Meatball help?!

[hsmamato2]

I mix the meat with an egg or 2, salt, pepper, parmesan cheese, oregano, italian seasoning, chopped onion, and some red chili flakes. .

kinda' like this...but I add GF breadcrumbs and spice to taste.... seems to me all these recipes are about the same, and then you add whatever spices taste best to you...I personally add a LOT of garlic.... and when I do a red sauce I just toss the raw meatballs into the pan to simmer, they are always wonderful! Never fried them,that doesn't appeal to me at all, but I have baked them in the oven, my fave is 'toss into the sauce.....I don't like store made 'balls either,something just tastes...wrong about the ones we've tried....

 

[kkwis2]

So funny that a few of you mentioned Tyler F. and Ina G.'s recipes as those were the ones I started looking at last week when I decided that I was going to try to make homemade meatballs.

Does anyone know why store bought bread crumbs don't work well? That's what I used, so I'll be sure to try something different next time, but I'm just wondering why??? And can I use regular whole wheat bread? That's what I have in the house on a daily basis. If I have to think ahead too far (like buying a certain bread several days in advance in order to let it get stale), it won't happen.

 

[KristinU]

Speaking of meatballs to make and freeze - has anyone tried using one of the meatball forming tools? Kind of like a scissor with a melon baller on either side...if they work well, I would think it would be a big time saver.

 

[Eastern]

Does anyone know why store bought bread crumbs don't work well? That's what I used, so I'll be sure to try something different next time, but I'm just wondering why??? And can I use regular whole wheat bread? That's what I have in the house on a daily basis. If I have to think ahead too far (like buying a certain bread several days in advance in order to let it get stale), it won't happen.

I think that the texture might be affected by what kind of breadcrumbs you use: store bought crumbs will make a denser meatball, while home-processed breadcrumbs will give you a lighter, softer meatball.

My Italian FIL never ground his breadcrumbs: he would take a few pieces from an Italian loaf and soak them in milk in a bowl for a 1/2 hour or so, then add his spices and mix it, then incorporate the ground beef. He cooked them in the sauce rather than a pan or oven. They came out with a soft texture.

 

[pigletto]

I do find that once you find a good basic recipe for the meatball, it is made infinitely better by simmering them in a good sauce for awhile. We like a marinara with lots of garlic. If I simmer the meatballs in that sauce for the afternoon they absorb the flavour and are so much tastier!

 

[kkwis2]

I think that the texture might be affected by what kind of breadcrumbs you use: store bought crumbs will make a denser meatball, while home-processed breadcrumbs will give you a lighter, softer meatball.

My Italian FIL never ground his breadcrumbs: he would take a few pieces from an Italian loaf and soak them in milk in a bowl for a 1/2 hour or so, then add his spices and mix it, then incorporate the ground beef. He cooked them in the sauce rather than a pan or oven. They came out with a soft texture.

I will definitely try this tip. I think that's part of what I don't like about the ones I made - they're too firm and probably overcooked. I don't want them to be falling apart, but softer would be good.

 

[pigletto]

Also check the temp that you are cooking them at. Mine are always too firm if I put them in a hot pan. The outside gets too crispy too which we don't like.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Mine go like this

Make a slurry of sorts- out of milk, garlic, parm cheese, bread crumbs tons of pepper!(I think I sometimes use an egg too? Does that sound wrong?)

Then I mix that into ground TURKEY! Yes turkey balls in our house. I fry them in some Olive Oil. Then add them into my sauce for about 30 minutes careful not to boil them.

This is almost exactly how I do mine, too - with seasoned salt, a little less pepper, Italian seasoned bread crumbs, chopped garlic and egg and ground turkey, then pan fried and simmered in sauce!

 

[sunshinehighway]

I saw a cooking show (maybe Tyler Florence) where a little old Italian woman made meatballs. Instead of breadcrumbs she soaked some white bread in milk. She then squeezed out all the excess milk from the bread. I tried it and I really liked it. She fried her meatball. I baked mine. They came out very moist.

