# Brown my meatballs before putting them in the tomato sauce? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 16, 2011, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brown-my-meatballs-before-putting-them-in-the-tomato-sauce/606409 "2011-12-16T14:11:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2011, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brown-my-meatballs-before-putting-them-in-the-tomato-sauce/606409/1 "2011-12-16T14:11:28Z")
I’ve heard conflicting opinions on this. Should I brown my meatballs before I put them in the tomato sauce. yea or nay? Why or why not? ETA - they will cook at least another hour or two in the tomato sauce. And don’t try to talk me out of browning the sausage, darnyouall! ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2011, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brown-my-meatballs-before-putting-them-in-the-tomato-sauce/606409/2 "2011-12-16T14:16:12Z")
My mom always did. I consider that definitive. ---
**Author:** ![rainy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@rainy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rainy)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2011, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brown-my-meatballs-before-putting-them-in-the-tomato-sauce/606409/3 "2011-12-16T14:18:51Z")
Yes. Browning the meat gives it a different flavor and texture. I brown roasts and stew meat before oven cooking or crocking them. ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2011, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brown-my-meatballs-before-putting-them-in-the-tomato-sauce/606409/4 "2011-12-16T14:21:24Z")
Anyone know why someone would advise me not to brown them? I’ve head it from multiple sources without explanation. I’ve always browned them in the past. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2011, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brown-my-meatballs-before-putting-them-in-the-tomato-sauce/606409/5 "2011-12-16T14:23:41Z")
My Dad, who taught me the basics, does not brown. The student has since surpassed the master, and I brown. It adds flavor, but dirties another pot or pan. As long as you braise them long enough, a goods meatball will be fine either way. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2011, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brown-my-meatballs-before-putting-them-in-the-tomato-sauce/606409/6 "2011-12-16T14:25:37Z")
In addition to adding flavor, the caramelization tends to help hold them together whilst simmering. I can’t imagine NOT doing it. ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2011, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brown-my-meatballs-before-putting-them-in-the-tomato-sauce/606409/7 "2011-12-16T14:27:43Z")
There are two factors that I can think of that would influence the decision here. One is that browning tends to ‘seal’ the meat and keep the flavour from being absorbed into the sauce. So, if you don’t brown, you’ll have rich, meaty sauce, but less flavorful meatballs. The second factor is that browning would tend to help the meatball stay together. So, if you want great meatballs, I’d tend to recommend browning. If you want a good sauce that happens to have some meatballs in it, (or pieces of meatball,) - there may be something to the no-brown approach. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![shantih](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f6c823/32.png) [@shantih](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shantih)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2011, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brown-my-meatballs-before-putting-them-in-the-tomato-sauce/606409/8 "2011-12-16T14:37:26Z")
I can only provide my own experience. My Nana made the absolute best spaghetti and meatballs, and dropped the raw meatballs directly in the sauce to cook. When I made the dish myself for the first time, I thought that browning would give the meatballs more flavor, so I did that. Unfortunately, I found that they turned out tougher and less flavorful. The next time, I tried following my Nana’s example and the results were mmmmmmmm. Mmmmm. I’ve dropped my raw meatballs directly into the simmering sauce since then, and they turn out so so delicious. Maybe it depends on the composition of the meatballs? Mine are composed of ground beef with salt, herbes de provence, minced garlic, and fennel seeds. ---
**Author:** ![Arkcon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Arkcon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arkcon)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2011, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brown-my-meatballs-before-putting-them-in-the-tomato-sauce/606409/9 "2011-12-16T14:43:22Z")
> [@chrisk](#): > > One is that browning tends to ‘seal’ the meat and keep the flavour from being absorbed into the sauce There are any number of experts who’ll tell you that the sear doesn’t seal meat, either to lock in juices or block out infiltration. I’ve heard it on _Cook’s County_ on PBS in a number of episodes, on Alton Brown’s show _Good Eats_, and yelled at a contestant on _Hell’s Kitchen_ by Gordon Ramsay. The purpose to a sear (notice, they call it 'sear’ing meat not 'seal’ing meat) was always the Malliard reaction for flavor. ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2011, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brown-my-meatballs-before-putting-them-in-the-tomato-sauce/606409/10 "2011-12-16T14:47:55Z")
My meatballs are a combo of ground beef & ground pork + herbs, garlic & salt. I admit I’ve never been completely happy with the texture of my meatballs, they’ve always seemed slightly coarse and I am hoping for a more tender meatball. ---
**Author:** ![Arkcon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Arkcon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arkcon)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2011, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brown-my-meatballs-before-putting-them-in-the-tomato-sauce/606409/11 "2011-12-16T14:51:16Z")
_Sorry to double post. Separate thoughts, slow typist, 5 min limit, yadda yadda_ A light browning was always the way mom did it. Lately, I’ve taken to browning them in the oven. Mom had done this years ago, to limit the fat in dad’s diet. Mom makes her meatballs with ground meat, parsley, pine nuts, chopped raisins, bread crumbs and olive oil. So there may be a reason she has to strain off the fat. She also insists on extra-lean ground beef, to avoid gristle and bone fragments (supposedly, I tell her she’s losing richness and flavor be avoiding fat,) so that’s another reason it may need the sear for flavor. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2011, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brown-my-meatballs-before-putting-them-in-the-tomato-sauce/606409/12 "2011-12-16T14:55:32Z")
