Baseball Pork Meatballs
- Preparation
- 20 min
- Cooking
- 45 min
- Yield
- 6 servings (12 meatballs)
Have you ever dreamt that hall of famer Greg Maddux invited you to a BBQ bash and offered to feed you a cheese filled pork meatball from a 60ft distance? Well, neither have we but these pork meatballs will have you stuffing your face with cheesy pork goodness faster than you can say Major League Baseball Hall Of Fame. Influenced by the land of the once glorious Expos, this explosive treat is another one of Simons award winning creations and took 1st place in the ‘anything on a stick’ category, with the North Pole BBQ team, at the 2019 Vermont Green Mountain BBQ Championship. Recipes for pork meatballs are everywhere on the internet. Some are baked, served in sauce, accompanied by pasta, etc… But the Simon kind of pork meatballs are stuffed, smoked and served on a stick. The ranch dressing gives off just enough freshness to create the perfect balance with the heat of the jalapeños and the sweet tanginess of the BBQ sauce and rub. You’ll hit it out of the ball park every time with these smoky baseball pork meatballs. I’m surprised they haven't made a spot for them at the hall of fame yet.
Ingredients
Tools & Supplies
Preparation
- Combine ground pork, jalapeños, onions and breadcrumbs into a bowl then form 12 equal sized patties. Place a cube of cheddar cheese and ½ tbsp of caramelized onion jam at the center of each patty. Form each patty into a meatball, securing the cheese and caramelized onions inside the meatball. Season the meatballs with Montreal Barbecue Rub then wrap each meatball with two strips of bacon.
- Place meatballs in the refrigerator overnight. The spices, vinegar from the pickled jalapeños and breadcrumbs will slowly change the texture of the meat, giving the meatballs some sort of sausage quality.
- Preheat your grill for indirect cooking at 325°F.
- Place meatballs on your grill grate for indirect cooking and toss one or two wood chunks onto hot coals for smoking. Close the lid and cook until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 155°F on an instant read thermometer, about 45 minutes.
- Once the meatballs have reached their target temperature, glaze with barbecue sauce then remove from the grill and let rest at room temperature for 15 minutes.
- Drizzle with ranch dressing and serve.