Smoked Italian Meatballs
These Easy Smoked Italian Meatballs are made with a savory blend of ground beef and pork, creamy ricotta, and fresh basil, then slow-smoked at 250°F for incredible wood-fired flavor. Perfect for meatball subs, spaghetti night, or served alongside your favorite marinara sauce.
Servings: 14 meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 lb ground pork
- ½ lb ground mild or sweet Italian sausage
- ¾ cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- ½ cup Italian breadcrumbs or 2 slices white bread dried on counter overnight
- 2 large eggs
- ½ medium yellow onion finely grated
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese grated
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 4 leaves fresh basil chopped or ½ tablespoon dried basil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¼ cup water for the pan
- marinara sauce and additional parmesan cheese for serving
Instructions
- Preheat your pellet grill or smoker to 250°F with your preferred wood pellets.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all meatball ingredients (except for the water). Mix until just combined.
- Using a kitchen scale, portion into 4-ounce balls and roll smooth. *If you don't have a kitchen scale, you can portion into 14 equally sized balls.
- Place meatballs on a flat sheet tray (not a cooling rack). Add ¼ cup water to the bottom of the pan.
- Smoke at 250°F for about 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until the internal temperature reaches 160°F. *Cooking times can vary based on size of the meatballs, what smoker you have, etc.
- Remove the meatballs from the grill, and Increase the smoker temperature to 375℉. When up to temp, place the meatballs back on the grill about 5-10 minutes to brown the tops.
- Remove from the smoker, rest for 5 minutes, and serve with your favorite marinara.
Notes
- Meatball sizing - We chose to make larger 4 ounce meatballs, but we have made this same recipe for smaller sized meatballs. If making smaller meatballs, adjust the cooking time accordingly. Smaller sizes will take less time to cook through.
- For the ground beef - This recipe works best with either 80/20 or 85/15 ground beef.
- Leftover meatballs - Leftover smoked meatballs can be stored in a zip top bag in the freezer for up to 3 months.