ThermoBlog by Martin Earl
When I was in cooking school taking the unbelievably delicious class called “Meats and Seafood,†our instructor talked to us about the logistics of running a catered buffet. “One of the best things you can put on a buffet,†he told us, “is a good meatball. They’re easy to make and people go crazy for them.â€
And, boy, was he right! There are few things as appealing and fun to eat as meatballs. Whether they top a mound of al dente pasta, fill a sub sandwich, or are just eaten with a toothpick off of a plate, meatballs are pure enjoyment, especially when they are cooked correctly. Now, you may not be catering a buffet, but tailgating season is right around the corner, and if you’re looking for a way to impress, my old Chef instructor’s advice still holds! In this post, we’ll be taking a look at what makes a good meatball, meatball critical temperatures, and a fantastic recipe for cheesy, spicy smoked meatballs from Susie Bulloch at Hey Grill Hey.
Homemade meatballs: an anatomyThough they are filtered through many different cultures and flavor palates, most meatballs share a common basic structure: meat, seasonings, and binder. How these pieces come together determines the flavor and texture of your meatball. As such, it would be good for us to examine the parts of a meatball in turn.
Meat for meatballsChoosing meat for your meatballs is all about both flavor and texture. Beef has a strong beefy flavor and tends to make meatballs that are a little tougher than some other meats. Pork usually brings more juiciness and often has more fat—a positive attribute in this case—than beef. Chicken will be dry unless it is ground from dark meat, and lamb tends to be quite lean but super flavorful. Older recipes often call for ground veal, which is fine if you can find it, and adds natural gelatin—good for moisture retention—to your mix.
Many a meatball is made of a mix of meats, an option that optimizes textural characteristics and flavors. if you develop your own recipe, play around with proportions and even try adding things like finely minced bacon. (Adding bacon or other fat is a good choice if your meat is lean. You want a ratio of about 80% lean to 20% fat for meatballs that stay juicy. See the section on temperatures below.)
In this recipe, a smoked meatball with plenty of flavor from the ingredients and the smoke, we’ll go with straight ground beef for the meat. The assertive beef flavor will play well and the relatively lower cook temp—275°F (135°C)—helps to minimize the chance of drying out that we would use pork as a buffer against.
More:
https://blog.thermoworks.com/beef/bbq-meatballs-smokey-juicy-cooked-to-temp/
