Moink Balls - Meatballs

Maybe another factor is what temp the smoker really is smoking at. I know mine runs hot, so I would have thought it would have made the balls drier.

If this happened to me I would try again but only do a small batch to see how they turn out. It may be that in your smoker you need less time.

I also forgot to ask, how did the bacon turn out that they were wrapped in.

Did you use a water pan, I did.

Greg
 
The size of the meatball will be a factor...I think I ended up somewhere between a ping pong ball and golf ball.  I was trying not to make them too big, but the seemed about right for a full bite rather than needing two bites to finish it (although some did!).  I also gave them a healthy dose of sauce at the 1.5 hour mark.
 
As I said in my previous post, the auber held at 225 throughout the smoke.  I started with ping pong ball size but also had several that were a bit larger,  more of a traditional size meatball.  The bacon was started in the frying pan until the fat was rendered but still flexible enough to wrap easily.  After smoking the bacon part of the moink was fine, not like cinders that you would expect if the whole cook was overdone.  The breadcrumbs were plain unseasoned variety in the quantities recommended.

Has to be the meat.  I normally never use anything other than chuck or round when ground beef is called for, but I think for the next go I will try regular ground beef for the higher fat content.  I also think I might pull a little sooner and sample to find the right temp/time combination.  If underdone, back in smoker.

I will get this right.  I also think I may try Dave's suggestion of mixing beef and ground pork for the added fat content and flavor.  If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.
 
coachB said:
As I said in my previous post, the auber held at 225 throughout the smoke.  I started with ping pong ball size but also had several that were a bit larger,  more of a traditional size meatball.  The bacon was started in the frying pan until the fat was rendered but still flexible enough to wrap easily.  After smoking the bacon part of the moink was fine, not like cinders that you would expect if the whole cook was overdone.  The breadcrumbs were plain unseasoned variety in the quantities recommended.

Has to be the meat.  I normally never use anything other than chuck or round when ground beef is called for, but I think for the next go I will try regular ground beef for the higher fat content.  I also think I might pull a little sooner and sample to find the right temp/time combination.  If underdone, back in smoker.

I will get this right.  I also think I may try Dave's suggestion of mixing beef and ground pork for the added fat content and flavor.  If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.
Click to expand...

Besides the bread crumb difference it sounds like you started the bacon in the frying pan and lost the fat. Thick sliced bacon right out of the package for this one. The fat keeps the meatball moist and cooks off.

I also agree about not using cheap ground beef, but it was on a super sale and the fat content helped also in the meatballs. But in my opinion if you are using beef at least 20 percent fat you should be good to go. 

Did you use a water pan?

I agree also mixing pork and beef would provide really good results.

Greg
 
If you don't want to mix pork into the beef, you could always chop up raw bacon and put it into the beef as well as still wrap it with a half slice of raw bacon. Now THAT'S and idea, lol. Baconey (is that a word? It is now!) goodness ;)
 
RG said:
If you don't want to mix pork into the beef, you could always chop up raw bacon and put it into the beef as well as still wrap it with a half slice of raw bacon. Now THAT'S and idea, lol. Baconey (is that a word? It is now!) goodness ;)
Click to expand...

New and innovative ways to incorporate MORE bacon into a cook is NEVER a bad thing! :D
 
I woke up early this morning on the two ideas came to me for help make the moink balls more tender.

For years I have been making ground Lamb Seekh Kebabs. For that recipe (2 lbs ground lamb meat) I add 1 1/4 sticks of melted butter 60/40 blend.

The other option is to fine cut up some onions and add to the meat, this will also help retain moisture and add a nice flavor to the balls.

Add a hunk of cheese in the center of each or mix up shredded cheese into the mixture.

Greg
 
Mine are going in the smoke tomorrow.  Here's my plan for the mix.

Dave’s Moinks
1.5 pounds ground beef
1 pound spicy sausage
1 pound of bacon
½  cup chopped onion
4 ounces shredded cheese
1/3 cup BBQ sauce
2 eggs
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
BBQ rub
 
Just wondering because I kind of wondered if the breadcrumbs contributed to the dryness of the batch of moinks I made up.  I had already planned on a combo of beef and pork and was thinking of leaving the breadcrumbs out.  I am not a big fan of beef meatballs and was hoping the moinks would be moister.  I think with the pork they will be.
 
The biggest problem with beef is overcooking and using too lean of a grind. 80/20 chuck, cooked until firm but not stiff yields a good product. As for the breadcrumbs, not too much is needed, just enough to absorb the egg to help hold it together. Technically you could leave the egg and bread crumbs out of the mixture but you'd run the risk of the meatballs falling apart. As for the low carb thing, this little bit of bread is minimal in the grand scheme of things. I too do low carb but if you're going to do the bbq sauce, you might as well do the bread crumbs too, lol. A cheat day every now and again is no big deal. I eat low carb all week but sometimes on the weekend I will stray a little.

One last thing of note, this is not meant to be disparaging in any way but Moinks will turn out far better on a grill than in the SI. You want that dry heat that comes from a flame, whether it be from charcoal or gas. If you have the chance, cook some indirect on a grill and tell me what you think.
 
Jason, do you think the moinks would do better in the oven than the SI?  I don't trust the temp control of my grille.  I have found that some things do actually come out better in an oven.  Sacrilege! Maybe in the smoker for a while and finishing in the oven.  I found the baked beans from the oven, while not smoked, were actually better in the oven.  More evaporation took place making a heavier, richer product that was really well received.
 
Bill, if my bacon wasn't as crispy as I wanted it coming out of the smoker, I was going to blast it in the oven to crisp the bacon. 
 
Ovens can do the work just fine. I do think what Dave said about smoking and then finishing in an oven is solid advice. It needs that smoke to make it magical. An alternative is to buy a cheap charcoal grill and light coals and put one one side of it and cook on the other, indirect. Throw a few wood chips on for smoke. The SI is great for some things, mostly big pieces of meat that require long cook times. Moinks do better on other devices. I've not cooked them on the SI but just call it a hunch ;)
 
I think they would taste fine in the oven, but you would miss the smoke. Dave idea of finishing in the oven would work fine.

On batch I did, only did part of the batch wrapped in bacon. The larger batch, I smoked for 1 hour and then pulled and put in the freezer. Then a few days ago I pulled a dozen, allowed them to thaw, wrapped in bacon and finished on the grill. Coated with sauce and gave to my neighbor, who said they tasted great.

Just another idea.
 
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