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Be Sure To Use Finely Ground Meat For The Juiciest Meatballs

Making perfectly textured meatballs can be trickier than you'd think, and many chefs have devoted their time to creating the most tender meatballs they can. Essential tips range from selecting ground beef with an ideal fat content to making a proper milk-soaked panade to mix in. But while these elements are key to contributing to a moist meatball, there's an even more fundamental step that you should be taking to ensure that perfectly firm but juicy texture: using meat with a fine grind.

As any home cook knows, all meatball and meatloaf mixes begin with a blend of ground meat. Whether a combination of pork and lamb or a straightforward all-beef choice, the meat is always ground because you're often utilizing tough cuts of meat. These sinewy cuts become tender through grinding, with the fibers broken down by mechanical gears. Simply put, the finer the grind, the more tender the meat — which leads to better-textured meatballs.

While it's easy enough to go with the pre-ground meat offered at the grocery store, sometimes you'll run into a mix that's more coarsely ground than desired. Luckily, you can make your store-bought item even more finely ground at home, provided you have the right tools.

Read more: Tips You Need When Cooking With Ground Beef

Mixing meatballs in bowl - Fermate/Getty Images

Before you make your meatballs, make sure that you've invested in a ground meat mix with 20% to 30% fat. (If it's a little too lean, you can always fix that by grating in a few tablespoons of frozen butter or lard.) To then make a chunky grind even finer, pull out your food processor. Don't throw in all the meat at once — pulse about one cup at a time so that the blades can properly mince it without getting overwhelmed. A few brief pulses should get you the consistency you want.

Of course, you can also grind your own meat if you'd like to go in the DIY direction. Just make sure you're choosing the finest grind attachment possible and that you're working with cold tools and frozen meat — cold meat grinds much better than room temperature or warm meat. After that, all that's left to ensure you turn out perfectly tender meatballs is to make sure you're not overcooking them. Keep in mind that this fine grind tip works for hamburgers and meatloaf as well, so think about incorporating this step into your other recipes for other super tender ground meat-based meals.

Read the original article on Tasting Table.

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Pasta With Rustic Oven Meatballs

Chef notes

If you happen to be in the mood for yet another oven-pasta triumph, this miraculous meaty marvel is about to make your month! It's got a few pretty clever elements, from an herb mixture that straddles the two main components to the timing of the meatballs and sauce ... And you are going to feel energized by how relatively easy this spaghetti-and-meatballs-esque dish can actually be!

Technique tip: Use a stand mixer with paddle attachment to mix the meat mixture if you prefer not to use your hands; use a small kitchen scoop to form meatballs.

Swap option: Use 1 cup prepared pesto instead of the herb mixture to save time or substitute Italian sausage for some of the ground beef, use rigatoni instead of bucatini.

Preparation 1.

Position racks in the top and middle positions of the oven and preheat the oven to 425 F.

Add the parsley, basil, oregano, garlic, lemon zest and lemon juice to a food processor or blender. Pulse the mixture several times to start pulverizing then continue pulsing while adding the olive oil in a steady stream until the herbs form a paste. Add the Parmesan and pulse to combine.

Place the tomatoes in a 9- by 13-inch baking dish and add half the herb mixture, then sprinkle with some salt and pepper and toss to coat the tomatoes. Set the baking dish aside.

Combine the ground beef and egg in a large bowl and add the rest of the herb paste and a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix it with your hands until well combined then pinch off rough balls of the mixture (1½ to 2 inches) and place them on a sheet pan.

Place both the meatballs and the tomatoes in the oven (meatballs on the top rack, tomatoes on the middle rack) and roast everything until the meatballs are cooked through and the tomatoes are bursting open, 15 to 16 minutes.

While the meatballs and tomatoes are in the oven, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook to al dente.

When the meatballs and tomatoes are done, remove them from the oven. Drain the pasta, reserving a couple of cups of the pasta water and pour it into the tomato dish. Toss the pasta with the tomatoes, adding pasta water to form a light sauce. Make sure the noodles are fully coated in the sauce.

To serve, place the pasta with tomato sauce in a bowl and set a few meatballs on top. Sprinkle with Parmesan and garnish with parsley.

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Chow Down On These Juicy Turkey Meatballs Dripping In Tomato Sauce

If you're in the mood for something hearty and homemade, you've got to try making turkey meatballs. In this episode of ITK: Eats, we show you a simple, healthy recipe for juicy turkey meatballs in tomato sauce. Plus, the recipe is gluten-free. Try these to go with your next pasta night! Here's how to make turkey meatballs:

Ingredients

1 cup gluten-free breadcrumbs

½ cup milk

3 pounds ground turkey

2 eggs, beaten

1 onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon salt

4 teaspoons Italian seasoning

1 cup freshly grated parmesan

¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

32 ounces marinara sauce

Instructions

1. Combine the gluten-free breadcrumbs with the milk and let the mixture sit for 10 minutes.

2. Add the breadcrumb mixture to the ground turkey and mix in the beaten eggs, onion, garlic, salt, Italian seasoning, parmesan and parsley. Combine well.

3. Using an ice cream scooper, form the ground turkey mixture into balls and place them on a baking sheet.

4. Pour extra virgin olive oil into a skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the meatballs, rotating as they go to brown on all sides. Transfer the cooked meatballs to a dish or tray.

5. After the meatballs have cooked, pour the marinara sauce into the skillet and let simmer. Return the meatballs to the skillet. Sprinkle with more parmesan cheese and parsley.

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