Peggy signed us up for meatballs for the annual W1GZ Holiday Party. W1GZ is the call sign for the Montachusett Amateur Radio Club. Peggy and I are both hams.
So, anyway, Peg did a search and found “The World’s Best Meatballs” from a clever lady named Kristen. Well, never one to leave well enough alone, we slightly modified the recipe ( we wanted a less “Italian” meatball than Kristen was offering) by removing the Parmesan cheese and the garlic, and opting for half beef/half pork in the meat department.
Herewith, I guess we can call them “John’s Best Meatballs”, because they did turn out quite nicely. In fact, I’m doing this post as someone asked for the recipe!
Preheat oven to 450F and grease a large rimmed cookie sheet.
- 1 # ground pork
- 1 # ground beef
- 1/2 C breadcrumbs (I used panko)
- 1/4 C milk (any %)
- 1/4 C chopped parsley
- 1 C beef broth, divided (1/4 C in meatballs)
- 1 egg
- 1/2 T salt
- 1 t pepper
- 1 t oregano (one might argue removing this would make it even less “Italian”)
- 1/4 t crushed red pepper flakes
Combine all but the ground meats in a large bowl, mixing well to form the panade, which will bind the meatballs.
Add the meats and mix until just combined, but not over mixed, which can toughen the meat texture.
Portion and roll meatballs about 1″ in diameter, spacing them closely on the cookie sheet. I use a small portioning scoop to make the work go faster and get better consistency than I manage on my own.
Pour the remaining 3/4 C of beef broth in the cookie sheet, and bake the meatballs for about 25 minutes, turning once halfway through.
The Hawaiian Meatball conclusion
This recipe came from Taste of Home and called for frozen store-bought meatballs, but hey, we can make those, right?
- 1 20 ounce can unsweetened pineapple chunks
- 1/2 C packed brown sugar
- 1/4 C cornstarch
- 1/2 C cider vinegar
- 2 green peppers, cut into 1″ pieces
- 1 10 ounce jar maraschino cherries, drained
- 1 recipe of “John’s Best Meatballs”
- salt and pepper to taste
Reserve the pineapple juice. Add enough water to make two cups. Place the juice, brown sugar, cornstarch and vinegar into a saucepan. Mix well, then heat gently to a boil; cook until the sauce thickens.
Combine the meatballs, peppers, pineapple, and sauce in a slow cooker. Cook on medium until the peppers are tender, mix in the cherries, and serve over white rice if desired.
