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.

MOINK balls - Meatballs Wrapped in Bacon and Smoked - YUM!

I was getting my MOINK on this weekend when the Winter Grillers (group has now disbanded) tossed out a challenge for everyone to try making MOINK balls. First, I had to figure out what the heck are MOINKs. Some of the guys clued me in that they are hamburger balls (moo) wrapped in bacon (oink) for MOINK.

Later on I even found out who came up with MOINK balls. That's Larry at BBQ Grail who has an official MOINK page. And, even though I did not know the history of the official rules, my intuition had me producing a fairly authentic MOINK. The only major difference was that I added cheddar cheese to my smoked hamburger balls.



MOINKS can be made with frozen meatballs, and the originals were. Some folks can't find frozen meatballs. I've never noticed any around here. Other people just prefer scratch on meatballs. So, I rolled up my own meatballs which is easy to do. If using frozen meatballs, do let them thaw beforehand.

I had a pound of 93/7 ground beef. It does not have to be that lean. That's just what was on sale at Food Lion. Also, the bacon adds fat, so this is a case where I can go leaner on a grill or smoke. Normally with grilled burgers, I do 80/20. That's the lean to fat ratio if anyone doesn't know. And, some foods need a bit more fat on the grill to stay moist and not stick.

The kid asked if I could add cheese to the MOINKS. He's a cheese lover. So, I grated one cup of cheddar cheese and mixed that in with the hamburger by hand (smush, smush, smush), and then I rolled up the meatballs. For one pound of meat, I had 18 meatballs all around 1 inch in size.

I marinated my meatballs in Wild n Mild barbecue marinade sauce - one of my all time favorites. It's thin and works as a marinade or bbq sauce. I have to order it online, since Food Lion does not carry Wild n Mild. I hope they do some day soon. If I don't have Wild n Mild on hand, then my easy go-to grilling marinade is Italian dressing (the oily type - not creamy).



The next step was to wrap the MOINK balls in bacon. It takes a half slice of regular breakfast bacon (thin sliced) per MOINK, and I used Carolina Pride. So, that was 9 total slices on the bacon.

With the marinade being sticky and the meat fresh, the bacon clung real well. I considered skipping the toothpicks, but it's nice to have something to hold on to when eating grilled appetizers. So, I did soak some toothpicks and stuck one through each MOINK ball before smoking.



Most people put the MOINK balls right on the grates, and I could have done that. But, I wanted to keep this really easy. Plus, I was smoking rather than grilling. With the indirect heat, I did not need to turn my MOINKs. So, I loaded them up in a grill wok - a vary handy barbecue accessory for small items.

Then I offset the charcoals in my PK grill which is a cast aluminum model that holds heat really well. These can also be grilled over direct heat but should be checked and turned. And, they can go in a traditional smoker with times being very close to what I did with a slow smoke in a grill with offset coals and the lid closed (vents open).

It took an hour and 20 minutes to smoke my MOINK balls. The temperatures outside were low though - upper 30s here in NC. So, I'd say to check them a little earlier than that and keep an eye out if grilling in warmer temperatures.

Also, if you want to add barbecue sauce to the MOINKs, do that the last 10 or 15 minutes of grilling or smoking - less time for grilling and more for smoking. You don't want traditional barbecue sauce (the thick kind) on there for the whole cook, or it will burn. Just sauce close the end, and that works out great.



The guys loved the MOINK balls, and I must say I was pretty proud and impressed with how they turned out. It can be hard to nail a new barbecue or grill recipe the first time, but these were spot on.

If you want a terrific grilled appetizer that is easy to make and tastes wonderful, then MOINKs are just the ticket. They will definately be on our rotation list of favorites on the grill.

Good Barbecue Sauce Makes a Nice Hostess Gift

If you're looking for a nice hostess or housewarming gift, consider a tasty barbecue sauce. After all, everyone can use some good barbecue sauce even if they don't grill (though they ought to be thinking about getting a grill - for sure).

Last night I went to a fabulous work party at a mansion. Seriously, the house had three kitchens and a back porch room looking back across 300 acres of prime land.

It seems that a bottle of wine is the default bring along gift to a party, but I know the hosts always have plenty of nice wines (and certainly knows more about wine than I do). So, I went with what I do know - and that's grilling and barbecue. And, my pick from my sauce collection was Chef Hymie Grande.

I order Chef Hymie Grande grilling sauce from Open Sky Yes You Can Grill Store, and it's a beautifully balanced barbecue sauce with great flavor and some excellent flavor notes.