 

[TIAMOMMA]

Speaking of meatballs to make and freeze - has anyone tried using one of the meatball forming tools? Kind of like a scissor with a melon baller on either side...if they work well, I would think it would be a big time saver.

I find the easiest way is this - spread meat mixture into a square or rectangular pan then score the meat (cut across like they are brownies) then roll into balls. Keeps the amount more uniform and it's free.

 

[hmdavid]

I make mine the way my grandmother taught me... similar to the already posted recipes, but instead of bread crumbs, I use whole slices of white bread (crusts removed). Just cover them with milk and when they have absorbed the milk you beat them with a fork until they look like mush. Then add parm, seasonings, egg to meat and I mix them with my hands to make sure they are combined well. I fry mine until browned and then let them simmer in sauce. I have found they taste better if they simmer longer. They are always amazing and moist. Yummm... going to have to add spaghetti and meatballs to next weeks meal plan!

 

[pumba]

I make meatballs ...similiar to the ones posted here and I put a wee bit of the mixture in the pot and scramble it first....add the tomatoes and paste and other ingredients...Then I add a meatball one at a time around the side of the pot and do this until they are in the pot...I cook them for about twenty minutes and then stir them in so they are completely covered in sauce....Then I simmer them for about four or so hours....They are delishish

 

[kkwis2]

Do most of you make your own sauce, too? This is another thing I've never tried.

I've tried just doctoring a jar of sauce (our current favorite is Newman's Own), but it just doesn't always cut it - fine for a quick meal, but not necessarily what I want my homemade meatballs sitting in for hours.

 

[KristinU]

I find the easiest way is this - spread meat mixture into a square or rectangular pan then score the meat (cut across like they are brownies) then roll into balls. Keeps the amount more uniform and it's free.

Excellent idea, thanks!

 

[nsmith]

This . . . well the "slurry" part, I hate ground turkey!!!!

My old co-worker has an old italian mother, her family makes amazing italian food and amazing meatballs. I asked how she makes her meatballs.

Really the only thing that I was doing "wrong" was the bread crumbs; I would used store bought and just mix them in with everything else. She told me to use stale bread that had been left out and dried up, pulverized into crumbs, then saturated with a little water and an egg, mix in the seasonings, some hard italian cheese, and then mix in 2/3 ground beef 1/3 ground pork. It worked, it brought my meatballs from okay to fantastic.

I grate up what ever rolls I have hanging around in the freezer. So easy on a box grater when still frozen. Add milk, parm. cheese, salt, pepper, garlic powder and stir till it forms a slightly moist crumbly "panade" mix in with the meat (mixed with 1 egg/lb, salt, pepper, oregano). I bake mine on a cookie sheet with a rack for around 20min then pop in the sauce to finish cooking. I freeze 2 meatballs a person with sauce and can just take a container out of the freezer and have a delish homemade dinner any time. I think they are better after they have been frozen in the sauce. Watch out that they don't eat all the meatballs before you get to freeze some.

 

[poohbear158]

I found this recipe on You Tube and I've been using it ever since.

Finally! Moist Meatballs:

Ingredients:

* 1 lb. ground meat (preferably chuck)
* 2 slices bread or rolls
* 1 cup milk
* 1 whole large egg
* 2 cloves minced garlic
* 2 TBS. chopped parsley
* ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
* ¼ tsp. course ground black pepper
* ½ tsp. salt ( to taste)

Directions:

1. In large bowl mix together with your hands (best tool for this recipe) the bread, milk, egg, garlic, parsley, and cheese. You can also use a food processor for this. Mix until well blended. It will be a very runny mixture.
2. Add the ground meat, salt and pepper and mix well, again using hands.
3. The mixture will feel soft and moist. Shape into balls forming moist meatballs
4. Fry in olive oil or bake until fully cooked.

Here is the you tube video for it:

http://maryahearn.com/recipes/italian-food/finally-moist-meatballs/

 

[monorailsilver]

Do most of you make your own sauce, too? This is another thing I've never tried.

