I spotted a recipe for Pineapple and BBQ meatballs I’d like to try. But the recipe calls for frozen meatballs (basically, just throw everything in the slow cooker and let it simmer)
I’m thinking I should just make my own MBs instead. But would it be worth the hassle?
Thanks for any input.
Also, FWIW, I’m not a food snob, I’m fine with frozen MB in theory, I’m just worried they’ll come out slimy.
They hit the spot sometimes, but they’re definitely prepared food, closer to a microwave dinner than something you’d actually make at home. They don’t compare in any way to real homemade meatballs, but microwaved lasagna doesn’t compare at all to homemade lasagna and people still buy it and eat it and enjoy it.
I’m certain making your own meatballs would be worth the hassle. They aren’t that hard to make and they’d taste light years better. But it will be a different outcome than the writer of your recipe envisioned, if that matters to you at all.
Real meatballs may fall apart in a slow cooker if you use the timing of a recipe using frozen ones. Or not - if it’s mostly just warming instead of cooking, it might not need any time adjustments.
This. Nothing wrong with frozen meatballs at all. The recipe is more for a party dish than a main course for company, so frozen are just fine. I third the Costco suggestion.
They aren’t bad, the texture can be odd. But they’re handy and quick to heat up in sauce. And if it’s a choice between frozen meatballs and no meatballs at all, frozen wins every time.
I’m with Chefguy, especially if you own a mini-food processor.
put ground meat and bread crumbs in a bowl. Put half an onion, sliced, into the processor with a raw egg, a handful each of fresh basil and parsley, and salt and pepper. Pulse until pulsed. Then mix it into the meat and bread with your hands.
I’ve gotten some at the grocery store that were not so good. It’s easy to tell though, just look at the ingredients list and the nutrition info. If meat is not the first ingredient, or if the carbohydrates are ridiculously high, then you are not getting good meatballs.
No particular recommendations on frozen but there’s no way I’d bother making meatballs from scratch if they’re going to be covered in BBQ sauce and pineapple and slow cooked a long time. Especially for a new recipe.
We always have a couple of bags in the freezer. We get Trader Joe’s Turkey, and Trader Joe’s Beef. I’m OK with the Turkey, but they’re not my favorite. My spouse is all into healthy eating so we use Turkey primarily.
Whereas I really love the Beef! (Maybe the Beef tastes so good to me because I’m so used to tasting tasting the Turkey one?)
I use Hannaford and Wal-Mart store brand frozen meatballs all the time and find them to be fairly good. I’ve tried all the frozen meatballs the store had to offer at some point and frankly think they are all of the same quality regardless of brand.