Cedar Planked Meatballs

As simple as they are, cedar planked meatballs are just flat-out, crazy good. Whether your meatballs are destined for pasta or in a sandwich, you’ll get a fantastic light cedar woodsy flavor in each and every bite. These can be as fancy or as un-fancy as you want. I went completely easy. Thawed frozen meatballs. Jarred sauce. Dinner was ready in no time. It looked great and tasted even better!

Cedar Planked Meatballs

Raw Meat Meatballs Are Better

If you are using scratch-made meatballs make sure you check the internal temperature of several of them before adding the sauce. It’s ok to pre-cook them before planking them, but they’ll get more of that great cedar flavor if you cook them from raw. The raw meat loves to soak up the aroma much easier than the pre-cooked stuff will.

Don’t get el cheapo cedar planks when making cedar planked meatballs. You just won’t be happy. Get the good stuff. Trust me, I’ve tried to save money and I ended up paying for it. The planks ended up being thin, split and rough. Good planks are thicker, un-warped and won’t give you a handful of splinters.

Also try my cedar planked sausage sandwiches and one of our all-time-favorites, cedar planked Buffalo chicken bites.

Cedar Planked Meatballs
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5 from 1 vote

Cedar Planked Meatballs

As simple as they are, cedar planked meatballs are just flat-out, crazy good. Whether your meatballs are destined for pasta or in a sandwich, you’ll get a fantastic light cedar woodsy flavor in each and every bite.
Course Main
Cuisine American
Keyword cedar plank, meatballs
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings 1
Calories 2504kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 pound meatballs if using frozen meatballs thaw first
  • 2 cups marinara sauce warmed
  • Parmesan cheese grated

Instructions

  • Soak your cedar plank(s) in water for at least 30 minutes while you get your grill going.
  • Fire up your grill for direct and indirect cooking. Place the planks over the direct heat and let them get good and charred on both sides. I like to char what will be the serving side first, then flip them to char the bottom. Keep a spray bottle full of water on hand to put out any fires.
  • Transfer the meatballs to the planks and let heat over direct heat for 15 minutes or until the internal temperature of the meatballs reaches 155 F. Fresh meatballs may take longer.
  • Move the planks to indirect heat (or turn down the heat if using a gas grill). Spoon the marinara sauce over the tops and heat another 10 minutes. The meatballs should be at least 160 F for frozen or fresh beef or pork meatballs, and 165 F for poultry-based meatballs.
  • Sprinkle with the Parmesan and serve. You can actually use the planks as plates, no need to transfer the meatballs to a platter.

Nutrition

Calories: 2504kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 160g | Fat: 193g | Saturated Fat: 72g | Cholesterol: 653mg | Sodium: 3076mg | Potassium: 4226mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 2185IU | Vitamin C: 41mg | Calcium: 191mg | Iron: 13mg

Nutritional values are approximate.