Tender, juicy meatballs that are smoked on your Traeger! Fire up your electric smoker and make these meatballs today. They are perfect for dinner, entertaining and more. Make a double batch and freeze half of them for an easy freezer meal. This is an easy smoker recipe perfect for everyone to try!
Smoked Meatballs
As I’m writing this I have a meatball on a fork and I’m drooling at the pictures because these are the perfect meatballs!
Tender and juicy they are smoked right on the Traeger while you do important things, like hide in the corner and read a book. Yes… I can have days like that. BUT then magic like this happens and life just became that much better!
They freeze great! Love that because then I can use this recipe to make Grilled Meatball Subs when I don’t feel like cooking!
Smoked Meatball Recipe
Jason developed this recipe and it took us a few times to get it just right, but when the magic happened it was well worth it!
While I was putting dinner away he came over and her smirked and asked what happened to all the meatballs.
Ahhh, ummmm you see…. I may or may not have ate ten more of them while I was putting dinner away.
Honestly, they were so good without BBQ sauce I enjoyed them naked too!
Grocery list for Traeger Meatballs
- hamburger
- ground pork
- Italian panko crumbs
- yellow onion
- milk
- eggs
- Parmesan cheese
- Mozzarella cheese
- Cheddar cheese shredded
- salt
- seasoned salt
- pepper
- garlic powder
- BBQ sauce
- honey
- brown sugar
Tips to make tender meatballs!
- Add moisture – in this case, milk and eggs.
- Fattier meats like pork and help meatballs to be more tender.
- No milk? Don’t run to the store, if you have plain yogurt on hand thin it out with a little water.
- Don’t overmix the meat!
- Using a small ice cream scoop will ensure the meatballs are the same size and cook uniformly!
Traeger Meatballs
My kids love these too. That makes them like a double win.
When your kids give their seal of approval then you know it’s going on the regular rotation.
Seriously. These are EPIC. Bursting with flavor.
Did you go get the ingredients yet to make Smoked Meatballs?
Why do meatballs fall apart when cooking?
Too much, or too little binder! They will fall apart if there’s not enough binder, likewise, they will fall apart if there’s too much! Like Goldilocks, the mixture has to be just right!
Chilling the mixture before forming meatballs is always a plus. If the meat mixture is cold, it’s less likely to stick to your fingers and hands. The less handling, the more tender the meatball.
We didn’t have any trouble with this recipe falling apart. We used a small ice cream scoop to scoop the meat mixture with and it worked great!
One person scooped and one person formed them into balls. If you don’t have two people I recommend scooping out all the meatballs into portions and then forming them into perfectly round meatballs!
How to make Smoked Meatballs Recipe
- Add all of the ingredients for the meatballs into a large mixing ball.
- Mix to combine, being careful not to overmix.
- Form into 1″ balls, place on wire rack.
- Preheat the smoker.
- Smoke for 30-40 minutes, remove from smoker.
- While the smoked meatballs are cooking combine the sauce ingredients in large bowl.
- Add meatballs and gently until they are coated.
Want more meatballs?
Got leftovers? Be sure to make Tater Tot Meatball Foil Packet Meals, one of my favorites and an easy meal!
You may need….
Small ice cream scoop. I always use a scoop to make meatballs, it’s just so much easier!
📸 tag me on Instagram @julieseatsandtreats or #julieseatsandtreats!
Love this? Me too! Don’t forget to comment and leave a 5-star rating for this tasty meal!
BBQ Smoked Meatballs Recipe
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 2 lb hamburger
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 c. Italian panko crumbs
- 1/2 c. yellow onion chopped
- 1/3 c. milk
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 c. Parmesan cheese shredded
- 1 c. Mozzarella cheese shredded
- 1/2 c. mild Cheddar cheese shredded
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp seasoned salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
BBQ Sauce
- 2 c. BBQ sauce
- 3 Tbsp honey
- 3 Tbsp brown sugar packed
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl combine all the ingredients for the meatballs, be careful not to over mix. Form into 1'' meatballs. We used a small ice cream scoop to portion them with. Place on wire rack.
- Prepare your electric smoker to 300 degrees according to manufacturer's directions.
- Place meatballs on smoker. Smoked for 30-40 minutes or until internal temperature is 165 degrees F.
- Remove from smoker.
- Combine BBQ sauce ingredients in large bowl. Add meatballs and gently stir until meatballs are coated.
- Serve immediately.
Karly says
January 16, 2019 at 6:10 pmThese look so good! Can’t wait to try!
Taryn says
January 31, 2019 at 1:45 pmI’ve never smoked meatballs before. Yum!
Julie Evink says
February 1, 2019 at 5:28 pmYou’ve gotta try them! So good!
Aimee Shugarman says
January 31, 2019 at 2:10 pmWhoa. Now these are awesome!!!
Julie Evink says
February 1, 2019 at 5:28 pmSo delicious! Gimme them all!
Nichole says
May 6, 2019 at 2:08 pmMade this weekend with our own farm fresh pork, beef, eggs, milk & local honey in the sauce! Amazing recipe and will be making again for sure!!
Julie Evink says
May 9, 2019 at 6:14 pmSo glad you enjoyed them Nichole! Thanks for coming back and letting us know!