Smoked onion bombs deliver everything you want in a crowd-pleasing appetizer: bold flavors, impressive presentation, and simple preparation. These bacon-wrapped onions are stuffed with a savory meat and cheese mixture, then smoked until the onions are tender and the bacon is crispy.
Perfect for game day parties, backyard barbecues, tailgating, or any gathering where you want to serve something memorable, these onion bombs work well alongside other grilled favorites. The combination of sweet, smoky onion and savory filling creates a satisfying bite that keeps people coming back for more.
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Easy Traeger Onion Bomb Recipe
This smoked appetizer works great for weekend cookouts, holiday gatherings, football parties, camping trips, or any time you’re firing up the smoker. This Traeger recipe scales easily, whether you’re feeding a small group or a large crowd.
You can customize the filling with different ground meats, cheeses, or seasonings to match your preferences. The onions can be prepped hours ahead of time, making them convenient for entertaining. Once they hit the smoker, they need minimal attention while developing that perfect combination of tender onion and crispy bacon.
What You’ll Need
- Yellow Onions (look for perfectly round ones)
- Medium Cheddar Cheese (cut into cubes)
- Pork Sausage Meat
- Cloves Of Garlic (minced)
- Egg (lightly beaten)
- Milk
- Breadcrumbs
- Your Fav Rub
- BBQ Sauce
- Bacon
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Brown sugar
How To Make Traeger Smoked Onion Bombs
Step 1: Prepare The Onions For Stuffing
– Slice both ends of your onions off with a sharp knife and remove the paper skin.
– Slice the onions in half to create thick rings.
– Remove the inside of your onions and mince them with a fine dice, put aside.
– Place the large rings aside, ready to be stuffed, as they will be the exterior shell for our bombs.
Step 2: Make The Onion Bomb Stuffing
– Combine the sausage meat (after removing the casing) with the minced onion, beaten egg, milk, minced garlic, breadcrumbs, BBQ rub & BBQ sauce in a mixing bowl.
– Season with salt, ground pepper, brown sugar & the Worcestershire sauce.
– Mix until combined.
Tip: At this point in the recipe, you can get creative. Want to use a different kind of meat like leftover brisket or turkey? Go ahead!
What about adjusting the ingredient amounts with what you prefer? Like it hot? Get some cayenne pepper in there!
Step 3: Assemble The Onion Bombs
– Scoop a portion of the stuffing into the bottom round of the onion rings.
– Press gently into the center stuffing and add a cheese cube.
– Top with another onion ring stuffed sausage.
– Seal up the edges to make sure your cheese doesn’t fall out.
Note: Your stuffed onion bombs should be nice and round!
Step 4: Wrap The Stuffed Onion Bombs With Bacon
– Set your Traeger Pellet Smoker to a temperature of 250°F.
– Wrap the seam of each onion bomb with a piece of bacon and secure with a toothpick.
– Wrap a second piece of bacon from the top to bottom and then back up. Make sure you are sealing any holes on the ends.
– Secure with another toothpick.
– Cover with the rest of the BBQ rub.
Step 5: Cook
– Place directly on the smoker grates and cook until the internal temperature reaches 155°F (roughly 3 hours)
Step 6: Basting The Onion Bombs & Finish Smoking
– While smoking the onion bombs with the lid down, baste them with BBQ sauce.
– Continue smoking until the bombs reach a further internal temperature of 175°F
– Let them cool slightly before serving!
What Is An Onion Bomb?
Think of an onion bomb as the ultimate BBQ appetizer. A bit of a gimmick like the smoked shotgun shells (be sure to check out our other recipe)!
Now, a gimmick it may be… But a tasty one nether the less! The BBQ culture has lots of playful and creative dishes that usually start as an experiment.
An onion bomb combines a sweet and tangy onion exterior with a salty and meaty center. With a warm blanket of savory smoke, who could resist one?
What Temperature To Smoke Onion Bombs At
Smoke the onion bombs at a temperature of 250°F. This ensures the onion softens while the ground sausage meat cooks. The internal temperature of the onion bombs needs to be around 170°F. Don’t let the title of this dish make you forget we are using raw sausage meat!
How Long To Smoke Onion Bombs
Smoking the onion bombs will take around 4 hours. Remember, there are two stages of smoking—one for the initial cooking and the second for the basting stage.
