BBI has always come to my rescue in the past. Don't fail me now.
Meatballs. All my cooking attempts seem to be devoid of meatball flavor. I add chopped onions, garlic, salt, Italian seasoning, egg, panko bread crumbs, fennel. The meatballs come out Bleah!
The frozen bag of meatballs you get in the supermarket tastes better...a lot better. But those meatballs have a lot more carbs than I want so I'm making my own.
I bake them in the oven or cook them in the pasta sauce. Would frying them improve the flavor?
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Cooking meatballs with joe. - ( New Window )
Personally I prefer more arcane spicing than what most commercial meatballs have, for example I'll add one of three types of exotic spice mix, either Chinese 5 spice, Garam Masala, or Ras El Hanut (Moroccan or North African), along with Worcestershire sauce from Lea and Perrins (other brands I have tried are crap.)
But for simple meatballs, ones not "exotically" spiced, there's a really easy trick to boosting the MEAT flavor.
1) Best is to turn your bread crumbs into a panade before mixing in, by mashing the breadcrumbs with a heavily reduced beef stock (or demi-glace.)
2) Cheap dirty fast way to increase meaty flavor is add Knorr instant beef bullion powder into them (dropping out all salt normally used.) Better than Knorr powder even is a paste called "BETTER than Bullion").
Also, why do you use Panko breadcrumbs for lightening? Just plain slightly dried bread is cheaper and better, after making a panade with it. Panko crumbs are for coating pre frying, I thought.
Lastly, if you don't make a panade from your breadcrumbs I'd recommend you eliminate them altogether, and use a finely grated raw potato instead as the "lightening" agent.
mix breadcrumbs and milk
mix egg, salt, pepper, parsley, parm, then add diced onions and the bison
lightly mix the above two together and roll into balls
fry lightly in oil on all sides in cast iron pan
transfer to baking dishes and put into oven with sauce at 375 for 20 mins
done
You're just following in Ezekiel Elliott's footsteps.
As for the meatballs. I use 80% ground beef. Will switching to Beef/pork/veal combo help a lot?
Lou, I'll increase the salt & Garlic and see what happens. Thanks.
Uh, Cactus. Sorry. I can't slaughter my bison just to make a few meatballs. ;-)
3 lb ground beef short rib (or 80/20 ground beef)
2 pounds ground pork
1 cup grated parmesan (or pecorino)
4 slices white bread crust removed soaked in milk
4 eggs beaten with a quarter cup of water
salt and pepper
8 cloves of garlic (minced)
half a medium onion (small dice)
one small carrot grated
1 cup chopped fresh parsley (flat leaf)
To Taste Salt & Pepper
half cup breadcrumbs (or more if needed)
Heat a little olive oil, and saute the onion, garlic & grated carrot, just until they cook through, then let cool before adding to the meat mix.
Combine the beef & pork in a large bowl.
Add the parmesan, beaten egg, bread that has been soaked in milk, and squeezed dry, sauteed vegetables & chopped fresh parsley.
Season to taste with a little salt & pepper
Mix gently trying not to squeeze the mixture too much with your hands. Add breadcrumbs, and check the consistency. You don’t want them too loose, if they won’t hold together, add more breadcrumb until they do. I like to brown mine in a little oil, but you can bake them off in the oven if you’d like. Brown them up, & put them in the…. GRAVY!
Let them simmer for a couple of hours. Pass the Italian bread.
+1
Unless you're working in a professional kitchen and have at least one huge pot of stock on the burner every night, then at least one pot of meat or chicken stock reducing into a demi-glace all shift, Better Than Bullion is essential to many fine soups, sauces, stews, and more. For seasoning the panade in meatballs or meatloaf.
I've made great meatballs from half 90% fat free beef and half 93% ground red meat chicken or turkey. Depends on what else is going into them to keep them moist.
Drew's recipe looks great, I imagine ground short rib beef is an excellent flavorful meat for meatballs...
At the supermarket are good then there is no hope for you
But not NECESSARY!
There must be 100 or more excellent Jewish meatballs recipes made from solely beef, and I've had at least 20 of them, handed down from our Central and Eastern European forbearers. As often as not, they contain rice and dill and cinnamon in a lightly tomatoey sauce. They tend to taste quite different from Italian style meatballs, and more like Middle Eastern ones.
Syrians, Persians, Iraqis, all make outstanding meatballs without a drop of pork.
Hoping that doesn't sound like a rant. It's not meant to be one.
IMHO
IMHO
Well more parmesan (which equals more fat) can replace the meat fat. So can goat cheese, and for flavor purposes so can demi-glace, even though it's not fat per se.
