Let's Grill Up Some Moink Balls!
Moo + Oink = Moink. Get it? Saturday, December 09, 2017
While the term "moink balls" may sound vaguely distasteful, I swear that it isn't! Basically, what we're talking about here is grilled meatballs, which is odd enough in and of itself, I suppose. Though they're certainly not as unusual as grilled salad or Twinkies, recipes for which do exist.
I could share such with you, as living proof that you can, in fact, grill everything from intro to entrée to exit on the barbecue pit, and perhaps one day I shall. However, I prefer to stick with meats or, failing that, with the sauces that do so much to liven up said proteins.
The Moink in the Balls
The oddly intriguing term "moink" is a so-called "portmanteau" word -- which, for us normal people, is what you get when you combine two existing words. Like, say, putting zebra and donkey together to get zonkey... a hybrid critter that does exist, poor thing, but is rarely grilled, so we won't talk any more about it here.
So, "moink" is a combo of "moo" and "oink," and I'll bet you can guess why. Yep, cats and kittens, it's because the operative proteins here are beef and pork -- two classic barbecue meats in sublime combination. Think filet mignon, in that you wrap the beefy core in moist, tender bacon.
I don't know about you, but I find the whole idea drool-worthy.
The Recipe
Before we get started, I have to point out that you'll want to cook these meatballs in a smoker, rather than a roaring grill. Plus, they have to be fairly big, so they don't slip through the slots in the grill. Just to be sure, you could always wrap the grill in aluminum foil... but that takes away from the smoky goodness.
Without further ado, here's what you need to get started:
12 large, pre-cooked Italian meatballs (use your favorite recipe)
12 standard bacon strips
1 teaspoon of brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon of black pepper
½ cup of your favorite barbecue sauce (raspberry would be fun here)
½ cup of grape jelly
1 dozen wooden toothpicks
First, wrap the meatballs in the bacon strips and secure them with the toothpicks. Then combine the peppers and brown sugar thoroughly, and sprinkle the spice mix over the meatballs, top and bottom.
Cook them in a smoker at about 250 degrees for an hour, drizzling them with a little barbecue sauce if you like. While they're cooking, blend the jelly and the remaining sauce in a saucepan over low heat. Glaze the meatballs with the resulting mix five minutes after removing them from the smoker.
Then serve your moink balls immediately, and enjoy the heck out of 'em.
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