How To Accurately Monitor The Internal Temp
Place the temperature probes into the thickest part of the largest onion bomb. This ensures that every other bomb will be cooked to perfection.
Note: A Traeger Electric Pellet Grill typically will come with 2 built-in temperature probes. Use them to your advantage!
What Wood Chips to Use for Onion Bombs
We find that a strong wood, like hickory or oak, complements the sweet onion and salty pork mixture.
But the below will also work well;
– Applewood for a mild and sweet smoke to complement the onion and pork without a strong flavor.
– Cherrywood for a balanced flavor that burns slowly.
– Pecan wood for a strong but still sweet flavor.
How To Store Smoked Onion Bombs
– Leave the smoked bombs to cool for 20-30 minutes and then place them in an airtight container.
– Refrigerate for up to 3 days.
We don’t recommend freezing the smoked onion bombs as they will fall apart and get freezer-burned!
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What To Serve Onion Bombs With:
If you’re serving a part of appetizers and sides;
If you’re serving alongside a main
More Traeger Recipes
If you’re looking for more Traeger grill recipes, I have over 110 for you. These have been tested to ensure they work and taste delicious.
Traeger Smoked Corish Hen
Traeger Cuban Sandwich
Traeger Egg Salad Sandwich
Traeger Broccoli
Traeger Turkey
Smoked Onion Bombs Traeger
Equipment
- Traeger pellet grill
- Wood Pellets
- Meat probe
Ingredients
- 2 large yellow onions look for perfectly round ones
- 8 ounces medium cheddar cheese cut into 2-ounce cubes
- 1 pound pork sausage
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 whole egg lightly beaten
- ¼ cup milk
- ¼ cup breadcrumbs
- 2 Tablespoons Rub
- 4 Tablespoons BBQ Sauce
- 1 pound thinly sliced bacon
Instructions
Step 1: Prepare The Onions For Stuffing
- Slice both ends of your onions off with a sharp knife and remove the paper skin.
- Slice the onions in half to create thick rings.
- Remove the inside of your onions and mince them with a fine dice, put aside.
- Place the large rings aside, ready to be stuffed, as they will be the exterior shell for our bombs.
Step 2: Make The Onion Bomb Stuffing
- Combine the sausage meat (after removing the casing) with the minced onion, beaten egg, milk, minced garlic, breadcrumbs, BBQ rub & BBQ sauce in a mixing bowl.
- Season with salt, ground pepper, brown sugar & the Worcestershire sauce.
- Mix until combined.
Step 3: Assemble The Onion Bombs
- Scoop a portion of the stuffing into the bottom round of the onion rings.
- Press gently into the center stuffing and add a cheese cube.
- Top with another onion ring stuffed sausage.
- Seal up the edges to make sure your cheese doesn't fall out.
Step 4: Wrap The Stuffed Onion Bombs With Bacon
- Wrap the seam of each onion bomb with a piece of bacon and secure with a toothpick.
- Wrap a second piece of bacon from the top to bottom and then back up. Make sure you are sealing any holes on the ends.
- Secure with another toothpick.
- Cover with the rest of the BBQ rub.
Step 5: Start Smoking The Onion Bombs On Your Traeger
- Load the hickory pellets, prime, and set the Traeger Pellet Smoker to a temperature of 250°F.
- Place directly on the smoker grates and cook until the internal temperature reaches 155°F (roughly 3 hours)
Step 6: Basting The Onion Bombs & Finish Smoking
- While smoking the onion bombs with the lid down, baste them with BBQ sauce.
- Continue smoking until the bombs reach a further internal temperature of 175°F
- Let them cool slightly before serving!
Smoke On!
Charlie
Author: Charlie Reeves
Hi, I’m Charlie, I have been meat-smoking and grilling for the past 15 years. I have an array of different smokers, thermometers, and have a love for finding the right wood and charcoal combo My favourite recipes are my EXTRA CRISPY smoked pork belly, juicy pulled pork, smoked brisket, duck poppers, and ANY SEAFOOD I grill).
I loves sharing his tips with beginners, helping them navigate the world of smoking. I find it’s not just about cooking; it’s a quest for that perfect smoky flavor.
You will usually find me playing with the kids, perfecting my brisket bark, or sipping beers with boys around the fire. Can’t wait to share all my delicious smoking and grilling recipes with you!
You can read more about me on our About Us page.
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