[superuke]

1. Use either Pork or Beef. But the meat should have at 25% fat in it. Otherwise the meat is super dry.

2. No need to add a bunch of other items into the meat. at most salt and pepper, may be a little rub.

3. He is the key. Work the meat real good with your hands (just like you need bread) minimum 8-10 minutes. The meat will bind. Meaning it will stick together. So the meat will not fall apart when forming into balls.

4. End result you will get a tasty juicy meat ball. Same holds true for making burgers.

[Gettingoutofdodge]

Originally Posted by Ecuadog

I would like to know if there is a decent brand of frozen, cooked meatballs. The older I get, the lazier I get.

All of the premade meatballs are loaded with salt and are barely passable as meatballs.

[Ecuadog]

Originally Posted by Barkriver

I usually can't stand commercially frozen meatballs, nut Aldi's is surprisingly palatable.

I haven't tried it yet, but I was surprised to find that Aldi's Specially Selected Sicilian Extra Virgin Olive Oil was highly rated by Consumer Reports. It was right up there with two of my favorites. I'll have to put their meatballs on my list too. Thanks.

[Ecuadog]

Originally Posted by Gettingoutofdodge

All of the premade meatballs are loaded with salt and are barely passable as meatballs.

You have tried all of them?

[Gettingoutofdodge]

Chopmeat - amount up to you
1 egg per pound
Breadcrumbs, 1/2 cup per pound of meat
Chopped Fresh Garlic, I like a lot so use to taste.
Grated Parmesan cheese, good Parmesan, not box kind.
1/2 cup per pound or more. You can also use Romano cheese but I prefer Parmesan.

Make into balls, fry in olive oil until brown, turn over and fry other side. Do not over fry because they will finish cooking in sauce. Then add to pot with sauce. Add garlic and some oil (a few tablespoons) from the fried meatballs to the sauce. You can also fry sausage and add to sauce.
Olive oil is hot enough when you drop a piece of garlic in it and it rises to the top. I put a small meatball in the batch so I can taste it. I do a lot of this by eye but have tried to make measurements out of what I add.

Sauce
2-3 cans tomatoes or more if you making a bigger batch. I use Italian tomatoes and mix Purée with crushed and if in the mood, I blender a can of plum tomatoes.
1 or 2 cans of Contidena tomato paste
Add a bay leaf or two, sprinkle top with basil or add fresh basil.
Start cooking sauce on medium before frying meatballs. Then raise the temp. This stops the meatballs from falling apart. Add the meat, when the sauce comes to a slight boil lower it to a temperature where it will cook slowly. Cook about 1 to 2 hours stirring gently and frequently so the sauce doesn’t burn on the bottom. After cooking,
I skim the oil off the top. You will see the sauce change color and consistency and that’s when it’s done. I usually eat a meatball in the process.
If the sauce is a bit bitter, I add some Parmesan cheese, not sugar to it.
I don’t add salt to the meatballs because the cheese is salty.

[ThirdOfFive]

Hmmmmm.....

Cajun Fried Alligator Meatballs

Cajun Fried Alligator Meatballs Recipe. Finely chopped alligator meat, that is seasoned, rolled into balls and fried in hot oil.
Recipe Ingredients:

1 lb. of finely chopped alligator meat
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
2 tablespoons finely chopped celery
2 tablespoons chopped shallots
1/2 teaspoon salt
Flour for dredging
1 cup vegetable oil for frying

Directions:

Combine all ingredients, except vegetable oil and flour. Form into 1-inch balls. Allow to set for 1 hour.
Dredge with flour and fry until brown.
Serve hot.

[CFrance]

Originally Posted by sdeikenberry

Some 15 years ago I saw a Food Network show that featured Mamma Maroni's meatballs from a family restaurant in Northport NY. The recipe is over 100 years old and straight from the old country. I've been making these ever since and they are foolproof perfect. Everytime we have them for guests people rave about them.


1 pound ground chuck

4 ounces dried bread crumbs

4 large eggs

4 ounces whole milk

6 ounces grated Romano

3 ounces grated Spanish onion

2 ounces finely diced fresh garlic

2 ounces finely chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

2 ounces finely chopped fresh basil leaves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with olive oil cooking spray.
Mix all ingredients thoroughly in large bowl. If mixture seems a little loose add more bread crumbs.
Roll meatballs loosely about the size of a golf ball and place on baking sheet.
Place into preheated oven for approximately 35 to 40 minutes.
Finish in the sauce before plating.

I vote for this, and thank you for using weights instead of measures. More and more recipe developers have switched to weights. Kitchen scales are so inexpensive now. For baking, this method can't be beat.

[Carla B]

Originally Posted by CFrance

I vote for this, and thank you for using weights instead of measures. More and more recipe developers have switched to weights. Kitchen scales are so inexpensive now. For baking, this method can't be beat.

