Traditional in technique, incredibly tender, packed full of Italian flavor
These Grilled Homemade Italian Meatballs come together in minutes. Traditional in technique, incredibly tender, packed full of Italian flavor and parmesan cheese, these meatballs are then grilled to caramelized barbecue-grill perfection!
GRILLED HOMEMADE ITALIAN MEATBALLS
These melt-in-your-mouth meatballs are everything a meatball should be. Made with equal portions ground beef and pork, the Italian herbs and cheeses are combined with garlic and light and airy panko bread crumbs for a tender inside and a perfect exterior crust creating the ULTIMATE meatball recipe!
HOW TO MAKE GRILLED HOMEMADE ITALIAN MEATBALLS
My meatball recipe uses the perfect combination of traditional ingredients and tequniques for a super tender and flavor filled meatball. The exception to that is that I prefer panko breadcrumbs, which are Japanese in origin, to traditional bread crumbs.
Begin by soaking the breadcrumbs in milk.
In a large bowl, add the breadcrumb mixture to ground beef and pork, onion, eggs, parmesan cheese, parsley garlic, basil, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and oregano.
Next, let the meatball mixture chill in the refrigerator for about an hour. This helps the balls to hold together and lets the flavors really come together.
Using wet hands, form them into 18 balls. This creates a slightly larger than average meatball, but is sized to have three meatballs on a hoagie or hotdog bun if that is your goal.
Place the raw meatballs on well oiled grill grates directly over a medium flame/heat. Both charcoal grills land gas grills work well for this recipe.
Brown the side facing down for 1-2 minutes until it caramelizes, develops a crust, and releases from the grill grates. Repeat the process on the other sides.
After the outside edges are browned, move the meatballs to the flameless / indirect cooking area and close the lid. Cook the meatballs an additional 15-20 minutes until the internal temperature is 165 degrees.
EVEN MAKE MEATBALL SUB SANDWICHES WITH GRILLED ITALIAN MEATBALLS.
For Grilled Meatball Sub Sandwiches, toast 6 sub buns over the coals. Add three cooked meatballs, Homemade Red Sauce or a quality marinara, and a cheese (mozzarella, provolone, provel, Monterey Jack, or pepper jack). Close the grill lid and continue to cook on indirect heat for about 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef (80/20)
- 1 pound ground pork (85/15)
- 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 cup onion, minced
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- 1/2 cup parsley, Italian fresh, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 2 tablespoons basil, fresh chopped
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano, dried
Instructions
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Soak the breadcrumbs in the milk for 5-10 minutes.
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In a large mixing bowl, add the breadcrumb milk mixture and all of the remaining ingredients.
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Gently combine the mixture with your hands just until combined.
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Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a lid and refrigerate for 1 hour.
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