Cheesy Smoked Meatballs

Smoking-Meat.com is supported by its readers. We may earn an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you if you buy through a link on this page.

As if smoked meatballs aren't good enough, these are made with a big ol' hunk of cheese in the middle and you just have to try these to truly understand how much better it makes them.

• Prep Time: 35 minutes
• Cook Time: 1.5 – 2 hours
• Smoker Temp: 225-240°F
• Meat Finish Temp: 160°F
• Recommended Wood: Apple

• 1 lb of 85/15 ground chuck (80/20 will also work)
• ¼ lb ground pork or ground breakfast sausage
• 1/3 cup bread crumbs
• ½ cup grated parmesan
• ½ cup shredded cheddar or cheddar mix
• ½ cup finely chopped onion
• 1/3 cup finely chopped jalapeno
• 1/3 cup plain yogurt (I used greek style)
• 1 large egg (the whole thing)
• ¼ cup Worcestershire
• Jeff's original sauce
• Jeff's original rub
• ¼ to ½ inch cubes of cheddar, pepper jack, or other favorite cheese (sharp cheddar is my recommendation)

Place the ground chuck, ground pork (or sausage), egg, parmesan, jalapeño, onion, grated cheddar, bread crumbs, Jeff's original rub , Jeff's barbecue sauce (Purchase formula here | Purchase bottled products), Worcestershire and yogurt into a large mixing bowl.

Now get in there with your clean bare hands to combine everything thoroughly.

Use your hands to form meatballs that are about 1.5 inch in diameter. I used an ice cream scoop to make sure I was getting the same amount every time then rolled it between my cupped palms to make it round.

In the above picture, I wasn't quite finished making all of the meatballs. I made them a little on the small side and ended up with about 24 meatballs. Multiply the recipe as required.

Press the ¼ to ½ inch cubes of cheese right down into the center of each meatball.

Roll the meatball between cupped palms again to reform them into round shapes.

Optional: Transfer the meatballs to a Bradley rack or cookie sheet to help transport them to the smoker.

Set up your smoker for cooking at about 225°F using apple wood if you have it. Other fruit woods will work as well as pecan, oak, or almost any smoking wood that you have and like.

Once ready, place the cheesy meatballs (or the entire rack if you are using one), directly onto the smoker grate.

Keep the smoke going the entire time and do your best to maintain 225°F throughout.

Brushing on sauce while they cook is completely optional

I chose to serve my original barbecue sauce (Purchase formula here | Purchase bottled sauce) on the side but I was asked by more than one person why I did not sauce them. I'm just saying.. you might consider it;)

If you choose to sauce them, do so at about the 30 and 45 minute mark. This will give the sauce time to glaze over so they are not too sticky.

Check the temperature of the meatballs using a Thermapen Mk4 and when they reach 160°F, they are done.

This should take about 1.5 hours or so, but you might check them sooner than this to get a feel for how fast they are getting done.

The amount of time required will be determined by:

• The temperature of the meatballs when they go into the smoker
• How often you open the door and let the heat escape
• The diameter of the meatballs

Speaking of Thermapen Mk4.. this is the thermometer I use and you should have one in your hands, as well, anytime you are cooking.

Patented auto-rotating display | Use in either hand | Motion-sensing sleep & wake mode | Intelligent backlight | Waterproof to IP67 | 3,000 hour battery life (AAA Battery) | 3-second readings! | High accuracy to ±0.7°F (±0.4°C) | 10 colors

Serving the cheesy smoked meatballs simply means that you bring them into the house (after having hid a few for yourself).

If anyone asks what happened to the other meatballs (in case you forget to rearrange them so it looks like none are missing), chew it over with a smoked meatball and make grunting noises. They'll give up eventually.

• Wrap in half slices of bacon
• Use these for meatball subs (delicious)
• Use ground turkey or ground chicken for healthier choices
• Use over pasta (spaghetti, linguini, etc.)
• Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of red pepper flakes to the mix
• Add 3 to 4 teaspoons of fresh minced garlic (or a lot more if you really like garlic)

Print Recipe Rate this Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Cheesy Smoked Meatballs

Meatballs and parties go hand in hand and when they are smoked meatballs full of cheesy goodness, it’s a no brainer!

Prep Time35 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr

Total Time1 hour hr 35 minutes mins

Servings: 20

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 lb of 85/15 ground chuck
• ▢ ¼ lb ground pork or ground breakfast sausage
• ▢ ⅓ cup bread crumbs
• ▢ ½ cup grated parmesan
• ▢ ½ cup shredded cheddar or cheddar mix
• ▢ ½ cup chopped onion
• ▢ ⅓ cup chopped jalapeno
• ▢ ⅓ cup plain yogurt (I used greek style)
• ▢ 1 large egg (the whole thing)
• ▢ ¼ cup Worcestershire
• ▢ ¼ cup Jeff's original rub
• ▢ ½ cup Jeff's barbecue sauce
• ▢ ¼ inch cubes of cheddar (you can also use pepper jack, or other favorite cheese. (sharp cheddar is my recommendation)

Instructions

Step 1: Make the Meatball Mix

• Place the ground chuck, ground pork (or sausage), egg, parmesan, jalapeño, onion, grated cheddar, bread crumbs, rub, barbecue sauce, Worcestershire and yogurt into a large mixing bowl and get in there with your clean bare hands to combine everything thoroughly.

Step 2: Form the Meatballs

• Use your hands to form meatballs that are about 1.5 inch in diameter. I used an ice cream scoop to make sure I was getting the same amount every time then rolled it between my cupped palms to make it round.

Step 3: Add the Cubed Cheese

• Press the ¼ inch cubes of cheese right down into the center of each meatball.
• Roll the meatball between cupped palms again to reform them into round shapes.
• Optional: Transfer the meatballs to a Bradley rack or cookie sheet to help transport them to the smoker.

Step 4: Smoke the Cheesy Meatballs

• Set up your smoker for cooking at about 225°F using apple wood if you have it. Other fruit woods will work as well as pecan, oak, or almost any smoking wood that you have and like.
• Once ready, place the cheesy meatballs (or the entire Bradley rack if you are using them), directly onto the smoker grate.
• Keep the smoke going the entire time and do your best to maintain 225°F throughout.

Step 5: Brushing on Sauce (optional)

• I chose to serve the sauce on the side but I was asked by more than one person why I did not sauce them. I'm just saying.. you might consider it;)
• If you choose to sauce them, do so at about the 30 and 45 minute mark. This will give the sauce time to glaze over so they are not too sticky.

Step 6: Finishing Up

• Check the temperature of the meatballs and when they reach 160 °F, they are done. This should take about an hour, but you might check them sooner than this to get a feel for how fast they are getting done. The amount of time required will be determined by the temperature of the meatballs when they go into the smoker, how often you open the door and let the heat escape, the diameter of the meatballs

Step 7: Serve the Cheesy Smoked Meatballs

• Serving the cheesy smoked meatballs simply means that you bring them into the house (after having hid a few for yourself).

Other Options

• Wrap in half slices of bacon
• Use these for meatball subs (delicious)
• Use ground turkey or ground chicken for healthier choices
• Use over pasta (spaghetti, linguini, etc.)

Pin Recipe Share on Facebook Share by Email

Get Jeff’s Products!

Jeff’s Golden Driller Sauce

$7.99

Shop Now

Jeff’s Original BBQ Sauce

$7.99

Shop Now

Jeff’s Original Rub

$7.99

Shop Now

Jeff’s Texas-style Rub

$7.99

Shop Now