Time to spice it up, folks! Here's a great (in my opinion) recipe for Italian Meatballs. Yes, of course we smoke 'em! And, yes, lots of Parmesan cheese! And they're made from Wild Boar (ground meat). Seriously good stuff! What's not to like? 
I did a classic snake method with briquettes on my Weber kettle, and ran it at the usual 225° F. Rolled pretty large (2") meatballs, since I want to smoke them for 30-40 minutes. If they're too small they finish too quick. It's all thought through carefully
I mixed the ground wild boar with salt, black pepper, ground cumin, ground ancho chili powder and finely chopped shallots.
I smoked them with apple wood for 40 minutes, then added the meatballs to a pan filled with crushed tomatoes (get the best you can, it really pays off). Then sprinkled them with a very liberal amount of real parmesan cheese, and let them simmer for another 20-25 minutes.
Man, this is good stuff. You get real juicy meatballs, with grated cheese on top. And there's a fresh 'acidity' of sorts from the smoke and the cumin. Read the full recipe here.
The meat balls, rolled up, ready for the grill. The pan is just for getting them from the kitchen to the grill. I place each meatball directly on the grates.
Here's the smoked meatballs, I have placed them in the pan together with the tomatoes and cheese, now they just need to simmer for a while on the grill before serving.
And the final result. Great flavors!
I did a classic snake method with briquettes on my Weber kettle, and ran it at the usual 225° F. Rolled pretty large (2") meatballs, since I want to smoke them for 30-40 minutes. If they're too small they finish too quick. It's all thought through carefully
I mixed the ground wild boar with salt, black pepper, ground cumin, ground ancho chili powder and finely chopped shallots.
I smoked them with apple wood for 40 minutes, then added the meatballs to a pan filled with crushed tomatoes (get the best you can, it really pays off). Then sprinkled them with a very liberal amount of real parmesan cheese, and let them simmer for another 20-25 minutes.
Man, this is good stuff. You get real juicy meatballs, with grated cheese on top. And there's a fresh 'acidity' of sorts from the smoke and the cumin. Read the full recipe here.
The meat balls, rolled up, ready for the grill. The pan is just for getting them from the kitchen to the grill. I place each meatball directly on the grates.
Here's the smoked meatballs, I have placed them in the pan together with the tomatoes and cheese, now they just need to simmer for a while on the grill before serving.
And the final result. Great flavors!
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