer, mallet or rolling pin. You will need a total of 1 cup or about 23 crackers.
  • Place crackers and milk in a large bowl and allow to sit for about 5 minutes to moisten crumbs. Using a fork or equivalent, mix ad create a smooth paste of sorts out of the crackers and milk.
  • Add beef, or whichever meat you're using, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, oregano, basil or Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper to cracker mixture.
  • Combine with hands until blended.
  • Divide meat mixture into approximately 24 meatballs and roll each using wet hands until all balls are made and round.
  • Place meatballs on platter and cover in your fridge until ready to cook. You can make these meatballs up to 24 hours in advance.
  • When ready to smoke meatballs, add them to foil pan and place inside your smoker for 90 minutes.
  • After 90 minutes, adjust meatballs and smoke for another 30 minutes.
  • Remove from smoker and once able, place cooked meatballs in serving dish.

Easy Tomato Sauce

  • Heat oil in a large pot. Add garlic and cook, stirring regularly over low heat, until garlic is soft and browned on all sides, at least 10 minutes.
  • Add tomatoes, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper and fresh oregano or basil.
  • Simmer on low heat for one hour and meatballs are still smoking.
  • Once meatballs are finished smoking, add to sauce.
  • Or serve with sauce on top of cooked pasta of your choice.
  • Serve with pasta and sauce, if desired.
  • Enjoy every bite!

Video

Notes

You can use a #16 portion scoop to form the meatballs. To make shaping easier, wet your hands slightly. The recipe yields enough sauce for 2 pounds of pasta. To serve, toss the pasta with some sauce and top it with the meatballs.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Serving | Calories: 523kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 18g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 113mg | Sodium: 773mg | Potassium: 559mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 191IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 194mg | Iron: 4mg