You Need to Make These Smoked Meatballs

I feel like briskets and pork shoulders get all the attention in pellet smoker recipes. Pellet smokers magically turn any kind of meat (and things that aren't meat!) into an eyes-rolling-back-into-the-head experience. And ground beef is no exception.

Meatballs are universally loved -- if done well. This particular recipe uses two kinds of meat (if you prefer) and just a handful of ingredients letting the smoky, beefy flavor shine.

These are easy to make gluten free, too! Just use gluten free breadcrumbs or make some from that stale loaf of GF bread. (See recipe notes for instructions for this!)

Smoked Meatball Recipe Ingredients

• Ground beef - I use grass-fed 80/20 or 85/15 fat content for this.
• Ground pork - I like using two kinds of meat to add extra flavor. And if my beef is particularly lean, using some ground pork adds a little fat & flavor. This is optional, though. Feel free to use all beef for this recipe.
• Salt & Pepper
• Granulated Garlic
• Steak seasoning - I use my Homemade Steak Seasoning, but you can use any steak seasoning you like or your preferred all-purpose BBQ seasoning.
• Egg
• Breadcrumbs - Use either seasoned or unseasoned. And use gluten free if you like!
• Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, or coconut aminos
• Finely grated Parmesan cheese - also optional, but adds a yummy flavor!
• BBQ Sauce - Use any kind! Trader Joe's Kansas City BBQ Sauce is my favorite store-bought because it doesn't contain HFCS. You could also use a homemade BBQ sauce! I linked to a few below.

How to Make Smoked BBQ Meatballs

1. Preheat your pellet smoker to 225F with a high smoke setting.
2. In a large bowl, combine all of the meatball ingredients (except the BBQ sauce). Use your hands to gently blend everything together.
3. Form them into 1 ½ in balls using a spoon or a medium cookie scoop. Roll them tightly and put them on a sheet pan.

How to Smoke Meatballs

1. Transfer the meatballs to the pellet grill, putting them directly on the grill grates.
2. Smoke for 30-40 minutes or until they reach 145F inside.
3. Transfer the meatballs to a baking dish or a foil pan. Pour BBQ sauce over them.
4. Put the pan back into the smoker for another 20 minutes.

Smoked Meatballs Recipe Variations

There are a lot of ways you can change up this recipe! It's intended to be a jumping off point. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Change up the meat: Feel free to use ground turkey or chicken, but be aware of them being too dry if the fat content of the meat is super low. You could add in some ground sausage or grated zucchini to counteract this.
• Make them spicy: throw in some crushed red pepper flakes or a diced jalapeño to add some heat.
• Change the cheese: Use grated sharp cheddar or another strong flavored cheese in place of the Parmesan. Or use nutritional yeast in place of cheese if you're avoiding dairy but still want that "cheesy" flavor.
• Make your own BBQ sauce! If you're wanting to control the sugar content better or use naturally sweetened BBQ sauce, I have a few recipes on my site. Any of these would work well here: Balsamic BBQ Sauce, Raspberry Chipotle BBQ Sauce, or Honey Lime Ginger BBQ Sauce.

Smoked Meatball Recipe Tips

Don't squeeze your meat. When you're mixing the raw meat and seasonings don't squeeze it hard in your fists. You may end up with mealy, mushy meatballs this way. Use your fingers and gently mix it instead.

Use a meat thermometer. Most pellet grills come with meat thermometers, but you can use an instant read thermometer stuck into a meatball to check the temp. You don't want dry, overcooked meatballs.

What to Serve with Smoked Meatballs

These smoked meatballs can be served alone as hearty appetizer or as part of a full meal! Here are some tasty sides that would be delicious with these:

Roasted vegetables: Crispy Roasted Broccoli, Roasted Delicata Squash, Roasted Cabbage Steaks

Cozy Carbs: Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes (No Drain), Herbed Rice

One day I wrapped a stray meatball in a slice of sourdough sandwich bread and decided they'd be a fabulous meatball sub with some smoky cheese. *drool*

Storing Smoked BBQ Meatballs

Store any leftover meatballs and sauce in a lidded container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

More Delicious Pellet Smoker Recipes on Perry's Plate

If you love these meatballs, try another one of my smoker recipes!

