The Ultimate Smoked Meatball Sub

How to Make the Best Meatball Sandwich You've Ever Tasted

Everyone has heard of a meatball sandwich. Today I'm going to share with you my unique twist on the Italian meatball sandwich, and show you just how easy it is to make the ultimate meatball sub.

I love a perfectly cooked steak, or a good pulled pork sandwich, but my favorite meals are comfort food.

I'm talking about it tastes so good I can't stop eating I'm going into a food coma, food.

This meatball sandwich recipe with mozzarella cheese and homemade smoked meatballs loaded onto garlic bread fits the bill.

It All Starts With the Meatball

This meatball sandwich is easy to make - you'll only need 8 ingredients.

In a large bowl combine the following ingredients:

• 1 lb of beef
• a half pound of Italian pork sausage
• a quarter pound of diced pepperoni
• 3 tablespoons of marinara (I used a store bought four cheese marinara sauce, but you can use a homemade sauce here if you'd like
• 2 tablespoons of Italian bread crumbs
• 1 egg

Use your hands to really get in there and make sure everything is mixed together well.

Once the meat is mixed, start making your meatballs. Each one should be about the size of a golf ball. Place each of them on a foil-lined baking sheet. You should have about 14- 16 meatballs total.

Smoked Italian Meatballs

After you've made all the meatballs, place the baking sheet in a preheated smoker set at a temp of 350 degrees.

After about thirty minutes (when the internal temp hits 160 degrees) remove the meatballs from the smoker, and place them in a large saucepan on the stove with 2 cups of marinara. Simmer the meatballs on medium-low heat.

Why Internal Temp Matters

I talk about my Thermapen all the time, and for good reason! Everyone understands the importance of internal temp when you're cooking pulled pork, the perfect steak, or brisket, but it's just as important when you're cooking something like these smoked meatballs.

Knowing what the internal temp of the meatballs is can be the difference in an overcooked DRY meatball, and the epic deliciousness that we created in this sandwich.

If you don't have a Thermapen, visit the ThermoWorks site and check out what they have to offer.

Where The Magic Happens

While the meatballs simmer, place a store bought loaf of garlic bread in the foil package, on your smoker. Let the bread warm for about 5 minutes.

Yeah you read that right. One of the reasons this meatball sub recipe is so amazing, is because of the bread. That garlic buttery goodness creates MAGIC.

While the bread is warming, slice a half pound of mozzarella in to eight-ten slices.

Remove the bread from the smoker. Place 4-5 slices of mozzarella on the bread, followed by all of the meatballs, a few spoonfuls of marinara, and then the rest of the cheese slices.

Put the top half of the bread over all of it, place it back in the foil bag, and return the bread to the smoker for another five minutes.

The Ultimate Meatball Sandwich

So there you have it, the best meatball sandwich I've ever tasted. I still can't get over how easy it was to make this sandwich, and I loved that it was big enough to feed my family of three, with plenty of leftovers for the next day (which were delicious by the way).

Have you ever made a smoked meatball sandwich? What did you do differently?

When you make this sub sandwich, let me know by tagging me on Instagram @smokedmeatsunday, or leaving a comment below!

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5 from 2 votes

Garlic Bread Meatball Sub with Smoked Italian Meatballs

Want to upgrade your sandwich experience? Check out this twist on the classic meatball sub recipe

Cuisine Italian

Keyword comfort food, garlic bread, meatballs, mozzarella, super bowl

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Servings 8

Author Nick

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef
• ½ lb Italian Pork Sausage
• ¼ lb diced pepperoni
• 2 cups marinara plus 3 tbsp
• 2 tablespoons Italian Bread Crumbs
• 1 egg
• 1 loaf buttered garlic bread
• ½ lb mozarella

Instructions

• Mix the ground beef, pork, pepperoni, bread crumbs, egg, and 3 tbsp of marinara in a large bowl.
• Once the meat is mixed, start making your meatballs. Each one should be about the size of a golf ball. Place each of them on a foil-lined baking sheet. You should have about 14- 16 meatballs total.
• After you've made all the meatballs, place the baking sheet in a preheated smoker set at a temp of 350 degrees.
  
• After about thirty minutes (when the internal temp hits 160 degrees) remove the meatballs from the smoker, and place them in a large saucepan on the stove with 2 cups of marinara. Simmer the meatballs on medium-low heat.
  
• While the meatballs simmer, place a store bought loaf of garlic bread in the foil package, on your smoker. Let the bread warm for about 5 minutes.
• While the bread is warming, slice a half pound of mozzarella in to eight-ten slices.
• Remove the bread from the smoker. Place 4-5 slices of mozzarella on the bread, followed by all of the meatballs, a few spoonfuls of marinara, and then the rest of the cheese slices.
• Put the top half of the bread over all of it, place it back in the foil bag, and return the bread to the smoker for another five minutes.
• Slice the sandwich into equal sized servings, and enjoy!

Notes

The key to a perfectly cooked meatball is knowing the internal temperature! I use a Thermapen to check my internal temps, and I LOVE it.