Kugelsmoker: Moink balls smoked with beer and fiery stuffed pepper halves

March 9, 2021 Gastautoren Evi & Frank
Rezepte | Grillwissen | Produkte

For today's article, we have once again used our beloved Kugelsmoker. The kettle smoker transforms a standard kettle barbecue (kettle smokers are available for all Weber kettle barbecues with diameters of 47, 57 and 67 cm, as well as kettle barbecues with diameters of 50 and 60 cm and the Napoloen Pro 22) into a fully functional water smoker. The kettle smoker creates a separate area on the grill in which the charcoal can glow very slowly. This means that a load of briquettes in the kettle smoker keeps the temperature very constant in the low temperature range (100 to a maximum of 130 degrees Celsius is ideal for smoking) for up to six hours. You can then add the smoking material to these briquettes and you can expand your barbecue horizons to classic low and slow barbecuing with a kettle barbecue.

In the classic American barbecue preparation method, the food is cooked at a low temperature (usually between 110 and 130 degrees) for longer and more gently. For this reason, it is also known as low and slow. The classics among the low and slow barbecue dishes are ribs, pulled pork and brisket.

We have brought along a recipe for another BBQ classic, moink balls.

The unbeatable advantage of the kettle smoker is that it is an extension of the existing kettle barbecue and you can try out this barbecue method easily and without any major financial outlay. Without the kettle smoker, the kettle barbecue would have to be expensively equipped with a Minion ring for the go and slow BBQ method. Another advantage is that you can add a liquid to the kettle smoker's container, which then evaporates during cooking and ensures that the food remains very juicy. Suitable liquids include stock, apple juice or plain water. We opted for a tasty beer for the Moink Balls recipe.

The facts about the Grillrost.com ball smoker

Material: 100% stainless steel

Material thickness: 2mm stainless steel sheet

Suitable for: Weber 47, 57 and 67 kettle barbecues, Napoleon Pro 22, various kettle barbecues with a diameter of 50cm and 50cm diameter

The recipe for beer-smoked moink balls and fiery stuffed pepper halves

Preparation time approx. 45 minutes

Preparation time approx. 80 minutes

The ingredients for approx. 20 moink balls, 50g each:

1kg minced beef
20 slices of bacon
300ml beer
Barbecue rub of your choice
Barbecue sauce of your choice

The accessories:

1 handful of smoking material such as chips, shavings or smoking pellets
20 toothpicks

The ingredients for the fiery stuffed pepper halves:

3 peppers
250g cream cheese paprika chilli
50g grated cheese
1 chilli pepper
salt/ pepper
3 tablespoons breadcrumbs or panko
1 egg

The preparations

The first step is to mix the minced beef with the barbecue rub and knead well. The dosage of the spice depends heavily on which spice you use and how concentrated it is, so we cannot give you an exact amount here. Simply feel your way slowly to the flavour you want. Next, form 20 moink balls of 50g each and wrap a slice of bacon around them. Then insert a toothpick into the meatball. The toothpick will later be the handle with which you can dip the balls into the barbecue sauce.

Cut the peppers into halves and clean them. Finely dice the chilli. Mix the cream cheese with the diced chilli, egg, grated cheese and panko and season with salt and pepper. Divide the filling between the six pepper halves.

The barbecue

Let a load of briquettes burn through and then place them on the charcoal grate on the edge of the barbecue. Make sure that the bars of the charcoal grate run fairly horizontally from left to right, as this is the best way to position the Kugelsmoker. Then place the kettle smoker on the briquettes. Now set the temperature to 120 degrees using the draught and exhaust air controls. Always leave the supply air completely open and regulate the temperature via the exhaust air valve. This can be closed up to 75%, the exact setting of course also depends on the quantity and firing temperature of your briquettes.

Now place the moink balls and the stuffed pepper halves together on the grill, which is set to 120 degrees.

The moink balls are now smoked for approx. 15-20 minutes (this is how long the chips/pellets should last) and then finished grilling over indirect heat for approx. 30 minutes.

Then remove the meatballs from the grill and dip them in the barbecue sauce. You can hold them firmly with the toothpick you inserted earlier. Then place them on the barbecue for a final round for approx. 20 minutes.

The pepper halves remain on the grill for the whole time. As the cooking temperature of the grill is low, they will be ready at the same time as the moink balls. Eaten with some white bread, all the components together make a great dish that is suitable for both summer and winter barbecues.

The delicious smoky flavour will win you over.

Enjoy your meal!