Bacon Hamburger

Smoked Cream Cheese

Smoked Chicken Wings

Smoking Salmon

Smoked Chicken

If you make one of my recipes, I'd love to see! Post it on social media and tag me at @perrysplate or #perrysplate so I can send you some love!

Smoked Beef Meatballs

Yield: Makes 42 meatballs

You'll love how easy these smoked meatballs are to put together! Let them have a little spa time in your smoker, and you'll have the most flavorful meatballs of your life for any kind of party or as part of a tasty dinner.

Print

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean ground beef (80/20 or 85/15)
• 1 pound ground pork
• 1 cup dried breadcrumbs
• 2 egg
• 4 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese
• 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tablespoon steak seasoning
• 2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 16 oz BBQ sauce (any kind)

Instructions

1. Preheat your pellet smoker to 225F with a high smoke setting.
2. In a large bowl, combine all of the meatball ingredients (except the BBQ sauce). Use your hands to gently blend everything together.
3. Form them into 1 ½ in balls using a spoon or a medium cookie scoop. Roll them tightly and put them on a sheet pan.
4. Transfer the meatballs to the pellet grill, putting them directly on the grill grates.
5. Smoke for 30-40 minutes or until they reach 145F inside.
6. Transfer the meatballs to a baking dish or a foil pan. Pour BBQ sauce over them.
7. Put the pan back into the smoker for another 20 minutes.
8. Remove the pan from the smoker, stir them around, and serve immediately.

Notes

1. If you'd prefer to use all ground beef, go ahead. Using two kinds of meat addes extra flavor and if the ground beef is especially lean, the pork would add some extra flavor and richness.
2. You can also use tamari (soy) sauce or coconut aminos in place of the Worcestershire sauce.
3. I make my own steak seasoning, but you can use whatever you prefer.
4. This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled if you need a LOT of meatballs.
5. You can make the meatball larger if you like. Just plan for extra smoke time to get them to the appropriate internal temperature.

Recommended Products

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Nutrition Information

Yield 5 Serving Size 4 meatballs
Amount Per Serving Calories 506Total Fat 18gSaturated Fat 7gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 9gCholesterol 123mgSodium 1824mgCarbohydrates 55gFiber 2gSugar 39gProtein 29g

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

This post may contain affiliate links. Any purchases made by using these links won't cost you any extra and helps keep my content free. These links may be Amazon links as I am part of the Amazon Associate Program.

The post Smoked BBQ Meatballs appeared first on Perry's Plate.

This Juicy Bacon Jam Burger will blow your mind!

I’m a huge fan of a good burger (note the dozen or so burger recipes on my site!) and the tangy-sweet bite of bacon jam goes so well in a burger with melty cheese and juicy beef.

Bacon jam (and these burgers) aren’t hard to make either! I’ll show you everything you need to know and these will be you go-to burgers all grilling season long.

What is bacon jam?

If you're not familiar, bacon jam is a combination of bacon and caramelized onions in a tangy sweet sauce. It's a . . . spiritual experience. And thankfully it's easy to make and I've got a recipe right here for you: Bacon Onion Jam.

It comes together in about 30-ish min with just a handful of ingredients. Use it on burgers, grilled meats, and use it to make the best grilled cheese of your life. (I'm not exaggerating.)

Bacon Jam Burger Recipe Ingredients

• Ground beef: Any kind will do. We're making our own patties here.
• Steak seasoning: I like to make my own Homemade Steak Seasoning, but just use your favorite kind or an all-purpose BBQ rub.
• Worcestershire Sauce
• Cheese of your choice: for this recipe I like smoked gouda or another type of smoked cheese. Munster works well, too, an melts nicely.
• A batch of Bacon Jam: Make this earlier in the day or up to 4-5 days in advance. If it's chilled you'll have to warm it up a little since the bacon drippings will make the bacon jam firm up when chilled.
• Buns and other burger fixings: We're obsessed with this Burger Sauce. It add a creamy element to these burgers!

