Smoked BBQ Meatballs

Applewood-smoked beef & pork meatballs, sticky BBQ glaze

22.5" Weber Smokey Mountain • Applewood / Cherry smoke • Yields ~30-36

Ingredients

• 900g ground beef (80/20)
• 225g ground pork (optional, adds richness)
• 100g breadcrumbs (panko or regular)
• 2 large eggs
• 75g finely diced onion
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 60ml milk
• 30g mild BBQ rub (paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, salt)
• 5ml Worcestershire sauce
• Salt and pepper, to taste

— Glaze —

• 375ml BBQ sauce
• 55g brown sugar
• 15ml apple cider vinegar
• 5ml hot sauce (optional)

Setting Up the Smoker

• Minion method: fill the charcoal ring ~2/3 with unlit briquettes/lump, top with a chimney of lit coals for a long, steady burn.
• Fill the water pan to stabilize temps and keep the meatballs moist through the longer cook.
• Add 3-4 fist-sized chunks of applewood or cherry directly on the unlit coals so they catch gradually.
• Target 120-135°C at the grate — gentler than the pig shots, since these are thicker and need longer, even heat to cook through without drying out.
• Place meatballs on a wire rack or perforated grill mat so smoke reaches all sides. Rotate the rack halfway through if using both grates.

Method

1. Soak breadcrumbs in milk for 5 minutes. Add beef, pork, egg, onion, garlic, rub, Worcestershire, salt and pepper. Mix gently by hand until just combined — don't overwork it.
2. Roll into golf ball-sized meatballs (about 40-55g each). Place on a wire rack or perforated grill mat.
3. Smoke at 120-135°C for 60-75 minutes, until internal temp hits 68-71°C.
4. Meanwhile, warm the BBQ sauce, brown sugar, and vinegar together until glossy and the sugar dissolves.
5. In the last 15-20 minutes, brush the meatballs generously with the glaze, letting it tack up and caramelize.
6. Add a second coat of glaze in the last 5 minutes for a sticky finish.
7. Pull at 71°C internal, rest 5 minutes, and serve with extra glaze on the side or toothpicks for a party platter.

Scaling Up — the 1.35kg Batch

The recipe above makes 30 to 36 meatballs, which feeds a table. For a party you want half as many again: 1.35kg of beef takes it to around 45 to 50 meatballs, enough for roughly a dozen people alongside other food.

What Changes on the Smoker

• Both grates. Fifty meatballs will not fit on one — run a wire rack or perforated mat on each.
• Swap and rotate halfway. The bottom grate sits closer to the coals and runs hotter, so switch the racks over and turn each 180° at the midpoint.
• Fill the water pan to the top and add a fourth wood chunk. More meat means more smoke taken up and a bigger cold load to recover from.
• Allow 70 to 85 minutes rather than 60 to 75. Temperature and doneness are unchanged: 120 to 135°C, pull at 71°C internal.
• Check a meatball from each grate, not just whichever one is easiest to reach.

Tip: rolling fifty meatballs takes a good 20 minutes. Mix in two batches so you are not overworking the meat to get it combined, and roll while the smoker comes up to temperature.

Timings

Work backwards from your serving time using the intervals below.