Last Updated on August 16, 2024 by Carne Diem
Protein: 
, Veal
Method: Oven, smoker, or grill
Jump to RecipeThese jumbo sized meatballs are inspired by Tony Gemignani's Meatball Gigante at Tony's Pizza Napoletana in San Francisco. This version is topped with creamy truffle burrata and Mike's Hot Honey, for a little kick. For best results make them on your grill or smoker.
My wife and I knew that during a visit to Northern California we had to pay a visit to the pizza mecca, Tony's Pizza Napoletana a visit. That day had a number of memorable pizzas, including his Cal Italia, Sausage and Stout Pizza, as well as his World Pizza Cup champion Margherita pizza, however, it was the Meatball Gigante with burrata and basil, that stole the show. This recipe was inspired by the delicious meatballs we had that day.
"Respect the craft"-Tony Gemignani
Table of contents
Making the Smoked Meatballs
This recipe requires a number of steps and quite a few ingredients, but it is so worth it in the end.
To begin, add the ⅓ cup cubed stuffing, with the ¼ teaspoon each of garlic powder, onion powder, and fine sea salt in a food processor. Pulse until fine. Remove to a bowl and set aside.
Roughly tear the piece of white bread and place into the food processor. Next add the heavy cream and ricotta. Pulse until the lumps are removed and it is silky smooth.
Add the seasoning
In a large bowl add the cayenne and sweet paprika with about 2 tablespoon of water and stir to combine. Mixing the seasoning with a liquid first helps it mix into the meat more evenly, and is a technique we have found very useful for adding seasoning to ground meats, to avoid large clumps of seasoning.
Add the meat mixture for the meatballs
Add the beef, veal and sausages to the bowl and mix well. Continue to mix until the meat is well combined and smooth. Next, mix in the Parmesan cheese, parsley, and garlic squeeze, followed by the bread crumbs, and continue to mix. For best results, squeeze the mixture through your hands until all of the elements are thoroughly incorporated.
In a separate small bowl, beat the egg with the honey, then add to the beef mixture and mix to combine. Make sure all of the egg is incorporated into the meat.
Form the giant smoked meatballs
Form into 6 roughly 12 ounce meatballs. Try not to compress the meatballs too much or they will end up too dense and will not be as pleasant, but make certain they stay together.
Place the formed meatballs on a greased cookie sheet. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and then bake the meatballs for about 15 minutes. Rotate the pan and cook for another 15 minutes or until the internal temp of the meatballs is 150 degrees (carry over temp will bring it to 160).
Notes on Making Meatballs on your Smoker
When we make meatball gigante on our BBQ grill or smoker we typically set up for indirect heat and smoke the meatballs directly on the grate. We also drop the cook temp to about 300 degrees in order to get a little more smoke flavor. This will typically take about 45 minutes.
Once the meatballs reach an internal temperature of 150 degrees, we move them to a pan and top them with the warm marinara and sliced burrata. Continue to cook to an internal temperature of 160 degrees
At this point you can refrigerate for later use or place into an 8x8 cooking dish or individual ramekins. If cooking from hot, top with your favorite marinara sauce and bake for about 5 minutes then top with sliced burrata and bake for another 1-2 minutes.
Finishing and Topping the Giant Smoked Meatballs
Our favorite version is this one with the truffle burrata and basil, but Tony Gemignani has several other topping options as well including a fried egg, or just a drizzle of honey, or feel free to make it your own and top with your own creation.
If baking refrigerated meatball, cover with sauce and bake for about 15 minutes, at 400 degrees, and then top with the burrata and bake 2 more minutes.
Top the finished meatballs with a little sea salt, julienned basil and another little drizzle of honey.
These meatballs work well as a shareable side or are big enough to star as the main course for your Italian inspired dinner, and the colors of green, white, and red represent those of the Italian flag.
For more great ground beef recipes check out our Spicy Cheese Stuffed Smoked Meatloaf, New York Chopped Cheese Sandwich or Halifax Style Smoked Donair: Canada’s Gyro.
We find the meatball pairs very well with some simple al dente pasta, or along side a fresh caprese salad. For more Italian favorites be sure to check out these recipes:
- Italian Style Parmesan Wings
- Grilled Chicken Spiedini
- Pizza Oven Sausage and Pepperoni Stromboli
- Florentine Style Salmon Lasagna
- Smoked Lasagna
- Quattro Formaggi Crusted Steak
- Sous Vide Florentine Style Porterhouse
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, the meatballs can be frozen for up to 6 months. We recommend wrapping them or vacuum sealing the meatballs to prevent freezer burn.
The meatballs need to be cooked to an internal temperature of 160 degrees.
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📖 Recipe
Big A$$ Meatballs: Giant Smoked Meatballs
Equipment
- Oven or Smoker
Ingredients
- ⅓ Cup Cubed Stuffing
- ¼ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Onion Powder
- ½ teaspoon Sweet Paprika
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh Garlic or Garlic Squeeze finely chopped
- 2 Tablespoon Water
- 3 Tablespoon Mike's Hot Honey
- ¼ Cup Grated Parmesan
- 2 teaspoon Flat Leaf Parsley chopped
- ½ Cup Whole Milk Ricotta
- 1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
- ¼ teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
- 1 Slice White Bread crust removed
- ¼ Cup Heavy Cream
- 1.5 Pounds Ground Beef
- 0.5 Pound Ground Veal
- 1 Pound Italian Sweet Sausage
- 1 Pound Italian Spicy Sausage
- 1 Egg beaten
Instructions
- In a food processor add the ⅓ cup cubed stuffing, with the ¼ tea each of garlic powder, onion powder, and fine sea salt. Pulse until fine. Remove to a bowl and set aside.
- Roughly tear the piece of white bread and place into the food processor, then add the heavy cream and ricotta. Pulse until the lumps are removed and it is silky smooth.
- In a large bowl add the cayenne and sweet paprika with about 2 tablespoons of water and stir to combine. Mixing the seasoning with a liquid first helps it mix into the meat more evenly.
- Add the beef, veal and sausages into the bowl with the spice water and mix well. Continue to mix until the meat is all well combined and smooth. Next, mix in the Parmesan cheese, parsley, and garlic squeeze, followed by the breadcrumbs, and continue to mix. For best results, squeeze the mixture through your hands until all of the elements are thoroughly incorporated.
- In a separate small bowl, beat the egg with the honey, then add to the beef mixture and mix to combine. Make sure all of the egg is incorporated into the meat.
- Form into 6 roughly 12 ounce meatballs. Try not to compress the meatballs too much or they will end up too dense, but make certain they stay together.
- Place the formed meatballs on a greased cookie sheet. Preheat your oven, grill, or smoker to 400 degrees and then bake the meatballs for about 15 minutes. Rotate the pan and cook for another 15 minutes or until the internal temp of the meatballs is 150 degrees (carry over temp will bring it to 160).
- At this point you can refrigerate for later use or place into an 8x8 cooking dish or individual ramekins. If cooking from hot, top the meatballs with your favorite marinara sauce and bake for about 5 minutes then top with sliced burrata and bake for another 1-2 minutes.
- If baking refrigerated meatballs, cover with sauce and bake at 400 degreees for about 15-20 minutes, until warmed through, then top with the burrata and bake 2 more minutes.
- Top the finished meatballs with a little sea salt, julienne basil and another little drizzle of honey.
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