How to make a Bacon Burger

1. Prep your patties by adding the steak seasoning and Worcestershire to your ground beef. Divide it into 6 patties or balls, if you're doing smash burgers.
2. Heat up your grill or griddle. If you're doing smash burgers, put the balls of meat on the hot griddle and smash them really flat. Cook the burgers until they're as done as you prefer.
3. Add cheese during the last couple minutes of grilling as well as a big spoonful of bacon jam.
4. Assemble burgers on toasted buns.

Bacon Hamburger variations

• Make it spicy: Add some diced jalapeño to your bacon jam and a few pinches of cayenne to your ground beef to give these burgers a little kick.
• Switch up the meat: Use ground chicken, pork, turkey, or a combination of them for a different type of burger.
• Low carb style: Swap out the bun for a lettuce wrap. Or turn this into a "burger salad" situation over a pile of salad greens and a drizzle of burger sauce. (YUM.)
• Smoke it: Add an extra smoky component by making Smoked Burgers on your pellet grill or smoker!

Bacon Jam Burger Recipe Tips

1. If you’ve made the bacon jam ahead of time it has most likely congealed a bit. Set the container in the sun or next to the grill so it can loosen up before you use it. Or put it on your burger a minute or two earlier so it has time to soften.
2. Don’t overcook your burgers! Even bacon jam can’t save a dry, overcooked burger patty.
3. Don’t add your cheese too early. I’d recommend adding the cheese and bacon jam at the same time – the last 1-2 minutes of cooking.
4. Make your bacon jam ahead of time! It stays good in the fridge for a couple of weeks.

How to Serve A Bacon Jam Burger

These burgers are great on their own or with any of the variations above. If you're looking for side dishes, these are some of my easy recipes that would work really well with these burgers:

Best Sweet Potato Fries

Instant Pot Potato Salad

Sweet Kale Salad

Avocado Lettuce Salad

Storing Leftover Bacon Burgers

If you happen to have leftovers, store any cooked patties in a lidded container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

I highly recommend reheating theses patties in a lidded skillet over medium high heat with a few tablespoons of water added so they don't dry out.

More Delicious Burger Recipes on Perry's Plate

Smoked Burgers

Jalapeno Burgers (smash burger style)

Mushroom Burgers

Goat Cheese Burger

If you make one of my recipes, I'd love to see! Post it on social media and tag me at @perrysplate or #perrysplate so I can send you some love!

Bacon Hamburger

Yield: 6 burgers

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Bacon cheeseburgers are the bomb, but may I suggest an upgrade? If you've been around for a while you know that I like to take familiar recipes and twist them a little. (Or a lot.) This time I took a bacon cheeseburger and swapped out regular bacon for... bacon jam. The result? You're new favorite burger.

Print

Ingredients

• 2 pounds ground beef
• 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tablespoon steak seasoning
• 1 batch of Bacon Jam
• 6 slices of cheese
• Buns and other burger fixings

Instructions

1. Prep your patties by adding the steak seasoning and Worcestershire to your ground beef. Divide it into 6 patties or balls, if you're doing smash burgers. Each patty should be roughly ⅓ of a pound.
2. Heat up your grill or griddle to high heat. If you're doing smash burgers, put the balls of meat on the hot griddle and smash them really flat. Cook or grill the burgers until they're as done as you prefer, flipping them a couple times.
3. Add cheese during the last couple minutes of cooking as well as a big spoonful of bacon jam.
4. Assemble burgers on toasted buns with any other toppings you prefer.

Nutrition Information

Yield 6 Serving Size 1 burger
Amount Per Serving Calories 669Total Fat 42gSaturated Fat 18gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 19gCholesterol 188mgSodium 883mgCarbohydrates 13gFiber 0gSugar 1gProtein 56g

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

The post Bacon Burgers appeared first on Perry's Plate.

