North African Chermoula meatballs | Bibbyskitchen recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to firm meatballs? ›

Massage your meat

Get your hands into your mixing bowl and combine the ingredients for your meatballs using your fingers. The heat from your hands will help release the proteins in the meat which will in turn help the mixture stick together when it cooks. Don't overmix, just a few minutes will do.

Pay attention to the fat percentage on the ground meat you're using — for ground beef, aim for at least 20 percent fat. Consider the other ingredients. Just ground meat and seasonings will yield only mediocre results. Egg and breadcrumbs are common mix-ins to add moisture and tenderness.

Drop the meatballs into simmering pasta sauce, do not stir for at least 20 minutes or you will risk breaking the meatballs. Continue cooking in the simmering sauce for another 20 minutes (depending on how fast your sauce is simmering 40 minutes total should fully cook the meatballs).

When it comes to adding liquid to meatball mixtures, milk is often used for its versatility, depth of flavor, and richness. Without the use of milk, you may be faced with a plate of dry meatballs. Milk adds a certain level of moisture that helps produce perfectly tender meatballs.

Start with just a few meatballs in the pan, and if they fall apart, adjust the mix before doing more by either adding some breadcrumbs (to soak up extra liquid) or adding some more egg. (It doesn't have to be a whole egg; lightly scramble an egg in a bowl and then you can decide how much to pour in.)

An egg is usually a good start, as that can help with the tenderness and texture, but the king of meatball binders is breadcrumbs soaked in milk (also known as a panade). Soaking the breadcrumbs first makes them pliable and soggy, which allows them to easily and evenly mix into the ground meat.

The longer the simmer, the more tender and succulent the meatballs become. 3. Concentration of Flavors: Simmering at a low temperature for an extended period also encourages the sauce to reduce and thicken.

Baking will result in meatballs with a crunchy exterior, though the caramelisation achieved from frying will be superior. Baked meatballs take the least amount of effort, as you'll only need to turn them once or twice throughout the cook and you can make a larger batch at once.

While water and broth may keep the meatballs moist throughout the cooking process, milk's extra fat and luscious consistency add an unmatched level of complexity to any classic meatball recipe.

Because meat shrinks when cooked, mince proteins are likely to separate and crumble unless bound together. Whether it's breadcrumbs or egg (or both), or simply salt, binding the mince is a crucial step in maintaining the softness of your meatballs while preventing them from falling apart.

Why do you put baking soda in meatballs? ›

Baking Soda is an Easy Meat Tenderizer

Baking soda helps prevent ground beef from drying out, allowing those burger patties to keep their moisture and brown quicker for the most flavorful cookout.

Using the wrong amount of bread crumbs (or flour)

Bread crumbs are another popular binder for meatballs that can become problematic if used incorrectly. Adding too many bread crumbs to the mix will cause your meatballs to become loose and fall apart. The same applies to flour.

Adding raw meatballs to the sauce and gently simmering till cooked yields ultra-tender results, and infuses the sauce with meaty flavor—a slow cooker gives great results.

You can bake your meatballs in the oven, fry your meatballs on the stove, deep fry your meatballs in a deep fryer, or cook your meatballs directly in a pot of tomato sauce. Some people like to drop the raw meatballs directly in a pot of Italian tomato sauce and let them simmer.

When meatballs are packed together too tightly, they cook up tough, rubbery, and chewy. → Follow this tip: Being gentle is the name of the game when it comes to forming meatballs. Consider oiling your hands so the mixture won't stick to them, and then gently and quickly form the meat into evenly sized balls.

Cook's Illustrated explains that adding too many eggs will put your meatballs at risk of having a soggy texture. Any additional and unnecessary liquid will also cause difficulty mixing and forming meatballs. Adding a single egg should be enough to do the trick, with two being the maximum for each pound of meat you use.

Because the role of eggs in meatballs is primarily structural, the amount of eggs you use does matter. You want enough to keep the mixture stable and easy to handle, but too many will make the mixture overly soft.

If the meatballs are packed together too tightly, they will cook up rubbery, chewy, and tough. If the meatballs are different sizes, they will cook unevenly. The smaller meatballs may end up dry and overcooked, while the larger ones may end up undercooked.