Smoked Spaghetti Sauce

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I could not be happier that I made this smoked spaghetti sauce. I always keep spaghetti sauce on hand for those nights when I don’t have time to do anything fancy for dinner. Smoking the ingredients for the sauce really adds a totally different twist to a (somewhat) traditional Italian dish. I did not add a lot of smoke out of fear that it might be overwhelming. After all, I was making spaghetti sauce, not smoked brisket chili!

Smoked Spaghetti Sauce

I wouldn’t normally put partially cooked meat next to vegetables on my smoker (or anywhere else for that matter), but I was only trying to infuse a slight smoke flavor into all of the ingredients. They all go into a pan later to finish cooking.

Smoked Spaghetti Sauce

I recommend adding more garlic to the smoker if you have space. Keep the smoked bulbs on hand for any dish that calls for garlic. Like smoked salt, smoked garlic really adds a great twist to any garlic dish.

I prefer to use fruit or nut woods when I smoke unless I want a heavier smoke flavor. Pecan, apple or cherry are my favorites. I used apple for this sauce.

This smoked spaghetti sauce is fantastic in my million dollar spaghetti.

Smoked Spaghetti Sauce
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5 from 1 vote

Smoked Spaghetti Sauce

I could not be happier that I made this smoked spaghetti sauce. I always keep spaghetti sauce on hand for those nights when I don’t have time to do anything fancy for dinner. Smoking the ingredients for the sauce really adds a totally different twist to a (somewhat) traditional Italian dish.
Course Sauce
Cuisine American
Keyword sauce, smoked, spaghetti
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 166kcal

Ingredients

For the smoker

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 8 ounces mushrooms whole
  • 1 head garlic add more for other recipes
  • 1 green bell pepper halved, seeds removed
  • 1 medium onion skin removed, halved

For the tomato sauce

Instructions

For the smoker

  • Fire up your smoker for cooking at 225 F. Do not add much wood if any. The charcoal itself should add enough smoke.
  • Season the ground beef and add it to the smoker along with the remaining ingredients.
  • Smoke for 45 minutes. You aren’t cooking the ingredients completely, just adding smoke flavor.
  • Remove from the smoker and let cool slightly.
  • Chop the ingredients, except for the mushrooms, which are sliced.
  • Note: I found that rough-chopping everything and then pulsing the ingredients a few times in a food processor to work the best. Chopping the smoked vegetables was challenging and the food processor lets you control the texture more easily.

For the tomato sauce

  • Add the sauce to a large sauce pan or pot.
  • Add remaining ingredients plus the smoked meat and vegetables.
  • Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Serve with pasta or on sandwiches as sloppy Joes.

Nutrition

Calories: 166kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 40mg | Sodium: 188mg | Potassium: 314mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 68IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

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