Recipe: Cedar Planked Meatball Subs

This is such a fun and easy recipe, and the results are downright DANGEROUS! Smoked meatballs already have such amazing flavour, so I figured why not take it up a notch and cook them on a cedar plank. Then we will finish things off with a custom BBQ sauce also infused with multiple levels of sweet and savoury smoke!

This is a guaranteed winner coming off the grill.

Today I will be cooking on charcoal, but this recipe can easily be reproduced on a gas grill! Simply follow the steps below:

Ingredients/Accessories:

  • 1 lb package of lean ground beef
  • 1 package of sub or portuguese buns
  • 1 block of white cheddar cheese
  • 1 block of orange cheddar cheese
  • 1 block of parmesan cheese or approx 1/4cup 
  • Treager Blackened Saskatchewan Rub (or your personal favorite rub!)
  • Marinara Sauce - About 14oz or half a Standard Jar
  • BBQ Sauce - Use your favorite or combine ingredients to make a custom flavour profile
  • Small amount of butter or margarine for the buns
  • 2 Large Cedar Planks

Quick Tip: Soaking the cedar planks in water for at least an hour will prevent it from burning off too quickly in the grill. Once the soak is complete, slightly char the cedar plank over high heat before adding your meatballs. This will promote maximum cedar flavour from the plank and as an added bonus provides an amazing aroma as you are cook!   

Instructions:

Step One: Fire up your grill! 

  • This recipe is great on Charcoal or Gas Grills! Simply pre-heat your grill to 350-400° F
  • Note: If using a charcoal grill, Apple or Hickory chunks are great flavour options

Step Two: Next up we are going to prepare the marinara/barbecue sauce for simmering. I like to use a small cast iron pan or dish but any bbq safe metal cooking vessel will work just fine. Add the 14oz of marinara sauce first to your dish and then blend in some of your favorite BBQ sauce based on personal preference. If you are unsure where to begin start with 1-2oz and then adjust according to taste. 

Place the sauce onto the grill with an indirect heat setup (No coals directly under the saucepan for a more gradual heat) On a gas grill you can leave one burner off and place the sauce directly above. 

You want your sauce to slowly simmer along as your meatballs cook. 

Step Three: Form the meatballs

Now that the sauce is warming on the grill - start by adding your ground beef to a large mixing bowl and separate lightly with a fork. I try to avoid over handling the ground meat so that you finish up with a more desirable texture once cooked. Go ahead and shake the Traeger Blackened Saskatchewan Rub (or your own favourite seasoning blend!) over the meat. You dont have to go too crazy here - we just want to provide a nice base flavour for the meatballs. You now should be able to see the spices blended consistently throughout the meat.

Step Four: Onto the Grill

With your grill up to temp now is a great time to put a little char on your soaked cedar planks. You do not need to blacken the plank, you just want some darker tones to develop on the exterior surface. A couple min on each side should do the trick and then you can go ahead and load up the meatballs. 

Once complete you can now start grating the cheese in preparation for the next step. I would also recommend turning on the broiler on your stove if you wish to toast the buns. 

Add the meatball planks to the grill and cook direct for about 15 Min. Remember to stir your sauce occasionally to prevent burning.

Step Five: Almost there

Once you reach the end of your 15min cook time (and have reached 165° F Internal Temp) go ahead and give each meatball a quick basting with the marinara barbecue sauce mix. This will add a final layer of flavour before adding in all your cheese to finish things off.

Sprinkle a healthy amount of white and orange cheddar over the meatballs and then finish with some parmesan just a few minutes before removing from the grill. An added bonus of the cedar planks is that they will keep a lot of the cheese and sauce from dripping down into your grill. At the end of the cook simply dispose of the planks and save on cleanup time.  

The meatballs should have a nice deep mahogany tone at this point and are likely looking really good! You can now remove the planks from the grill and allow to rest for 5 min while you toast the buns in the oven.

Step Six: Plate and Serve

It is now time to show off all of your hard work! I like to serve the cedar planks direct to the table and allow guest to load up their own personal sub. The butter toasted buns combined with your smoked marinara barbecue sauce and delicious meatballs will be a winner every time!


We hope you enjoyed this recipe and please stay tuned for more!

- Matt

Johnstone's Team Member