My mother learned to make meatballs from Italian prostitutes (no, I don’t mean the meatballs were made \*out \*of Italian prostitutes), and she never browned–she cooked the meatballs (for hours and hours) in the sauce. They were the best meatballs (and sauce) I have ever tasted, and one of my Italian boyfriends was impressed with her culinary skills: “she’s a _Jew_, where’d she learn to cook like that?” ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2011, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brown-my-meatballs-before-putting-them-in-the-tomato-sauce/606409/13 "2011-12-16T15:04:35Z")
Browning the meat does render some of the fat. I use a fatty beef (20-25%), ground pork, and ground veal. I make a buttermilk panade, add lightly sauteed onions and garlic, egg yolk, lots of fresh parsley and romano chese. Because of the fatty meat, I still get plenty of flavor in the gravy. I like to make mini-meatballs. Everyone here appreciates the bite size pieces. ---
**Author:** ![rainy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@rainy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rainy)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2011, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brown-my-meatballs-before-putting-them-in-the-tomato-sauce/606409/14 "2011-12-16T15:04:58Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > My mother learned to make meatballs from Italian prostitutes Don’t say that about Giada 😉 She’s known as “Cleavage Girl” around the rainy household. But I would definitely watch a show called “Cooking with Italian Prostitutes.” ---
**Author:** ![boozilu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4da419/32.png) [@boozilu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boozilu)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2011, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brown-my-meatballs-before-putting-them-in-the-tomato-sauce/606409/15 "2011-12-16T15:10:50Z")
I brown them in the oven for 8 - 10 minutes – otherwise mine always fall apart. ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2011, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brown-my-meatballs-before-putting-them-in-the-tomato-sauce/606409/16 "2011-12-16T15:39:36Z")
I think I will try not browning this time. Would it be weird to do half and half? ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2011, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brown-my-meatballs-before-putting-them-in-the-tomato-sauce/606409/17 "2011-12-16T17:11:48Z")
> [@Motorgirl](#): > > My meatballs are a combo of ground beef & ground pork + herbs, garlic & salt. > I admit I’ve never been completely happy with the texture of my meatballs, they’ve always seemed slightly coarse and I am hoping for a more tender meatball. You need filler - breadcrumbs work, but I prefer tearing up a couple slices of high-quality white bread and soaking them in milk or buttermilk until they get mushy and form a paste. Think about 2 slices bread & a half cup of liquid for each pound of meat. Mash it up with a fork, add to meat/herb mixture, form meatballs. That’ll lighten 'em up. And as to the OP, I brown them before adding them to sauce. Sausages in casings, though, I don’t brown. I like to poach them whole in the tomato sauce. There’s something about the texture that I really like when done that way - they get soft and silky, really yummy. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2011, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brown-my-meatballs-before-putting-them-in-the-tomato-sauce/606409/18 "2011-12-16T17:34:34Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > You need filler - breadcrumbs work, but I prefer tearing up a couple slices of high-quality white bread and soaking them in milk or buttermilk until they get mushy and form a paste. Think about 2 slices bread & a half cup of liquid for each pound of meat. Mash it up with a fork, add to meat/herb mixture, form meatballs. That’ll lighten 'em up. > > And as to the OP, I brown them before adding them to sauce. > > Sausages in casings, though, I don’t brown. I like to poach them whole in the tomato sauce. There’s something about the texture that I really like when done that way - they get soft and silky, really yummy. Also, don’t overcook them. I brown my rather large meatballs and set them aside in the fridge for the next few hours, while the other meats braise in the sauce. About 20 minutes before serving, I return the meatballs to the sauce and let them finish cooking. They’re fall-apart tender. ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2011, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brown-my-meatballs-before-putting-them-in-the-tomato-sauce/606409/19 "2011-12-16T17:54:12Z")
Sorry - I do actually have filler - I make fresh breadcrumbs out of white bread and I use a little milk and egg as a binder. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2011, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brown-my-meatballs-before-putting-them-in-the-tomato-sauce/606409/20 "2011-12-16T18:06:30Z")
I always brown my meatballs. It’s just a matter of taste and a little bit of texture. Browning them adds a layer of meaty savory flavor, it crisps up the outside a little bit, and it renders some of the the fat out. Not browning creates a different texture and flavor. It’s a matter of taste. For example, with stews, I always brown beef, but there’s a couple of delicate veal and chicken stews where I opt out of browning, because I don’t want that “brown” flavor in the final dish. As you suggest, try 'em both ways, and see what you like. There’s no “right” answer. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brown-my-meatballs-before-putting-them-in-the-tomato-sauce/606409.md?page=2)