Grilled Italian Meatballs

Total Time: 50 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• 2 lbs sausage (i use mild italian sausage)
• 1 lb hamburger
• 1/2 cup italian seasoned breadcrumbs (i use progresso bread crumbs)
• 2 tablespoons dried basil
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup grated romano cheese (reserve half for additional topping) or 1/2 cup parmesan cheese (reserve half for additional topping)
• 1/2 red bell pepper (diced)
• 1/2 green bell pepper (diced)
• 1 medium onion (diced)
• 6 cups marinara sauce (i use jo mama's world famous spaghetti sauce)

Recipe

• 1 combine all ingredients except pasta sauce in a large mixing bowl and mix thoroughly.
• 2 if using charcoal- build your fire and make it low-medium heat, about 225-250°f coat the grates with oil or non-stick spray.
• 3 shape mixture into balls slightly smaller than a baseball, but bigger than a golf ball and then set them aside. update: i started using a 1/4 cup measuring cup to scoop the mixture and it makes the meatballs just the right size.
• 4 pour half of the sauce in a grill (oven) safe stock pot or roasting pan that will be large enough to hold all the meatballs. place the pot/pan on the grill away from the direct heat when the fire is ready.
• 5 when the grill is ready place the meatballs directly over the heat and sear on both the top and bottom for 3-5 minutes per side.
• 6 when you are done searing the meatballs, place them away from the direct heat (i have a top rack on my grill and place them here).
• 7 let them cook for 5-8 more minutes or until the meatballs are firm, but not fully cooked and then place all the meatballs in the pot/pan and place that directly over the heat source.
• 8 cook for an additional 8-10 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 155-160 degrees f (you could also cut a meatball in half to make sure that the meat is no longer pink in the middle).