Let me start with a big thank you to our friends who sent us this recipe! They are foodies, and I am sure they could tell you much more than I can about this recipe, but my dad and I tried our hardest to make these meatballs like they do! My dad and I tag teamed this recipe like a few of the ones before this one, and the teamwork resulted in some delicious meatballs.
We were definitely hesitant about the gelatin step, because it is optional and we had never worked with gelatin before, but I am so glad we didn't skip it because as our friends said, it made a difference in how the meatballs came out. Both the gelatin and the chicken stock increase the juiciness and tenderness, so don't hold back! The gelatin does have to set for about 30 minutes, so make sure that you time it correctly. We didn't realize that it had to set for so long, so we ended up having to wait a little bit, but while we waited, we prepared all of the rest of the ingredients so it ended up working out well!
Back in May, I made Spaghetti and Meatballs from one of my favorite cookbooks, Grandma's Best Recipes, and while those meatballs are delicious, these meatballs are insanely good. They really are juicy and tender, and my dad who molded the balls, made them pretty huge so they were massive balls of amazingness. You can't go wrong with either recipe though, so pick one and roll with it if you are craving a yummy comfort food meal.
Yield: 10 big meatballs Active Time: 1 hr Total Time: 1h 30 mins
Ingredients ~
1 packet unflavored gelatin (optional)
1/2 cup homemade chicken stock or low-sodium broth (optional, see note)
4 ounces fresh white bread, crusts removed and bread cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 2 unpacked cups)
1/3 cup buttermilk, plus more as needed
1 medium onion, minced
8 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 ounces grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated, plus more for serving.
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh parsley leaves, minced
3 teaspoons kosher salt (14 grams; see note)
Freshly ground black pepper
3 ounces fatty pancetta, finely minced (see note)
4 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground fennel seed
1 pound ground beef (at least 25% fat)
1 pound ground pork (at least 25% fat)
5 cups tomato sauce
Instructions ~
In a heatproof measuring cup, sprinkle gelatin all over surface of stock and let stand for 5 minutes (if not using stock and gelatin, proceed to Step 2). Microwave stock, stirring once or twice, until gelatin completely dissolves, about 2 minutes. Pour stock into a wide heatproof bowl and refrigerate until fully set, about 30 minutes.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine bread with buttermilk, tossing to coat. Let stand, tossing occasionally, until bread is completely moist, about 10 minutes. Squeeze bread between your fingers or mash with a spoon to make sure there are no dry spots; if there are dry spots that refuse to moisten, add more buttermilk 1 tablespoon at a time until bread is moist throughout.
Add onion, garlic, Parmigiano-Reggiano, parsley, salt, pepper, pancetta, egg yolks, oregano, and fennel to bread/buttermilk mixture. Finely mince gelled stock, if using, and add.
Set mixer bowl in stand mixer and attach paddle. Starting at low speed and gradually increasing to medium-high speed, beat bread mixture until thoroughly blended, stopping to scrape down sides as necessary. Add 1/3 each of the beef and pork and beat at medium-high speed until thoroughly blended with bread mixture.
Remove bowl from stand mixer and add remaining beef and pork. Using a clean hand, gently mix meatball mixture, teasing apart ground meat with your fingers, just until ground beef and pork are thoroughly distributed throughout; avoid mixing any more than is necessary for even distribution.
Preheat broiler and set oven rack in upper position. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Form meatball mixture into handball-sized balls and arrange on prepared baking sheet; you should be able to make about 10. Broil meatballs until browned on top, about 7 minutes (browning times can vary dramatically, depending on oven broiler strength).
Heat tomato sauce in a medium pot until simmering and add meatballs. Simmer until meatballs are just cooked through and register about 145°F on an instant-read thermometer, about 10 minutes.
Serve meatballs, spooning sauce all over and grating more cheese on top.
Recipe From: Serious Eats
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