BBQ Elk Moink Balls

BBQ Elk Moink Balls Recipe

Yield: about 25 moink balls

Ingredients

• 12 oz ground pork
• 12 oz ground elk
• 4 oz ground bacon
• 8 oz bacon strips
• 2 oz Asiago cheese, grated
• 1 Fresno chile, minced
• 1/2 cup yellow onion, roughly chopped
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup Oakridge BBQ Venison and Wild Game Rub
• Eat Barbecue The Next Big Thing Barbecue Sauce

Instructions

Place the Fresno pepper, onion and garlic in a food processor and pulse until nearly puréed (alternatively, chop them by hand as fine as possible). Combine all ingredients, except sauce, in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, mix on medium for about 1 minute. The mixture should be tacky and hold together. Preheat your Yoder Smokers YS640 Pellet Smoker to 225°F. Form the meat mixture into 1.5" balls. Wrap each ball with half a slice of bacon. Pin it with a toothpick.

Smoke at 225°F until meatballs reach internal temperature of 160°F, about 45-60 minutes. Check the temperature with an instant read thermometer like the Maverick PT-75. With the moink balls on the top shelf, place a sheet pan on the bottom shelf, then brush the moink balls with Eat Barbecue The Next Big Thing Barbecue Sauce. Remove the pan used to catch the excess sauce. Continue cooking another 10-15 minutes, then remove moink balls from cooker.

This recipe was prepared on a Yoder Smokers YS640 Pellet Grill.