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Trader Joe’s Barbecue Sauce

Beef, Dinner, Pork, Recipes, Sauces, Smoker

Smoked Cheesy Barbecue Meatballs

February 18, 2019

Smoked Cheesy Barbecue Meatballs

To say we love meatballs would be an understatement.  Whether tinkering with old recipes or trying new ones, meatballs are always a treat.  This recipe falls in the middle: old and new together.  I adapted this recipe from Vindulge.  I have made smoked meatballs before with great success.  But these smoked barbecue meatballs are more complex.  The centers are filled with just the right amount of pepper jack cheese that makes for a wonderful surprise when you cut into them.  They are delicious served with a side of potato salad or mac and cheese. I can imagine they would also be excellent served with grilled polenta or piled on top of a garlic toasted baguette.

Stuffed with Pepper Jack Cheese & Rolled Into Balls

Once you have your meatballs prepped, there is little left to do but patiently wait for them to smoke, which takes about 2 hours.  These meatballs are particularly tender and flavorful due to the little bit of cheese in the center.  Use any good quality cheese that melts nicely.  Pepper jack is my first choice, but mozzarella or cheddar would also be tasty.

Smoking the Meatballs

Tasty Barbecue Sauce

We don’t have TJ’s in Hawaii so whenever I’m in San Francisco I pick up a few items to bring back home with me.  I love the flavor of their Bold & Smoky Kansas City Style barbecue sauce.  Brush or drizzle the sauce over the smoked meatballs then send them back to the smoker for another 30 minutes.  You could also warm up the sauce and brush it on the meatballs once they are done smoking.


Brushing Barbecue Sauce on Smoked Meatballs


Smoked Cheesy Barbecue Meatballs

Very tender and flavorful meatballs served with eggy potato salad and green beans.

Smoked Cheesy Barbecue Meatballs

 

Smoked Cheesy Barbecue Meatballs
 
Cook time
Total time
 
Recipe adapted from Vindulge blog
Author:
Serves: 22-24 meatballs
Ingredients
  • 1 pound ground chuck
  • ⅓ pound ground pork
  • ¼ cup fine panko
  • ¼ scant cup milk
  • 1 tablespoon of your favorite dry rub or see below*
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon dried thyme
  • 2 heaping teaspoons finely chopped parsley
  • ¼ cup finely chopped onion
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • 5 pepper jack cheese sticks, cut into 5 even pieces
  • 1 cup barbecue sauce
  • *dry rub ingredients (save the leftovers for more meatballs or grilled chicken)
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup paprika
  • 2 teaspoons freshly ground coarse black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons mild chili powder
  • 1½ teaspoons onion powder
  • 1½ teaspoons garlic powder
  • ¼ - ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
Preparation
  1. Preheat your smoker to 225 degrees.
  2. Combine panko with milk in a small bowl. Stir and set aside.
  3. In a large bowl mix ground chuck and ground pork together with two large forks. I find this keeps the meat from getting dense and tough. Add softened panko and all the other ingredients to the bowl except the cheese and barbecue sauce. Mix gently to ensure all ingredients are well distributed.
  4. Divide the meat into golf ball sized portions. You should end up with 22-24 pieces. Gently form each piece into a ball and make a small indentation in the center for the cheese. Pinch the meat together around the cheese and gently re-roll into a ball if needed. Do your best to make a tight seal around the cheese. Some of the cheese may seep out as the meatballs smoke but don't worry, they will be just fine.
  5. Place meatballs on a smoker tray or rack. Smoke for about 1½ hours, or until the internal temperature reads 155 degrees. Once they are 155 degrees, remove the meatballs to a heat proof pan (cast iron, stainless steel, or carbon steel pans work great). Pour or brush barbecue sauce over the meatballs and return to the smoker. Raise the temperature up to 275 degrees. The meatballs are done when they reach 165 degrees. Total time in the smoker is about 2 hours. Serve right away with your favorite side dishes.

 

Chicken, Dinner, Lactose Free, Pork, Recipes

Smoked Bacon Wrapped Chicken Skewers

November 16, 2015

Smoked Bacon Wrapped Chicken SkewersJohn has been contemplating purchasing a Weber smoker for quite some time.  The decision was made easier by Amazon, which until recently did not offer free shipping to Hawaii.  The first thing we smoked was a fresh turkey breast.  It turned out to be easy and delicious, but we didn’t take any pictures or notes, so we’ll do that another time.  This recipe comes from Jeff’s “smoking-meat” blog.  We’ve made it a couple of times and it is so tasty.  It features a nice hint of smoke, a good barbecue sauce, and tender chicken tucked inside smokey bacon.

Preparing Smoked Bacon Wrapped Chicken SkewersBuy thin or regular cut bacon so that it has a chance to render and crisp up a bit while in the smoker. I cut my bacon strips into three even pieces but if you have larger pieces of chicken you might cut the bacon in half.

Preparing Smoked Bacon Wrapped Chicken Skewers

Smoked Bacon Wrapped Chicken SkewersWe had one lonely piece of bacon left and a couple of potatoes lying around so into the smoker they went.

Smoked Bacon Wrapped Chicken Skewers

Smoked Bacon Wrapped Chicken Skewers
 
Author:
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs trimmed of any visible fat
  • 3 tablespoons canola oil
  • ⅓ cup of your favorite dry rub
  • 1 pound bacon
  • your favorite barbecue sauce (we like Trader Joe's)
  • wooden skewers
Preparation
  1. Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces, about 6 pieces per chicken thigh ( 8 if you are using a large chicken thigh)
  2. Place chicken pieces in a Ziplock bag and pour about 3 tablespoons canola oil into the bag. Mix chicken and oil so that the chicken is well coated. Add ⅓ cup of your favorite dry rub to the bag. Massage the bag well so all the chicken pieces are evenly coated with dry rub. Place the bag in your refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
  3. Place a piece of bacon on your work surface, top with a piece of marinated chicken, roll and push onto the skewer. Continue to add more bacon & chicken pieces to the skewer, leaving enough space on the skewer for turning during smoking. If you leave a bit of space between each piece of chicken, the bacon tends to crisp up better than if you push the meat together tightly.
  4. Set up your smoker for cooking at 250 degrees. Smoke the chicken for about 1 hour, brush generously with barbecue sauce, and smoke for about 30 minutes longer before removing the from the smoker.

 

 

 

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