Two differences, no carrot, and ALWAYS Locatelli pecorino romano.
My "grated parmesan" at home is always about 40% Pecorino, not necessarily Locatelli, but most often Locatelli.
Includes 80/20 beef, tons of caramelized onions, shredded Gruyere (or Swiss in a pinch), in a Better Than Boullion based sauce.
Tasty stuff right there.
Includes 80/20 beef, tons of caramelized onions, shredded Gruyere (or Swiss in a pinch), in a Better Than Boullion based sauce.
Tasty stuff right there.
My mom's Jewish meatballs (although you know, WE just called 'em meatballs) included plenty of ...
Liptons dried onion soup mix. They were great, but probably a bit short of yours with Gruyere and real caramelized onions...
I did not create it, just sort of bastardized the recipe, but that combo works for some reason. I remember thinking initially that it seemed a bit superfluous but it’s not.
Includes 80/20 beef, tons of caramelized onions, shredded Gruyere (or Swiss in a pinch), in a Better Than Boullion based sauce.
Tasty stuff right there.
This sounds like a great dish!
As far as grated cheese, growing up, we were always a Pecorino Romano house. Almost never had Parmesan in the house.
But not NECESSARY!
There must be 100 or more excellent Jewish meatballs recipes made from solely beef, and I've had at least 20 of them, handed down from our Central and Eastern European forbearers. As often as not, they contain rice and dill and cinnamon in a lightly tomatoey sauce. They tend to taste quite different from Italian style meatballs, and more like Middle Eastern ones.
Syrians, Persians, Iraqis, all make outstanding meatballs without a drop of pork.
Hoping that doesn't sound like a rant. It's not meant to be one.
Italian meatballs are my favorite, but being totally honest, I almost never eat a meatball that I don't like! Getting way off topic, I love eggplant 'meatballs' & falafel too.
Quote:
Pork in meatballs is delicious.
Those Jewish meatballs made of beef with rice and dill sounds more like stuffed peppers (which are also delicious).
But not NECESSARY!
There must be 100 or more excellent Jewish meatballs recipes made from solely beef, and I've had at least 20 of them, handed down from our Central and Eastern European forbearers. As often as not, they contain rice and dill and cinnamon in a lightly tomatoey sauce. They tend to taste quite different from Italian style meatballs, and more like Middle Eastern ones.
Syrians, Persians, Iraqis, all make outstanding meatballs without a drop of pork.
Hoping that doesn't sound like a rant. It's not meant to be one.
Italian meatballs are my favorite, but being totally honest, I almost never eat a meatball that I don't like! Getting way off topic, I love eggplant 'meatballs' & falafel too.
The more bread/bread crumbs, egg etc. in the mix the higher likelihood of them not holding their shape.
1.5 lb 80/20 beef
.5. Lb ground pork
1/2 sautéed onion
3 eggs
1 cup bread crumbs
1/4-1/2 cup of locatelli cheese
Tablespoon of chopped basil
1-2 teaspoons of garlic powder
Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper
4 oz of whole milk
Fry or bake then place in your sauce and enjoy
The more bread/bread crumbs, egg etc. in the mix the higher likelihood of them not holding their shape.
Thanks. Maybe I'm trying to err too much on the side of moistness/less density
Quote:
Re: How do you keep them round?
The more bread/bread crumbs, egg etc. in the mix the higher likelihood of them not holding their shape.
Thanks. Maybe I'm trying to err too much on the side of moistness/less density
3 ounces by weight of dried bread, or 1 small potato grated, are good amounts of starch for lightening purposes for 2# of meat. 1 egg per pound, even one egg per 2# is enough egg. Again I prefer to make a panade with the dried bread rather than to add dried breadcrumbs.
Don't forget to ignore gtt...
Day old or more Italian bread broken up into small pieces soak in milk enough to saturate the bread but not mushy. 3 to 4 large eggs it really depends on the amount you are making. Add dry oregano, thyme, basil, fresh minced garlic and pureed onion, grated Parmigiana or Pecorino Romano depending on your preference. Add soaked bread to the mixture and fold all ingredients together pan sear and finish in sauce or oven.
The three main things you want to make sure you DON’T use; panko use the soaked bread method it will provide a moist flavorful meatball panko just takes the moisture out. And folding the mixture rather than using a mixer or something. The more you work the meat the tougher they will be. And lastly stay away from Italian seasoning the rosemary, sage and marjoram and savory in most of them IMO do not go well with meatballs.
Much as I love good Italian meatballs, there's a more regal quality to the best central European ones, IMHO.
Hungarian meatballs. - ( New Window )