Meatballs

[Mo Smoke]

Anybody make meatballs on the smoker or grill? I did a tester last time I made burgers. Just made a ball instead of a pattie. Personally I would just eat them like that but every recipe I look up about meatballs has breadcrumbs and eggs etc.. I’m afraid my way would be too meaty for most folks taste.


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[Dirtytires]

I do meatballs quite often on the grill. You gotta keep them moving but they tend to brown more evenly than in a pan and taste a bunch better too.

The smoker has done a great job on hamburger patties so meatballs should be good as well.

My recipe for meatballs has egg and bread in it as well. I’m thinking mine would end up too dense without the breadcrumbs. The egg is just to ‘glue’ it together.

[Mo Smoke]

Do you put egg and breadcrumbs in your burgers too?


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[Dirtytires]

No...my hamburgers usually get a fair amount of bbq sauce added to the ground beef but the egg and breadcrumbs are meatballs only.

[Mo Smoke]

Interesting.. u put bbq sauce in your burger mix? But add breadcrumbs and egg to your meatball mix? If it’s the same meat, why do the meatballs need the breadcrumbs and egg? Do you add sauce to the meatball mix too.?


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[Dirtytires]

Bbq sauce in meatballs with pasta sauce is not my idea of a good combination.

Most people want a different consistency of the meat which is why we do different things for meatballs, meatloaf and hamburger patties. I am also looking for a different flavor profile for each. And, no, I dont always use the same meat. My meatballs sometimes have a bit of veal and pork in them, meatloaf always has both (plus beef) but hamburgers are usually all beef.

[Mo Smoke]

Ok I get it. I was thinking more like Swedish meatballs.. spaghetti or pasta never crossed my mind . I am gonna try that bbq sauce in the meat thing tho. Sounds good.


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[Mo Smoke]

So I ran an experiment with a few different recipes for meatballs. All with breadcrumbs but with egg and without, and finished over direct heat vs finished in a pan covered with foil. Didn’t like the flavor that I got from the seasoned breadcrumbs..texture and moisture was better with egg added and finishing in the pan especially if we are talking a Swedish meatball type of thing where someone might eat a few of them at a party. Either way I have a few more rest runs before I come up with something I would serve to others.


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[Pete Mazz]

I use Panko instead of breadcrumbs and 1 egg per pound of meat

[Dirtytires]

Good point Pete....I call them breadcrumbs but I actually use Pepperidge Farms stuffing mix (blue bag). Sorry for the mis-information.

[Mo Smoke]

Ok will try those. The ones I used were seasoned and it threw off the whole flavor profile.


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[SAFETYHARBORREDNECK]

Mo,egg and breadcrumbs help the meat stay together.Not a necessary step when smoking.
Check out some of my cooks in here.I've done what turned out to be armadillo eggs,mini juicey Lucy's(meatballs stuffed with cheese)and another that turned out to be moink balls.Most of the time I mix ground beef 75/25,not lean 80/20 and sausage.

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[Frank_Cox]

I have done all the above. I tend to not put any breadcrumbs oin but have done steel cut oats on occasion, my mom always did that on meatballs. we also mix an egg and some tomato sauce in. on the burgers I really like to put some Frank's Hot sauce in for sure! If they are too wet then I ad some oats.

[Mo Smoke]

I did another batch of turkey meatballs since then. Used panko unseasoned breadcrumbs and 2 eggs. Used the same recipe for turkey burgers. Loved the extra moisture but texture was a little to mushy for me. Next time I will use half the breadcrumbs and 90/10 ground turkey instead of 85/15. I think this combo will be the best yet.


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