On day 10, we had an Italian feast including meatballs smoked in our Grapevine & Italian Herb blend. We planned to watch a movie set in Italy, so we decided to "set the mood" with an Italian feast beforehand.
We realize the idea of grilling/smoking meatballs is probably not something most people have ever considered. But the flavor is amazing! When you grill or smoke with our Grapevine & Italian Herb blend, you get a delicious smoky Italian flavor that takes your meatballs to the next level.
And it's so easy! Here's how we made it:
You can skip adding Italian seasoning in your meatballs. Our blend will take care of that! When we make meatballs to smoke, we just add onions, garlic, salt, pepper, breadcrumbs, and fresh chopped parsley to ground beef. And they're ready! Here they are, just after going in the smoker:
And here they are almost ready. Golden brown and so full of juicy flavor. YUM!
Chef's Tip: Lightly drizzle the meatballs with olive oil after you've cooked them. This enhances their flavor, adds a bit of moisture, and gives them a glossy, appetizing appearance. Also, the fresh olive oil can provide a fruity, peppery taste that complements the savory flavors of the meat, and it prevents them from drying out.
The meatballs were truly the main attraction in our little Italian feast, but we also made some grilled vegetables, fresh garlic bread, and marinara sauce with noodles.
With a nice glass of red wine, a little red-and-white checked tablecloth, and some soft Italian music in the background, it made for a memorable evening and a great segway into our Italian movie for the night.
And as we often do, we made extra meatballs so that we'd have plenty for leftovers. See how we turned them into a delicious Italian Meatball Sandwich on day 11.
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To find out more about the Wine'd Up in Smoke blend used in this recipe:
