Smoked Meatballs

Try these delicious ground pork smoked meatballs with bacon the next time you want a flavor-packed easy meal. This smoked meatball recipe is easy to prep, cook time is just over an hour, and the depth of flavor is amazing.

If you love barbecue and classics like meatloaf and mashed potatoes this recipe is for you.

We smoked flavor-packed pork meatballs along with strips of bacon and lathered them in bbq sauce for a perfect appetizer or main course.

Ingredients for Smoked Meatballs

Ground Meat - I like the flavor from 100% pork. You can use whatever ground meat you have.

Garlic - I love to use fresh garlic cloves when I can. In a pinch, you could also substitute garlic powder.

Onion - Onion is a classic BBQ flavor. It works so well with several different sauces and seasonings. You can use onion powder if you prefer.

Bacon - Wrap the meatballs in a piece of bacon for added flavor.

Salt - A good rule of thumb is about 1-1.5 teaspoon of salt per pound of meat.

BBQ Sauce - Your favorite store-bought or homemade sauce is fine.

How to Make Smoked Meatballs

Step One: Put the ground pork in a large mix bowl and season it well with salt and freshly ground pepper. Then roll into 16 meatballs.

Step Two: Preheat your smoker. Maintain a temperature of 250°F and smoke for about 75 minutes. Monitoring the internal temp is key to perfectly smoked meatballs. They are done when the internal temperature reaches 150°F.

Expert Tip: For this smoke, I used a mix of wood. I used hickory, apple, and oak wood chip blend. Feel free to use your favorite wood or cook on your Traeger grill.

Step Three: Remove from smoker, let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Variations

Stuffed: Stuff each meatball with a half-inch cube of cheddar cheese.

Italian: If you want to make smoked Italian meatballs with this and hit it with homemade marinara sauce and shaved parmesan cheese with a big side of smoked lasagna, you can do that too.

Asian: Follow the ingredients listed in our Asian Pork Meatballs but then smoke them as directed right here.

Common Questions

What Type of Meat Should I Use?

I decided to make 100% pork meatballs. You could do a beef pork combo meat mixture. The goal of adding the pieces of bacon was not only flavor-related but also to aff a little more fat and basting to keep it all moist for the 75 minutes of smoke.

You can also try ground beef and Italian sausage meatballs or smoked turkey meatballs as well. But whatever other meatball ideas you have, cook them on the smoker to add a new flavor to your meatballs recipe.

If you want to try something unique this Smoked Elk Meatballs recipe is just that!

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Recipe

Originally Published July 2, 2021. Revised and Republished May 16, 2024.