I've tried just doctoring a jar of sauce (our current favorite is Newman's Own), but it just doesn't always cut it - fine for a quick meal, but not necessarily what I want my homemade meatballs sitting in for hours.

Um...heck yeah~

I just bought 72 cans of Tutturossa today for $47. I saved $142. I am going to get a few more tomorrow.

 

[fletchers5]

The best meatballs are when you put the RAW meatballs in the sauce and cook all day in the crockpot. I do not cook the meatballs in the oven first. The sauce cooks into the meatballs. VERY GOOD

My recipe is as follows:

2 lbs hamburger
2-3 eggs
1-1/2 cup italian bread crumbs
lots of Parmesan cheese
sometimes I also use chopped onion

Mix together so moist. Roll into balls.

Put the meatballs in spaghetti sauce in a crockpot. Cook at least 6 hours.

 

[MineMail]

I don't measure anymore, but I made a double batch of meatballs last night, so I guesstimated the quantities:

When I make a double batch, I brown them in the oven and finish cooking in the crock pot. You can always brown them in olive oil in a stockpot instead.

Preheat the oven to 385°F
Line broiler/baking pan+rack with foil
Oil the pan/rack.

Take a 4-6" piece of stale italian bread and soak it in cold, fresh water until it's soggy. Wring it out a bit so it's not too wet.

Mix together:
Ground Beef
Ground Pork (2:1 ratio of beef : pork)
Crumbled bread you just soaked/wrung out
1/2 cup grated cheese (per pound of meat)
2 tbls/pound chopped parsley (fresh is better, but dried is fine)
1 beaten egg/pound of meat

Works best if the meat isn't cold from the fridge - let it warm up a little. Mix enough to distribute all the ingredients evenly. Don't overwork the meat because the meatballs will be dense and tough. Wait 10-15 minutes, then shape into meatballs and let them rest for a little while. This lets everything bind together, so the meatballs won't fall apart as easily when they cook.

Roast for 10 minutes on one side, turn them over for another 5 mins, then move to the crock pot with the sauce.
(Or, brown them in a pan on each side using olive oil and put them in a saucepot with the sauce.)

For the sauce, saute a diced onion with a pinch of salt until translucent. Add 2 cloves of garlic and lightly brown, then add a 28/35 oz. can of crushed tomatoes (if you don't like seeds, use a food mill to remove them) and a can of tomato paste along with 3 paste-cans of cold water. Season with a shake of red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, a pinch of sugar, oregano and basil. (Dried is fine; fresh basil is better) I don't add garlic to the meatballs, only the sauce. My MIL said it keeps the meatballs from "repeating on her." Sorry TMI.

Cook for 4 hours on low in the crock pot or simmer 45 mins on the stovetop.

 

[minnie1012]

I never liked my meatbalss until I made them this way. Its from Rao's cookbook. The Marina recipe is very good as well, and pretty much all of the recipes! Here is the book:

http://www.amazon.com/Raos-Recipes-...=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1325900028&sr=1-2

Frankie's meatballs
Ingredients
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 pound ground veal
1/2 pound ground pork
2 large eggs
1 cup Pecorino Romano cheese (freshly grated)
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped
1/2 to 1 small garlic clove, minced
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 cups plain bread crumbs
2 cups water
1 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, lightly smashed
Cooking Directions
With your hands, combine the beef, veal, and pork in a large bowl. Add the eggs, cheese, parsley, minced garlic, and salt and pepper to taste and blend the ingredients together. Add the bread crumbs and blend into the meat mixture. Slowly add the water, 1 cup at a time, until the mixture is moist.

Shape the meat mixture into 2 1/2 to 3-inch balls. Heat the oil in a large skillet. Saute the whole garlic until lightly brown to flavor the oil, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the garlic with a slotted spoon and discard. Add the meatballs and fry in batches, being careful not to crowd the pan. When the bottom half of the meatball is well browned and slightly crisp, about 5 to 6 minutes, turn it and cook the other side for 5 minutes more.

Remove the meatballs from the heat and drain them on paper towels.