International MOINK Day 2010 - Crank Up the Grill and Make Some Bacon Wrapped Meatballs

Today is World MOINK Day - not that we ever need an excuse to fire up some MOINKS on the smoker or grill. It is pretty neat to see others across the globe doing the same though, and if you've never tried MOINKs, then I invite you to join in the fun.

First of all, you may need to know what MOINK balls are. They are the creation of The BBQ Grail, and you can read the history of MOINKs at his site.

The basic idea is that you take frozen meatballs (thawed), wrap them in bacon, and slow grill or smoke them. The idea is simple but delicious, and The Holy Grail is not impressed if you try to fancy up his MOINKs. He does cut us homemade meatball rollers some slack, since we can't all find frozen meatballs at our grocery store.

How to Make MOINK Balls



First you let your frozen meatballs thaw out, or just roll up your own as I've done above. And, then add seasoning. The Holy Grail uses Yardbird Rub, but I have Not Your Average Cajun Seasoning on mine. It's not a spicy mix - just a solid, balanced and really nice flavorful seasoning.



Then you wrap the meatballs in half slices of bacon and stick a toothpick through to hold the bacon in place. Be sure to soak the toothpicks for 20 minutes or so first, because dry wood does burn. And, you do not want to catch your toothpicks on fire.

I usually add a little marinade on my MOINKs before they go on the barbecue grill. A lot of people dip them in barbecue sauce for the last little bit of grilling time for more flavor, but my boys prefer them without sauce. So, I just splash a little something on. In this case, it was just apple juice.



MOINK balls can go right on the barbecue grill grates, but I use a grill wok. That makes it super simple. I don't have to turn or move the MOINKs once I put them in.

Here you see the grill wok in a Traeger smoker, but I've also used a PK Portable Cooker and the Weber Kettle grill with the coals offset. They also work on gas grills. With the Char-Broil Big Red, I just use burners on one side and put the MOINKs on the side without heat so that they just slow grill.



Here are our National MOINK Day MOINKS. And, yes, they do taste as great as they look. I first made them during the winter when the Winter Grillers at Grillers Index were talking about them, and now I make them really often. Everyone goes wild for the MOINKs, so I get MOINK requests every week or two.

Click on the little map button below and see BBQ Grail's map of MOINKers. There were so many on the east coast, I could not get my little marker on NC or even see NC, so my lavendar marker is in the ocean. I did not really MOINK on a boat though (-: But, that would be interesting.

Grilled Meatballs Wrapped in Bacon with Wild n Mild BBQ Sauce

MOINK Balls Marinating in Wild n Mild Barbecue Sauce/Marinade

Wild n Mild barbecue sauce is a thin mop style sauce. That just means that it can be brushed on the whole time your're grilling as opposed to tomato based bbq sauces which can only be put on near the end of the grilling time (or the sauce burns). In addition, Wild n Mild can be used as a marinade. So, it is one of the most versatile of my barbecue products.

After I discovered MOINK balls (hamburger wrapped in bacon and smoked) last month, the boys have been wanting those every weekend or more. MOINKs are easy to make but do take about an hour and a half to smoke. Well worth the wait I must say.

The way I made the MOINKs is to roll the burger up and marinate in Wild n Mild barbecue sauce/marinade. That gives the meat some moisture and also a sweet flavor with some kick especially with the wild version of Wild n Mild.

Then I put the meatballs in a grill wok and let them smoke on low heat until the bacon is done which runs right at the hour and a half mark.

I can't buy Wild n Mild around here, so I added them to my OpenSky Yes You Can Grill store. Now I can get Wild n Mild delivered right to my house. And, I can keep the MOINKs rolling off the grill. Yum! They really are delicious.



A lot of people like to dip the MOINK balls in barbecue sauce for the last 10 or 15 minutes of smoking time. Any barbecue sauce is fine. We like to use Chef Hymie Grande which I carry at OpenSky. I was first blown away by the taste of the small batch sauce. When I found out that it had the National Diabetic Seal then I knew I'd be keeping some on hand, since some of my family members are diabetic. I show them the bottle, since this is a sauce you would never guess is healthy. It is THAT good.