What makes it special is that it absorbs all that wood-smoke goodness without melting away. You end up with a creamy, savory, smoky spread that’s got serious personality. I’ve tested it on bagels, burgers, in mac ‘n’ cheese, and it holds its magical every single time.

Make at least two bricks when you fire up your smoker, because this stuff goes fast. Use it as a dip, spread it, melt it into sauces, or dream up your own twist. However you use it, it’ll take things to the next level.

This Smoked Cream Cheese Recipe Is Life Changing

When I heard this was a thing I wondered what kind of witchcraft was happening. "Cooking" cream cheese? Wouldn't it melt? Would it make a mess all over my smoker? What would I even do with it?

After tinkering with this idea I realized that smoked cream cheese is the best thing you can keep stashed away in your refrigerator. Smear it on a bagel, use it as a veggie/cracker dip, top your burger with it, stir it into Mac 'n' cheese!

FYI, it won't make a mess of your smoker. But it might just change your life.

Smoked Cream Cheese Ingredients

• Cream cheese - I like to use the blocks for this because it's easier to manage. But if you have a big tub of cream cheese, you can scoop out a big mound and use that too.
• Seasoning - I really like using steak seasoning to play off the smoky flavors from your pellet grill/smoker, but you can tinker with this and see what you like! I linked to a few more seasoning blends below that I think would work well here.
• Smoker or pellet grill - You'll need a smoker or a pellet grill (like a Traeger or a CampChef) where you can control the temperature easily. This will be a low-temp smoke session.

I've had a CampChef Woodwind Pellet Grill for a few years now and really love it!

Best seasoning for Smoked Cream Cheese

Here are a few seasoning I'd recommend for smoking cream cheese:

Montreal Steak Seasoning - My top pick and what I use most often.

Chipotle Seasoning - If you want to do a Tex-Mex version of this, try my smoky twist on a taco seasoning. I can see this cream cheese being good to smear inside of a burrito or incorporated into some queso dip.

BBQ Rub - Rubs that have a sweet, brown sugar undertone would be great.

Everything Bagel Seasoning - This smoked cream cheese is delicious on everything bagels and using everything bagel seasoning on the cream cheese would give it a little boost of "everything".

Blackening Seasoning - You can find a blackening seasoning mix in my Blackened Fish post!

How to Smoke Cream Cheese on the Traeger

1. Preheat your smoker or pellet grill to about 225F.
2. Line a small pan or baking dish with parchment paper.
3. Place the cream cheese block on the parchment. Score the top with a knife, if you like.
4. Cover the cream cheese with a good amount of seasoning. Drizzle a little oil over the top.
5. Place the pan in the smoker and let it smoke for 2 hours.
6. Remove and serve the smoked cream cheese immediately or let it cool and refrigerate until you're ready to use it.

What temp to Smoke Cream Cheese?

You can smoke the cream cheese between 200-250F. I like 225 because it's warm enough to make the insides gooey, but it won't start melting the cream cheese.

How long to Smoke Cream Cheese 

I'd recommend at least 45 minutes up to 2 hours for a mild smoky flavor. If you like you can smoke it for 3 hours to incorporate more smoke flavor into the cream cheese.

Traeger Smoked Cream Cheese Variations

Smoke your dip! Make a cream cheese based dip and smoke it in a shallow container to add more smoky flavor.

Change up the seasoning - Try using different kinds of seasoning to see what you prefer! I listed some recommendations below.

Tips For Making Traeger Smoked Cream Cheese

• Lining your baking pan with parchment lets you move the cream cheese around more easily and eliminates one more pan to clean up.
• If you like, you can use a cookie cutter and gently press it into the cream cheese to create a design. Scoring it with a cross-hatch pattern also works well here.
• The longer you smoke the cream cheese the stronger the smoky flavor will be.
• Be sure not to smoke it above 250-275F or the cream cheese will begin to melt.

