Ground Turkey Meatball Question

[Motorguy]

I have a ground turkey meatball recipe that sounds great, with diced jalapenos, herbs, spices, egg and breadcrumb mix, made into tablespoon sized balls. Problem is it's for the oven and I think they would be great on the smoker, maybe with apple or mesquite smoke. Any suggestions on smoker time and temp? I promise I'll do a Qview.......Thanks.

 

[SmokinAl]

It depends on how big you make the meatballs. Your gonna want to take them to 160 IT to be safe.
A 2" meatball will probably take a couple of hours at 225. Tablespoon sized balls would probably be done in 30-40 minutes. If it were me I would make bigger balls so they take longer to cook & can absorb more smoke. Then if you want smaller portion sizes just quarter them when they are done. It's going to be a short smoke so if you like smoke flavor I would go with mesquite, it's a strong wood & will give the meatballs a lot of flavor in a short time.
Al

 

[david r]

I have a ground turkey meatball recipe that sounds great, with diced jalapenos, herbs, spices, egg and breadcrumb mix, made into tablespoon sized balls. Problem is it's for the oven and I think they would be great on the smoker, maybe with apple or mesquite smoke. Any suggestions on smoker time and temp? I promise I'll do a Qview.......Thanks.

I would go with a higher temp here, get some smoke taste but not lose a lot of moisture. Maybe 275 for 30-45 minutes. Sounds like a fun dish. I agree, baking is boring! get um up to 160 like Al suggests.

 

[Motorguy]

It depends on how big you make the meatballs. Your gonna want to take them to 160 IT to be safe.
A 2" meatball will probably take a couple of hours at 225. Tablespoon sized balls would probably be done in 30-40 minutes. If it were me I would make bigger balls so they take longer to cook & can absorb more smoke. Then if you want smaller portion sizes just quarter them when they are done. It's going to be a short smoke so if you like smoke flavor I would go with mesquite, it's a strong wood & will give the meatballs a lot of flavor in a short time.
Al

Thanks SmokinAl. That's just what I was looking for. I think I'll go with the smaller balls as they are planned as finger food for a party. I can adjust the time accordingly and will go with Hickory instead of Apple. I appreciate the help.

Jeff

 

[Motorguy]

I would go with a higher temp here, get some smoke taste but not lose a lot of moisture. Maybe 275 for 30-45 minutes. Sounds like a fun dish. I agree, baking is boring! get um up to 160 like Al suggests.

Thanks David. The issue with a higher temp is that my MES40 has a top temp of 275 degrees and at that temp it's marginal of actually staying there. Appreciate the reply.

Jeff

 

[daveomak]

If you are not adding any fat to the meat, or at least the skin ground up through the grinder... May I suggest you add STPP to the ground meat.. 0.4-0.5%... It holds onto moisture like a vice... Many folks here use it in all meats.. Meatloaf was one members winning test...

 

[Motorguy]

If you are not adding any fat to the meat, or at least the skin ground up through the grinder... May I suggest you add STPP to the ground meat.. 0.4-0.5%... It holds onto moisture like a vice... Many folks here use it in all meats.. Meatloaf was one members winning test...

Thanks Dave. I will definitely check this out. I hadn't heard of it before.

Jeff

 

[SmokinAl]

After hearing Dave's comment, just adding some finely chopped onions will add a lot of moisture to the turkey, without having to buy another ingredient.
We use chopped onion & garlic in turkey burgers all the time and they are very juicy.
Al

 

[gmc2003]

It kinda defeats the purpose of a healthy meatball, but you could wrap them in bacon like moinks are. Call them goinks.

Chris

 

[Motorguy]

Thanks Dave. I will definitely check this out. I hadn't heard of it before.

Jeff

Thanks SmokinAl. I'll give that a try. Might add a bit of flavor as well.

Jeff

 

[Motorguy]

It kinda defeats the purpose of a healthy meatball, but you could wrap them in bacon like moinks are. Call them goinks.

Chris

Goinks? Interesting.......