Britt shares her family’s classic Christmas dish: Swedish Meatballs! She puts her own spin on them by spicing up the gravy and slow-smoking them on the Yoder Smokers YS640s!
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE
- Bread-and-cream panade: Soaking soft bread crumbs in half-and-half keeps the meatballs tender and moist instead of dense.
- Beaten-until-fluffy mixture: Beating the meat at high speed until light and fluffy builds a springy texture that holds together without being tough.
- Sautéed onion folded in: Cooking the onion in butter first softens it and mellows its bite before it goes into the meatballs.
- Smoked in the gravy: Finishing the meatballs uncovered in the pan gravy on the smoker lets them absorb smoke throughout, not just on the surface.
Swedish Meatballs
Britt Shoffner
Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users
Category
Entree
Cuisine
Swedish
Servings
6-8
Prep Time
30 minutes
Cook Time
45 minutes
Calories
256
Treat your family to a classic Christmas dinner with Britt's Swedish Meatballs! She spices up her recipe with a flavorful gravy and slow-smokes them to perfection.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup soft bread crumbs
- 1 cup half-and-half
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 1/2 cup minced sweet onion
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1/2 lb lean ground pork
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
-
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 2 Tablespoons AP Flour
- 2 cups beef broth
-
1/4 teaspoon or more Plowboys BBQ Jamaican Jerk Rub (optional)
- 1/8 cup sour cream (optional)
Directions
- Take about a quarter of a fresh baguette and blitz in a blender to create soft bread crumbs.
In a large bowl of your electric mixer, soak the crumbs in half-and-half (about 10 minutes). Mince one half a large sweet onion and measure out one-half cup.
In a 12" Lodge cast-iron skillet over medium heat, melt one tablespoon of butter, add onion, and sauté until softened.
- Stir cooked onion into bread crumb mixture. Add beef, pork, egg, parsley, salt, and spices. Beat at high speed until the mixture is fluffy and light pink in color.
Preheat your Yoder Smoker YS640s to 250°F.
- Using a small cookie scoop, portion out and shape meatballs.
- Brown meatballs in pan with two tablespoons butter, working in small batches to avoid overcrowding the pan. Once browned, set aside meatballs to rest to make the gravy.
Make gravy with pan drippings by adding 2 tablespoons of flour, constantly whisking to hydrate and cook the flour. Slowly add beef broth and bring to a boil while constantly stirring. Cut the heat. As an option, add Plowboys BBQ Jamaican Jerk Rub and sour cream and stir until just melted through. Return the meatballs to the pan.
- Place the cast iron pan with meatballs and gravy onto the top rack of the smoker, uncovered for roughly one hour. Return every 15-20 minutes during that hour to gently stir and redistribute the meatballs with the gravy, allowing for the smoke to adhere to more than just the surface. Once the meatballs temp around 160°F, they are ready to serve immediately.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Why soak the bread crumbs in half-and-half before mixing them into the meat?
The soaked crumbs form a moist panade that holds liquid inside the meatballs as they cook, keeping them tender and juicy instead of dense or dry.
Why beat the meat mixture at high speed until fluffy and light pink?
Beating develops the proteins so the meatballs hold their shape and bounce back when pressed, and it lightens the mixture for a softer bite.
Why cook the onion in butter before adding it to the meat?
Sautéing softens the onion and takes away its raw sharpness, so it blends into the meatballs instead of leaving crunchy, harsh pieces.
Why brown the meatballs in batches?
Browning in small batches keeps the pan hot, so the meatballs sear instead of steaming. The browned bits left behind become the base of the pan gravy.
Why return the meatballs to the gravy and finish them uncovered on the smoker?
Stirring them gently every 15-20 minutes lets smoke reach more than just the surface, and the gravy thickens and takes on smoke flavor too.
What internal temperature should the meatballs reach?
This recipe finishes them at about 160°F, which matches the USDA minimum for ground beef and pork.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
4 out of 5. The meatballs brown on the stovetop and the gravy is made in the same skillet. A 250°F oven can finish them, but you'd lose the smoke flavor.
Recipe Highlights
Cream-soaked panade: Keeps the meatballs tender and moist.
High-speed beating: Builds a springy, fluffy texture.
Pre-cooked onion: Softens raw bite before mixing.
Gravy-smoked finish: Spreads smoke through the meatballs and sauce.
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Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 9.28 oz
- per serving
- Calories
- 256
- Carbs
- 7 grams
- Protein
- 21 grams
- Fat
- 16 grams
- Sodium
- 776 milligrams