Smoked Cream Cheese Recipe Serving Suggestions

Here are some serving suggestions for smoked cream cheese

• Serve as is! This stands alone as a yummy dip for crackers and veggies.
• Use it as a smear - It's delicious on bagels, burgers, sandwiches, and wraps.
• Use it as a base for a dip - If you have a dip recipe that calls for cream cheese, try using smoked cream cheese instead to add some smoky flavor.
• Stir it into creamy pasta dishes - If you're adding cream cheese to a Mac 'n' cheese recipe or another type of creamy pasta, try smoked cream cheese instead!

How to store Smoked Cream Cheese

Just let it cool off then store it in an airtight container in the fridge for a week or two.

Smoked Cream Cheese Recipe FAQs

More Pellet Grill Recipes on Perry's Plate

If you like this smoked cream cheese recipe, try one of these other recipes I make on my CampChef Woodwind Pellet Grill!

Smoked Chicken Wings

Smoked Burgers

Smoked Chicken Breast or Smoked Whole Chicken

Smoked Salmon

Pellet Grill Meatballs

If you make one of my recipes, I'd love to see! Post it on social media and tag me at @perrysplate or #perrysplate so I can send you some love!

Traeger Smoking Cream Cheese

Yield: 1 cup

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 2 hours 5 minutes

Smoked cream cheese is one of my favorite appetizers to make on my smoker -- only TWO ingredients and ridiculously easy. It stands alone as a fabulous smoky dip, and I can show you how it can be used in other ways!

Print

Ingredients

• 8 ounce block of cream cheese
• 1 teaspoon seasoning (see note)
• 1 Tablespoon oil, any type

Instructions

1. Preheat your smoker to 225F. Line a small baking pan or dish with parchment paper.
2. Lay the cream cheese on the parchment. Score the top in a cross-hatch pattern with a knife, if you like. Sprinkle the seasoning on top of the cream cheese, then drizzle the oil over top.
3. Put the baking pan/dish in the smoker. Smoke for 2 hours.
4. Remove from smoker and serve immediately or let it cool and chill in an airtight container until ready to use. It should last a week or so in the refrigerator.

Notes

1. Steak seasoning or BBQ rub is what I typicall use on this cream cheese since it completments the smoke flavor. Everything bagel seasoning works well, too, as well as the other suggestions in the post.
2. If you chill the cream cheese and want to use it as an appetizer later, remove it from the fridge an hour or two before serving so it can soften. You can also put it in a 225 deg overn for 15-20 minutes to warm it up.

Nutrition Information

Yield 8 Serving Size 1 ounce
Amount Per Serving Calories 115Total Fat 12gSaturated Fat 6gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 5gCholesterol 29mgSodium 279mgCarbohydrates 2gFiber 0gSugar 1gProtein 2g

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

This post may contain affiliate links. Any purchases made by using these links won't cost you any extra and helps keep my content free. These links may be Amazon links as I am part of the Amazon Associate Program.

The post How to Smoke Cream Cheese appeared first on Perry's Plate.

There's nothing like Smoking Chicken Wings on the Pellet Grill!

Confession: I don’t actually like wings that much, but my family does. BUT I ate a half dozen of these in just a few minutes because they were so good.

You only need a couple of ingredients, too. Use any kind of steak seasoning you like and let the smoker do all the heavy lifting!

Speaking of pellet grills and smokers. I have a CampChef pellet grill, but any type of pellet grill or smoker would work for these if you have good temperature control!

Smoked Chicken Wings Ingredients

• Chicken wings -- I like to use party wings which are chicken wings separated into a "flat" and a "drumette".
• Cooking oil -- I like to use avocado oil because of its high smoke point.
• Kosher salt -- I like using Kosher salt when I season meat because it seasons it really well without being overly salty. If you use sea salt, reduce the amount by half. If your grill seasoning has a lot of salt you might not even need extra salt.
• BBQ Grill Seasoning -- You can use whatever kind you prefer. I like to use my Homemade Steak Seasoning as an all-purpose grill seasoning.
• BBQ Sauce -- Again, use whatever you like! If you're wanting a low sugar option, I have a few BBQ Sauce recipes on my site that allow you to control the sugar content: Balsamic BBQ Sauce, Honey Ginger BBQ Sauce, and Raspberry Chipotle BBQ Sauce would all work well here.

