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I use my Char-Broil The Big Easy TRU-Infrared Oil-less Turkey Fryer a lot, for cooking everything from chicken wings to roasting peppers to these Italian meatballs. This Italian meatballs recipe is our favorite. We make a big batch of 24 or so 2 ounce meatballs and cook them all at once. We used to cook them in the oven, but now with the Big Easy (and the Wingin’ator 3000 modification) I can cook a huge batch all at once in less than 30 minutes, without any cleanup other than putting the cook basket into the dishwasher. You can’t get any easier than that!
If you don’t have a Wingin’ator 3000 you can get a bunk bed basket for the Big Easy. You won’t be able to cook quite as many Italian meatballs at once, but they’ll turn out fantastic nonetheless.
The meatballs are done when they hit 165 F. If you’ve loaded up your Big Easy with a lot of meatballs at once, check a few meatballs for doneness before deciding that they are all done.
These meatballs are great on rolls with your favorite sauce, or over pasta.
Love your Big Easy as much I love mine? Check out my Big Easy Add-Ons page and my free Big Easy eCookbook!
Note: This recipe was developed using the Char-Broil Big Easy Oil-Less Fryer. If you are cooking using the Char-Broil Smoker-Roaster Grill you should cook with the lid open and the temperature set to High. You might also need to adjust the cooking time.
Italian Meatballs on the Char-Broil Big Easy
Ingredients
- 1-2 batches Italian meatballs 2 ounces each, rested overnight in the fridge
- Non-stick spray
Instructions
- Fire up your Big Easy.
- Spray the basket(s) (and Wingin’ator 3000 if you’re using one) with no-stick spray.
- Add the meatballs, but do not crowd them. I was able to fit 28 meatballs on the Wingin’ator 3000 without any problem, and could’ve easily fit a few more. Without the Wingin’ator 3000 you’ll be able to fit at least 10 meatballs at once (with the bunk basket).
- Cook in the Big Easy for 25-30 minutes or until the internal temperature on several of the balls measures 165 F.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are approximate.
Did you cook these meatballs with or without the mesh lid on the big easy?
Hi! I went most of the time with the lid off, then put it on the last 10 minutes for a little color/char. You can leave it off the entire time too, though.
Mike
I tried cooking meatballs this weekend with my Big Easy using your Winginator design. I found that the top two layers of meatballs were cooking to about 165 degrees while the bottom layers were only at 130-140 degrees. Have you experienced these same results?
Hi. I have had times when the topped cooked faster than the bottom. Did you have the lid on? Or was it particularly cold or windy out?
I made bacon-wrapped sausages this weekend and had a similar result – the top ones crisped up about 5 minutes before the bottom ones, so I just removed the top ones and let the bottom row cook some more.
Mike
These look amazing and I would never have thought to make meatballs in the big easy! Thanks so much for the idea!!! How large did you make your meatballs? They look quite large.
Hi Carolann. Yep, they were big! About 1″ to almost 1 1/2″ if I recall correctly. I wanted big meatballs for those sandwiches. But you can make yours any size you want. If you make them smaller you will probably want to adjust the cooking time down by just a bit. No matter what, though, they’ll be great.
Regards
Mike