Because sometimes, you just need some of that abundant grandma love, expressed through food.
Ingredients
- 2 (ish) pounds ground beef
- 1 (ish) pound ground pork, or sausage with the casing removed
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup crushed-up pork rinds (I used Oven Baked Pork Rinds from Epic Provisions)
- Salt–maybe a 1/2 tsp?
- Fat for browning
- Bone broth for braising
Method
Get an enamel dutch oven on your stove to pre-heat. Turn up that heat—way up—the aim is to get the pan scorching hot. Add tallow or bacon grease or whatever cooking fat you like. (Do NOT use butter. Butter will burn.)
Dump all of your ingredients into a bowl. Mix everything together without compressing anything—think “mix and aerate,” using your fingers more than your palms. Yes, I recommend mixing with your hand. Use a food-safe glove if you want.
Once everything is mixed to an acceptably consistent texture, form the balls. I like mine to be in the 1.5-inch diameter (2 oz) range, but make small or large balls as you like. Squeeze just enough to hold them into place—we’re looking for a fluffy texture, not a hockey puck or something that may as well have been a burger.
As you start the first batch of balls, your dutch oven should be smoking hot. Drop (or rather, gently place) your first set of balls into the pot. Give each ball room to brown—at least a half-inch of clearance between each ball. Sear for a few minutes on each side, flipping once, until they form a pleasingly golden-brown crust on each side.
Think restaurant-style steak here. Render all that fat crispy and brown. If it doesn’t look like it could be in a commercial for a steakhouse, sear it a little longer.
In the meantime, form and shape the rest of your meatball mixture.
Continue to cook-off your balls in batches, making sure to get a good sear on two sides. The insides will still be raw—that’s okay.
Once all the meatballs are crispy and golden brown, empty the pan and pour in your braising stock—don’t forget to deglaze the pan! Scrape up all the crispy brown bits on the bottom of the pan, so that they can help flavor your sauce. Bring the braising liquid to a vigorous simmer.
Now, return everybody to the pot. Turn the heat down to low, cover, and go take a walk or something.
After 20 or so minutes, flip your balls over so that both sides get a good long soak in the braising liquid.
After about 45 minutes, or an hour, or whenever these guys feel done and braisey and soft to you, pull out your balls and let them cool. I usually move them directly to whatever I’m going to use to store them.
Turn up the heat on your braising liquid until simmering, and let it reduce for another 10-15 minutes. This is a good time to skim off any fat that tries to rise and/or congeal on the surface.
Once your super-simple brown sauce has reduced by half, turn off the heat. If you want to be fancy, wisk in some cold butter at this point, to emulsify the sauce and give it a more luxurious mouthfeel—totally optional.
Pour your sauce over your meatballs, and enjoy!