How to Smoke Chicken Wings on Pellet Grill

1. Preheat your smoker.
2. Toss the wings in oil, BBQ seasoning, and salt.
3. Smoke for about an hour.
4. Toss them in a little BBQ sauce.
5. Finish them off under your oven broiler.
6. Serve!

What Sauce to Use with Smoked Chicken Wings?

As delicious as these are on their own, you could add a sauce if you prefer! BBQ sauce, wing sauce, bleu cheese or ranch dressing would all be tasty options.

How Long to Smoke Chicken Wings

I like to smoke mine for an hour at 275F. Its long enough to get a lot of smoke flavor into them and cook them well without drying them out.

SMOKING TIME & TEMPERATURE

I like to smoke mine quickly and find they turn out just as smoky and tender as doing it on a slightly lower temp. If you’d rather go that route, here’s a handy table for all temperatures and smoking times. Times may vary slightly depending on the thickness of your wings and how accurate your temp readout is on your smoker.

For all temps and smoking times, aim for 165F internal temperature for the chicken and crisp them up under you oven broiler for 2-3 minutes after smoking.

225F 2 hours

250F 90 minutes

275 60 minutes

Tips for Smoking Chicken Wings

• Season the wings well. I use a combination of BBQ grill seasoning and Kosher salt to make sure they're super flavorful.
• Don't smoke them too long. They won't be as moist and the skin will get leathery.
• Don't put too much BBQ sauce on them or it'll make the skin mushy and the sauce might burn under the broiler.
• Don't broil them for too long or the sauce will burn.
• Eat them right away! They're best right out of the oven as soon as they've cool enough to eat.

Smoked Chicken Wings Variations

Make them spicy: Use a seasoning and a BBQ sauce with a little kick to give it some heat.

Smoked Buffalo Wings: Use buffalo or another kind of cayenne pepper sauce to make buffalo wings.

What to serve with Pellet Smoked Chicken Wings 

Chicken wings are typically part of a party spread, but if you wanted to make these for a main dish, here are a few side dish ideas:

Cabbage Slaw With Cucumber Yogurt Dressing

Roasted Broccoli and Instant Pot Lemon Herb Rice

Instant Pot Potato Salad

Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes or Cauliflower Puree

Southwestern Coleslaw

How to Store Smoked Chicken Wings

I highly recommend eating them all if you can since they're best fresh out of the oven. If you have leftovers you'd like to store, just put them in an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Reheating Pellet Smoked Chicken Wings

I recommend putting the wings on a sheet pan and warming them in a 375F oven to reheat them. It should only take 10 minutes or so. You could also reheat them in an airfryer or a toaster oven.

I don't recommend using your microwave unless you like rubbery chicken skin.

Smoked Chicken Wings Recipe FAQs

More On Perry's Plate

More Easy Smoker Recipes on Perry's Plate

Pellet Grill Meatballs

Smoked Cream Cheese

Chicken Breast on Pellet Smoker

If you make one of my recipes, I'd love to see! Post it on social media and tag me at @perrysplate or #perrysplate so I can send you some love!

Smoked Chicken Wings Recipe

Yield: 30 pieces

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Throwing some chicken wings on your smoker or pellet grill is a great way to add even more flavor to an inexpensive party food! My version is super simple, super tasty, and you can use your favorite grill seasoning and BBQ sauce!

