Smoked Meatballs With Bacon

Ingredients

2 pounds ground beef
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup shredded cheese, (Monterey Jack, Cheddar, or Colby Jack)
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
2 large eggs
6 slices bacon, cooked and diced
6 jalapeños, finely diced
8 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoon New Mexico chili powder
2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

Preheat the smoker to 200°F.

Add all ingredients to a large mixing bowl and use gloved hands to combine. Be careful not to over mix, as this causes tough, dry meatballs. *See Notes

Using a cookie scoop, portion out meat mixture; lightly wet your hands and roll or shape mixture into meatballs. Place meatballs into a single layer in the aluminum pans; do not overlap.

Smoke for 1 to 1 ½ hours; no tossing or flipping is necessary.

While warm, toss smoked meatballs in BBQ sauce or other sauce of choice, if desired.