Name: BBQ Smoked Meatballs Recipe
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 48 meatballs
Ingredients: 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; 2 c. BBQ sauce; 3 Tbsp honey; 3 Tbsp brown sugar (packed)

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BBQ Smoked Meatballs are tender, juicy meatballs that are smoked on your Traeger! Fire up your electric smoker and make this smoked meatball recipe 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!

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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!

Truly my favorite new recipe and the easiest way to make the perfect smoked meatballs and you know what’s best?

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!