Print

Ingredients

• 30 chicken wings (bone-in)
• 2 Tablespoons avocado oil or another heat-safe oil
• 2 Tablespoons BBQ seasoning (see note)
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1 cup BBQ sauce

Instructions

1. Preheat your smoker or pellet grill to 275 deg and a high smoke setting (if you have the option.)
2. Put your chicken wings in a large bowl. Drizzle oil over them and sprinkle the BBQ seasoning and salt over the top. Use your hands to toss everything to coat the wings well.
3. Lay the seasoned wings directly on the grates of your smoker. Cover and cook for 45-60 minutes. Or until the chicken is 165F on the inside and the skin has started to crisp up a bit.
4. Meanwhile, prepare a large rimmed baking sheet with foil or parchment and preheat your oven broiler.
5. Transfer the smoked wings to a clean bowl. Pour ½ cup BBQ sauce over the top and toss them to coat. Transfer them to the prepared baking sheet and put them on an upper oven rack under the broiler for about 2-3 minutes or until they crisp up a little. Watch them carefully -- don't leave them in too long or the BBQ sauce will burn.
6. Take them out of the oven and serve them immediately with the remaining BBQ sauce.

Notes

1. I like to use party wings which are chicken wings separated into a "flat" and a "drumette".
2. I like to use my Homemade Steak Seasoning as an all-purpose BBQ seasoning.
3. I have a few homemade BBQ sauce recipes on my site if you're looking for something with less sugar. Balsamic BBQ Sauce, Honey Ginger BBQ Sauce, and Raspberry Chipotle BBQ Sauce would all work well here.

Nutrition Information

Yield 6 Serving Size 5 wings
Amount Per Serving Calories 590Total Fat 40gSaturated Fat 12gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 24gCholesterol 112mgSodium 1318mgCarbohydrates 33gFiber 1gSugar 17gProtein 24g

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

This post may contain affiliate links. Any purchases made by using these links won't cost you any extra and helps keep my content free. These links may be Amazon links as I am part of the Amazon Associate Program.

The post Smoked Chicken Wings appeared first on Perry's Plate.

This Grilled BBQ Chicken is one of those recipes that has been tweaked and adjusted and I finally have it where I like it -- flavorful, moist (sorry), chicken which is merely a vehicle for my favorite BBQ sauce.

BBQ Chicken pairs with so many things and the leftovers can be made into an amazeballs BBQ Chicken Salad.

I included a few links to my favorite homemade BBQ sauces at the end of this post if you're interested in making your own! They're all naturally sweetened and can be adapted to be Whole30 or lower carb.

Do I have to marinate the chicken?

I recommend marinating the chicken for at least 2 hours. You can even prep it the day before!

If you don't have time or you forget to marinate it, at least let the chicken sit in those spices and juices for 20-30 minutes at room temperature. The lemon juice will help make your chicken more tender and flavorful!

Can I use something other than steak seasoning?

Sure! I like using my Homemade Steak Seasoning, but you can use any kind of grill seasoning or all-purpose seasoning you like. It's just there to enhance the flavor of your grilled chicken and not intended to be the main flavor.

(That's what the BBQ sauce is for. :))

I mean... c'mon.

Grilled BBQ Chicken is one of my favorite things. I love it so much.

TIPS:

Don't add the BBQ sauce to the chicken at the beginning or it'll burn. BBQ sauce has a lot of sugar which burns easily.

Don't brush BBQ sauce until after you've flipped the chicken and it's more than halfway cooked!

Set aside some BBQ sauce for brushing so you don't potentially contaminate all of your BBQ sauce with under-cooked meat juices.

What is the best type of chicken to use for Grilled BBQ Chicken?

If you're particular about cuts of chicken, use whatever cuts you like!

Boneless skinless breasts are more prone to drying out, so don't overcook those.

Thighs, drumsticks and bone-in, skin-on breasts are more forgiving and end up juicer when you grill them! They also require more grilling time, depending on the thickness of the meat.

Also, remember the rule about when to brush the BBQ sauce -- wait longer if you're using a cut of chicken that requires a longer cooking time. Burned BBQ sauce is sad.

You don't have to make your own BBQ sauce, but sometimes it's nice to do so you can control the type and amount of sweetener. BBQ sauce usually has loads of sugar. Primal Kitchen makes a delicious, naturally-sweetened Hawaiian BBQ Sauce that I've seen at Costco recently!