The idea of going with barbecue sauces when I am invited to gatherings came to me while reading Chowhound (a web site for foodies). They get into talking at these kinds of things. Some foodies ragged on those who showed up empty handed while others complained about people arriving wtih food or wine that did not mix well with the planned meal (and concerns that there was an expectation that what was brought had to be offered up at the gathering).

Now, to me, a gift should be fun and not a worry. Since most everyone knows I'm big into grilling and barbecue, grill sauce just makes sense. But, it has to be excellent barbecue sauce and not from the grocery shelves here. I select something that I order online and that will be new and special. Chef Hymie Grande seemed a great fit for the party last night, but I also like to share Wild m Mild locally when I go to a party and know the host hunts of likes marinade and/or barbecue mops. Wild n Mild is fabulous on game meat but also on any type of meat. So, I put some thought into what I think is best for the host or hostess.

Finding the right size gift bag proves a challenge with bbq sauces as they are different shapes and sizes, so I usually just add a card and ribbon and the pretty barbecue sauce bottles take center stage. I hole punch the corner of the card and thread the ribbon and then use the scissors to make the curls.

Below you'll see Chef Hymie Grande on some chicken. It's actually vegan and also carries the diabetic seal, so it works for your non meat eating friends too. And, yes, it does taste as good as it looks. It also bakes up fine in the oven for non grillers.

Another of our favorites is Melanie's Big Acres gourmet sauces. She has some very interesting and delightful flavor combinations. You can even get a nice gift box with her sauces.

So, all in all, I don't see how you could go wrong with sauce if you're trying to think of something a little different to give to a host of a party. They don't have to worry about whether they're expected to actually use the gift at the party. Somehow barbecue sauce does not go so well on finger foods (-: So, you know they get to enjoy it after all the work of hosting a special event.

Another Rainy Day for the Barbecue Master and Family

I have some new barbecue sauces from Demon Pig that I can't wait to try out, but it's still raining here in the not-so-sunny South, and my nose is still running too. Bummer. Not a good way to celebrate hump day.

This seemed a better day for chicken pot pies (Marie Callender's are definately the best), but I can still dream of a beautiful outdoor grill room with counter space, wine racks and maybe even one of those cool outdoor fountains. Ah heaven.

In the meantime, I've been shopping, since I don't feel up to doing much else. And, online shopping is so easy. Gotta love it.

In addition to some new sauces coming (including Wild n Mild which the hunters who read my blog will love), I'm also waiting on Grill Floss (no kidding) and a Cuisinart silicone basting brush. So, be sure to check back soon, because I'll have some new flavors and new barbecue toys to talk about and some ideas for the holidays.

Jerrod Cook Launches New Wild n Mild Barbecue Maridade Sauces

Jerrod Cook from Mississippi had been thinking about bottling his home brewed barbecue mardinade sauces for a while. There's a lot to putting barbecue sauces on the market, but he has made his first run and the first bottles of Wild n Mild are out including a milder version and a hotter version.


We decided to break out some boneless pork tenderloin chops and try out the hot Wild n Mild. Before putting the pork chops on the grill, we let them marinate in the Wild n Mild sauce a while.

Then we used my basic pork chop grilling tips and started cooking the chops. While Wild n Mild is a thin type sauce, more of what we call a mop in North Carolina, so it can be brushed on every time the meat is turned. This helps keep the meat moist which can be a problem for some people when cooking cuts like pork and also adds flavor. When cooking on a gas grill as we were doing, the extra flavor is important, since gas not provide that charcoal or wood smoked flavor. Marinades and sauces are the key.


Wild n Mild looks darker in the bottle than it does when added to the food. It's a medium toned color with darker spices and seasonings. As it cooks, it blends with the meat even with lighter colored meats like the pork chops. The sauce also makes for some very pretty grill marks as it sears to the meat.


The pork tenderloin chops cooked up very pretty. They were moist and had a lot of flavor. The flavor of the sauce is unlike any I've tried before. We all decided that it had kind of an Asian flavor. In fact, I think it would work very nicely with a stir fry as well or as a splash for grilled vegetables.

Next time, I think we'll marinate some sirloin beef chunks for grilled kabobs. I could see this working well with beef and veggies. It could also be interesting on our grilled pineapple. We usually go with a sweet wipe for pineapple, and I think this sauce is sweet enough to work with pineapple.

We wish Jerrod all the best with his new Wild n Mild sauces. He has a different product, so if you're tired of the same old thing, this is a chance to check out something different. He has some interesting recipes on his new web site including one for venison. Now I'm wondering if any of the hunters have any extra venison. Yum. That sounds really good. I think this would be a nice flavor with deer too.