Author Topic: Anybody got a good meatball recipe to share? Using ground pork  (Read 3159 times)

zxcvbob

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Anybody got a good meatball recipe to share? Using ground pork
« on: September 05, 2020, 04:36:49 PM »
I bought two bone-in pork butts for 97 cents a pound.  They are huge.  I'm thinking of grinding most of it up and making meatballs to freeze.  I've made meatballs with all pork before and they turned out good, but I'm a dumbass and didn't save the recipe.

I'm kinda thinking about modifying this meatloaf recipe; use minced onion instead of shredded apple, leave our the dried onions, and use stale bread instead of quick oats.  https://www.mamagourmand.com/family-favorite-pork-apple-meatloaf  And no glaze.  I'll probably leave in the apple butter because I have a jar of it in the fridge and it sounds interesting.

I will make pork stock with the bones, gristle, and silverskin and freeze it for cooler weather.  It is much better than beef stock in chili. (you use beef for the meat, except for a certain type of green chili I used to get in Leadville, CO whenever I was there)  Cool weather will be here in just a few weeks.
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charby

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Re: Anybody got a good meatball recipe to share? Using ground pork
« Reply #1 on: September 05, 2020, 09:28:26 PM »
Just make Italian meatballs, plenty of recipes via google fu. Hard to beat anything from Martha Stewart, Rachel Ray, Guy Fieri, or Alton Brown.
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Silver Bullet

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Re: Anybody got a good meatball recipe to share? Using ground pork
« Reply #2 on: September 09, 2020, 06:23:21 PM »
Several years ago I saw an episode of Chopped where the contestant chefs all work in food trucks.  They had a Jewish chef whose truck specialized in both Jewish food and ... Mexican, or something.  For his prepared dish he made traditional matzo balls, but he used the smoked pork he was given in the surprise ingredients basket at the beginning of the round.   =D

Smoked pork matzo balls okay with your project?   :P

zxcvbob

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Re: Anybody got a good meatball recipe to share? Using ground pork
« Reply #3 on: September 09, 2020, 06:32:31 PM »
Wife *finally* left the house for a couple of hours -- she picked a day when I was *very* busy at work with lots of meetings and meeting prep, but I took a little time off at noon -- and I ground up all that pork I cut up like stew meat a couple days ago.   I was planning to grind it tonight and get yelled at about the noise and the smell (what smell?) but I dodged that.

I'm going to make meatballs tonight.  I have two recipes that I'm going to merge; the meatloaf recipe posted above, and Martha Stewart's pork meatball recipe.  https://www.marthastewart.com/852077/pork-meatballs  I'll make it close to MS's, but the meatloaf recipe has a few ideas I like.
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K Frame

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Re: Anybody got a good meatball recipe to share? Using ground pork
« Reply #4 on: September 10, 2020, 05:23:55 PM »
I can't say that I've ever used a recipe for meatballs...

As with so many other dishes, including meatloaf, I just... make them... with whatever sounds good to me at the time.

The only givens are some form of starch (usually bread crumbs), an egg, onion, garlic (LOTS of garlic), basil, oregano, and some milk or (normally) half and half.

Optional ingredients include grated carrots or beets that have been sweated, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup/tomato paste, fish sauce or various kinds of hard cheese.

I never measure the ingredients, I just throw in what looks right.
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Big Hairy Bee

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Re: Anybody got a good meatball recipe to share? Using ground pork
« Reply #5 on: September 11, 2020, 01:07:36 PM »
Just a tip before you cook all the meatballs.  Make a small patty and cook it in a pan.  Taste and adjust seasoning if need be.  Better than making the whole batch under or overseasoned.

zxcvbob

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Re: Anybody got a good meatball recipe to share? Using ground pork
« Reply #6 on: September 11, 2020, 04:10:26 PM »
Just a tip before you cook all the meatballs.  Make a small patty and cook it in a pan.  Taste and adjust seasoning if need be.  Better than making the whole batch under or overseasoned.


I already knew that, but thanks for the reminder :)  I finally got around to making a batch today.  I mostly followed that Martha recipe with grated zucchini, but I used oats for the starch, and crushed beef bouillon cubes for the salt.  And instead of using fresh oregano, I used dried marjoram and oregano.  And I baked them instead of frying.  (so I guess I didn't really follow it at all) 

If I make another batch -- I should make about 5 more batches but Wife is in a prickly mood about something -- I'll use bulgur wheat.  Then maybe one with torn bread -- bread is what I usually use in beef meatballs.
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K Frame

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Re: Anybody got a good meatball recipe to share? Using ground pork
« Reply #7 on: September 11, 2020, 04:23:20 PM »
I have, in the past, made meatloaf with cous cous. That was interesting.

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zxcvbob

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Re: Anybody got a good meatball recipe to share? Using ground pork
« Reply #8 on: September 18, 2020, 06:13:38 PM »
Here's what I ended up with.  This was Hormel pork, so it was a little salty already so I back the salt off to about 1/4 tsp and it was about right.  Shredding the onion with a box grater worked better than mincing it with a knife.  Grate the onion first and then the zucchini, and the zuke will push all the onion mess out of the grater.  The squash and the oats just disappear into the meat when it's cooked.

Quote from: me
Pork Meatballs
(adapted from recipes by Martha Stewart and mamagourmand.com)

2 lbs ground pork
2 eggs
1 C shredded zucchini
½ large onion, shredded
1 C quick-cooking rolled oats
1 beef bouillon cube, crushed
½ tsp salt (optional)
⅓ tsp granulated or powdered garlic
½ tsp ground marjoram
¾ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp black pepper

It’s an odd amount of garlic, but ½ tsp looked like too much so I backed off a little.  Squeeze excess moisture from the zucchini if it’s too juicy. Put everything except the pork and the eggs in a large bowl and stir it together.  Add the pork then the eggs and mix thoroughly with your hands.  Fry a little piece to see if it needs more salt &c, and adjust seasonings.  Roll into 2 inch balls, and bake on a cookie sheet in a 400°F oven until browned.  Finish cooking in your favorite sauce, or freeze for later.  Makes about 24 to 28 meatballs.

« Last Edit: September 18, 2020, 06:44:27 PM by zxcvbob »
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Silver Bullet

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Re: Anybody got a good meatball recipe to share? Using ground pork
« Reply #9 on: October 13, 2020, 12:03:48 PM »
Here's my recipe:

Pop a few Carando Italian meatballs into the oven for a while.
Take 'em out.
Eat 'em.

https://www.carando.com/products/abruzzese-style-italian-meatballs

Really good!