There are a few homemade BBQ sauce recipes in both of my cookbooks, but I do have a few posted here as well. They're all naturally sweetened and can be adapted to be Whole30 or low-carb friendly.

Homemade BBQ Sauce recipes on Perry's Plate

Balsamic BBQ Sauce is probably my favorite -- if I'm forced to choose a favorite. It's super tangy with a hint of sweet -- just like I like my BBQ sauce.

This Honey Lime Ginger BBQ Sauce is a fun twist and results in a lighter BBQ sauce with a hint of ginger.

If you have some frozen raspberries on hand, try my Raspberry Chipotle BBQ Sauce! It's sweet and fruity with a chipotle kick. I really love this one for pulled meats as well as Grilled BBQ Chicken.

What to serve with Grilled BBQ Chicken?

I mean... what CAN'T you serve with this?? Here are a few of my favorite sides for BBQ Chicken. Choosing these was no easy feat.

Make a salad out of it! Mix some BBQ Sauce into your ranch dressing for some awesome BBQ ranch.

Roasted Broccoli is one of my go-to sides because it's fast and easy and everyone loves it! Throw in some Instant Pot Lemon Herb Rice for a FABULOUS trifecta.

Another quick veggie side is my Magical Sauteed Green Beans. These are uber flavorful and would compliment the sweetness from the BBQ sauce really well. So would some Roasted Crispy Shredded Brussels Sprouts.

If you want to go the classic route, Instant Pot Potato Salad is a good choice! My potato salad has lots of pickles and some ranch dressing for a boost of flavor.

Southwest Cabbage Slaw is another salad-type of side that pairs well with anything -- including this Grilled BBQ chicken. (And you can make it ahead of time when you marinated the chicken!)

If you make one of my recipes, I'd love to see! Post it on social media and tag me at @perrysplate or #perrysplate so I can send you some love!

Easy Grilled BBQ Chicken

Yield: Serves 6

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

This is may all-time favorite BBQ sauce recipe! It comes together so quickly, too.

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Ingredients

• 2-3 lbs chicken breasts, thighs, or drumsticks
• 2 teaspoons steak seasoning
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• Juice from half a lemon
• 3 Tablespoons avocado oil
• 1 cup your favorite BBQ sauce

Instructions

1. Place the chicken in a large, shallow container or baking dish. Sprinkle half of the steak seasoning and salt over the chicken. Turn the pieces over and sprinkle the rest of the steak seasoning and salt on the other side of the chicken.
2. Squirt the lemon juice and drizzle the avocado oil over the chicken and use a pair of tons to turn the chicken to everything is coated evenly. Cover the chicken and let it marinate, chilled, for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.
3. When you're ready to grill, preheat your grill to medium-high heat. Put a ½ cup of the BBQ sauce into a small bowl. Place the chicken pieces on the grill and cook, covered, for 3-4 minutes or until dark grill marks form.
4. Turn the chicken over and brush the meat with portioned BBQ sauce. Cover and let the chicken grill for another 3-4 minutes or until it's nearly cooked through. Flip the chicken over and brush the other sides with more BBQ sauce. Cook for another minute until the chicken is fully cooked.
5. Transfer the chicken to a serving dish and allow it to rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing. Serve immediately with remaining BBQ sauce.

Notes

1. If you don't have time to marinate the chicken, let it sit at room temperature for 20-30 min to allow the lemon juices and spices to soak in.
2. I like to butterfly my chicken breasts or slice them in half horizontally to create thinner pieces. It cooks faster this way and you have a higher BBQ sauce to meat ratio.
3. The type of chicken you use will affect the grilling times. Allow more time for chicken that is thicker than 1" or has skin/bones. If you're using chicken that cooks longer, don't brush the BBQ sauce on immediately after flipping the chicken or it may burn.
4. If you'd ilke to make your own BBQ sauce, check this recipe post for some of my homemade, naturally-sweetened BBQ sauce recipes!

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