I also like the recipe submitted by sdeikenberry, but would like confirmation on using 4 eggs for one lb. of meat. That seems like a lot.

[hmaynard129]

What is your best recipe, spices, and what cooking method do you do. Have tried frying before baking or sauce baking.

Most meatball recipes produce mushy, soft, meatballs....trying to find a meatball not a mush ball or bread ball. Manja[/QUOTE
These are the BEST

Access Denied

[Ecuadog]

Originally Posted by Carla B

I also like the recipe submitted by sdeikenberry, but would like confirmation on using 4 eggs for one lb. of meat. That seems like a lot.

Yeah, I question the 4 eggs too, but that's what the online Maroni recipes say.

My brother was a fan of Mike Maroni's meatballs. I remember stopping with him at Maroni's place to pick up a pot of meatballs. It must have been about 20 years ago. I don't remember anything about the meatballs, good or bad.

[Stu from NYC]

Originally Posted by ThirdOfFive

Hmmmmm.....

Cajun Fried Alligator Meatballs

Cajun Fried Alligator Meatballs Recipe. Finely chopped alligator meat, that is seasoned, rolled into balls and fried in hot oil.
Recipe Ingredients:

1 lb. of finely chopped alligator meat
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
2 tablespoons finely chopped celery
2 tablespoons chopped shallots
1/2 teaspoon salt
Flour for dredging
1 cup vegetable oil for frying

Directions:

Combine all ingredients, except vegetable oil and flour. Form into 1-inch balls. Allow to set for 1 hour.
Dredge with flour and fry until brown.
Serve hot.

Does the Alligator meat have to be fresh? If so will see if my wife can get some from the source. I would rather not use frozen.

[hmaynard129]

Originally Posted by Rich Iwaszko

Hi,
I am looking for the best meatballs. Have tried straight burger, 80-20, 1/2 pork 1/2 burger,
100% ground chuck, and 100% rib eye.

What is your best recipe, spices, and what cooking method do you do. Have tried frying before baking or sauce baking.

Most meatball recipes produce mushy, soft, meatballs....trying to find a meatball not a mush ball or bread ball. Manja

These meatballs are the absolute BEST

Access Denied

[Ecuadog]

Originally Posted by hmaynard129

Bobby Flay to the rescue

These meatballs are the absolute BEST

...

Bobby Flay?

Mike Maroni beats Bobby Flay video... click here (22 min).

Tony Danza beats Bobby Flay video... click here (3 1/2 min).

[Randall55]

Originally Posted by Ecuadog

Bobby Flay?

Mike Maroni beats Bobby Flay video... click here (22 min).

Tony Danza beats Bobby Flay video... click here (3 1/2 min).

Google the words restaurant meatballs. You should get several authentic restaurant recipes. My wife and I always do this when we need a new recipe. We have found restaurant recipes never let us down.

[fdpaq0580]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

The perfect meatballs are made along with the sauce. But on days when I am thawing out sauce I've frozen after making it, and need to make new meatballs, I use the microwave oven. As long as you don't TELL your Italian guests you did this, they won't know the difference. So here's what I do:

You need a glass casserole dish, the biggest one that'll fit in your microwave oven.
You'll also need a jar to drain off however much fat you want to drain off. I usually drain around 3/4 of whatever melts into the dish. The other 1/4 adds extra flavor and texture to the sauce.

In a bowl, add:
a couple of palmfuls of italian bread crumbs, for each pound of meat.
a splash of milk
1 egg per pound of meat
a healthy pinch of oregano, smushed into near-powder between your fingers.
1 clove garlic per pound of meat, minced/pressed
half a palmful of grated parmesano reggiano cheese (it's around 1 cubic inch of ungrated cheese)
a few turns of a black pepper grinder
ground beef - 79-85% lean (ground chuck is perfect)

Wash your hands, and smush all that stuff together in the bowl til it's well-blended. Hand-form meatballs around 50% larger than the size of a golf ball. Don't compress them, keep them relatively loose. Place them in the glass dish. If making 2 pounds, you might need to split this into two dishes. Most microwaves won't accommodate a dish big enough for 2 pounds worth of meatballs.

Nuke on high for 3 minutes. Remove from oven, turn them and take the ones in the middle of the dish, and put them on the outer edges, putting the ones that were on the outer edges into the middle.

Nuke again on high for 2 minutes. This is when you would remove the excess fat if you want to (there will be plenty) before adding the sauce.

Pour the sauce over the meatballs, turning them to make sure each one is well-coated. I cut my meatballs in half for this step, but it isn't necessary. I just prefer them to be drier inside rather than juicier.

Nuke again 2 more minutes.

When the macaroni is ready to put in the strainer, nuke again for another minute while you're straining the macaroni.

Sounds great, but I would like more garlic and would add finely diced onion mixed in