I’ve just made meatballs for the first time. Now I’m cooking them.
I’m concerned about the cooking process. Some places say the meatballs have to cook in the sauce. Other sites say cook the meatballs in the oven then simmer in the sauce. Which is the best way?
Right now I’m doing them in the oven. Do they cook fairly quickly like hamburgers or do they need to take their time (30-40 min)?
I make mine in the oven, and then let them have a good long soak in the sauce (usually in my slow cooker). I leave them in the oven until they are good and brown. Then, I split one from the center of the pan, and if it’s cooked through, into the sauce they go!
mmmmmmmmmmmmm…meatballs…
My preferred way is to fry them in olive oil to brown them on the outside and get the cooking started, then slide it into the sauce and cook until done. This is for a long cooked sauce, so they’ll sit in there for a few hours.
I’d cook them out of the sauce in order to develop a good fond (the brown bits left in the pan from cooking), then add the meatballs to the sauce, then deglaze the pan and add that to the sauce. I’ll occasionally reserve one meatball to break up and smoosh around in the pan specifically to create more brown bits.
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samclem
I agree about cooking them in olive oil on top of the stove first. I’ve done the oven method–probably healthier, leaving much of the grease behind, but not as flavorful as frying in oil on top the stove.
By the way, what did you put into your meatballs? And what mixture of meats did you use? Assuming you did?
I find that a beef/veal/pork and sometimes ground lamb if I can get it, makes the best choice for meat as a starter.
Browning them is good, but if you don’t care about them being the “right” color, an alternative take is to steam them off first for about 15-20 minutes (until cooked through, depending on size), then introduce them to the sauce, which you can simmer them in for as long as you like. If they have contrasting flavors, it’s nice to let them stand alone from the sauce.
This is also an excellent mixture for meatloaf, which is, after all, just a very large meatball.
Never made one any other way. Just not the same.
Count me in the minority, but I keep them out of the sauce until a few minutes before serving. The longer you soak them in sauce, the soggier they get. I prefer to keep a crispy exterior on the meatballs.
I’m with Walloon. Cook them up seperately, and add to the suace at the last minute.
I too brown them first, add last.
My meatballs have Italian pork sausage, hamburger, egg, pre-cooked rice, garlic, onion and several spices. They are dredged in flour, and sauted until brown and crispy. I add them to the plate and put sauce over them. That way, the leftovers (?) can be used in meatball sandwichs, a favorite here.