Smoked Italian Meatball Subs
Smoked Italian Meatball Subs
To start, you need to make your meatballs. For my smoked meatballs I use:
– 1lb Compart Duroc Ground Italian Sausage
– 1lb 80/20 Ground Chuck
– 2 eggs
– 1 cup bread crumbs
– ½ cup grated Parmesan
– 2 t. Italian seasoning
– 1 t. granulated garlic
– ½ t. red pepper flakes
Combine all ingredients together in a large bowl with wet hands (or gloves). Once all ingredients are well combined, roll into balls that are about the size of a golf ball.
Since we are smoking these meatballs, I like to place the meatballs on a pork rack sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
You can smoke your meatballs on any grill or smoker. You want to hold the temps at 275 with a little light smoke. Allow the meatballs to smoke for 35 – 45 minutes – or until the meatballs hit an internal temp around 160-165.
Once they are brown and smoked, pull the meatballs off and add them to a small pan and cover with your Marinara Sauce. You can use any Marinara Sauce you like, but I like this recipe:
Meatball Marinara Sauce
– 2 T. olive oil
– 1 large onions, diced
– 2 cloves minced garlic
– 2 t. Italian seasoning
– 1 t. salt
– ½ T. sugar
– 1 T. Frank’s hot sauce
– 1/3 cup grated parmesan
– 1 cup chicken broth
– 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes (with juice)
– 1 (28 ounce) can tomato puree
Heat oil in a large pot and cook onions until softened. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer. Cook over low heat for about an hour or until sauce thickens.
Place the pan back on the smoker with the meatballs and sauce – holding steady at 275 – for about 15 minutes. Then you want to cover the pan with foil and allow it really cook and get warm, hot and bubbly. You need to cook it covered for another 30-40 minutes.
Once your meatballs have reached an internal of 165 and the sauce is hot, it’s time to assemble your Smoked Italian Meatball Subs.
Use mini sub rolls and thin sliced provolone cheese, then add your meatballs and sauce and top with a little extra provolone cheese. And then dig in!
Source: HowToBBQRight
