Smoked Bacon Wrapped Meatballs

By: Bryan Weeck

Meatballs are amazing. Bacon is awesome. Imagine meatballs made with Snake River Farms American Wagyu ground beef covered with Kurobuta bacon and you've got an appetizer that is practically a main dish all its own. Just add your favorite barbecue sauce and you're ready to "wow" the guests at your next get together. Learn more about grill master Brian Weeck by following @saucybeardbbq on Instagram.


Ingredients

Meatballs

  • 2 pounds American Wagyu Ground Beef Buy Now
  • 1 package American Kurobuta Bacon Buy Now
  • 3 slices of bread
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1 small yellow onion, minced
  • 5 cloves of garlic minced
  • 2 tablespoons salted butter
  • 2 large eggs
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ tablespoons cracked black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Meatballs

Set your smoker at 275° degrees. (I used Cherry wood which is mild and great with pork).
In a large bowl add the milk to the slices of bread. (You can use a stand mixer if you have one.)
Melt the butter in a pan and add the minced yellow onions and garlic. Cook them on medium low until translucent but not browned. Remove from heat and let cool.
In your bowl with the milk-soaked bread add the rest of the meatball ingredients including the cooked onions and garlic.
Mix until the bread is broken apart and the meat is combined with the ingredients (using the stand-up mixer helps keep the mixture cold and tender).
Using your hands scoop them into balls about the size of a ping pong ball. Approximately 36 meatballs.
Take bacon from the package and slice in half. Wrap meatballs and place on a tray. (Tip: wrap your bacon overlapping and place it seam side down. Then you will not have to use toothpicks and the bacon will stick to itself when finished cooking.)
Season with your favorite rub.
Place meatballs seam side down on smoker for 40 minutes.
Heat up your favorite BBQ sauce and glaze the meatballs with the remaining 5 minutes of cooking so they get nice and tacky.