Cheese-Filled Meatballs (Printable Version)
Savory smoked meatballs filled with cheesy centers and sweet BBQ glaze. Awesome snack or dinner dish!
# Ingredients:
→ Ingredients for the meatballs
01 -
1 pound of ground pork
02 -
2 pounds of ground beef
03 -
½ cup of grated Parmesan cheese
04 -
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
05 -
½ cup of chopped yellow onion
06 -
9 mozzarella string cheese sticks
07 -
1 cup of Italian-style panko breadcrumbs
08 -
⅓ cup of whole milk
09 -
3 large eggs
10 -
1 teaspoon of salt
11 -
2 teaspoons of beef seasoning mix
12 -
1 teaspoon of black pepper
→ BBQ glaze components
13 -
1 tablespoon of brown sugar
14 -
1 cup of BBQ sauce
15 -
1 tablespoon of honey
# Steps:
01 -
Heat your smoker to 250°F.
02 -
In a big bowl, throw in your ground beef, pork, chopped onion, breadcrumbs, milk, Parmesan, seasonings, eggs, and garlic powder. Give everything a light mix until just blended. Don't overdo it.
03 -
Stick the bowl in the freezer for about 15 minutes. This step makes it less sticky and easier to shape.
04 -
Slice each mozzarella stick into 5 smaller chunks. You’ll end up with 45 cheese bits for stuffing.
05 -
Scoop some meat mixture using a medium cookie scoop. Roll it between your hands to form a ball, poke a hole with your thumb, drop in a cheese piece, then seal it up completely.
06 -
Pop the stuffed meatballs onto a greased wire rack and smoke at 250°F. Cook them for 35-40 minutes.
07 -
While the meatballs cook, stir together the BBQ sauce, honey, and brown sugar in a small bowl.
08 -
After 35-40 minutes, coat each meatball with the BBQ glaze using a pastry brush. Keep them smoking for another 10 minutes. They’re ready when their insides hit 165°F.
09 -
Take the meatballs off the smoker and rest them for 5 minutes so the cheese isn’t lava-like when you bite into them.
# Notes:
01 -
Giving the meat mixture time to chill makes it much simpler to handle and stuff.
02 -
Seal the cheese completely to keep it from leaking out during cooking.
03 -
You can make the meatballs a day or two ahead of time and refrigerate before cooking.
04 -
If you’re freezing them, leave the BBQ sauce off for better results. They’ll last around 2 months in the freezer!