topic Re: Publix meatball problem discovered ! in Community Chat

Publix meatball problem discovered !

jlkz — Mon, 22 Jan 2024 16:56:24 GMT

Looked forward to our snowbird stay in FL and the great meatballs from Publix....which caused me to stop making them: theirs were better !

DH made spaghetti with their meatballs our first night down here....I cut in to one and then tried the other. I thought they were still frozen on the middle. Nope ! Put the first bite aside and tried the other meatball: same disaster !

When he showed me the pan and baking rack, I saw the problem: there wasn't a drop of fat although he had cooked all 12 meatballs. Publix gave him the money back but said nothing when he explained the issue. Later that week he went in to talk to the meat manager.

The real story: Earlier this year Publix stopped making their own meatballs and now have outside meatballs delivered to them frozen. Another example of how quality goes down when a successful company or product is sold.

Guess I may have to go back to making them myself or trek up to BJ's for the Rosina-bagged small meatballs they carry that are very similar. Enter take a large cooler with ice packs because I am not revisiting home-mad

Re: Publix meatball problem discovered !

FLtricia — Mon, 22 Jan 2024 17:12:38 GMT

As a Publix meatball lover i was sad to see your post.

But I wanted to tell you that one day my husband went to pick up the meatballs and there were none. He asked the butcher if there were any in the back and the butcher said to buy the pre-made meatloaf. It was exactly the same recipe. My husband bought the meatloaf, I rolled it into meatballs and it WAS the exact same flavor.

I don't know if they have stopped making the meatloaf, will have to check.

Recently I discovered Mama Mancini's meatballs in BJ's for $14.99. If you are a member, you might check them out. They are delicious!

Re: Publix meatball problem discovered !

cheriere — Mon, 22 Jan 2024 17:41:08 GMT

@FLtricia The post made me sad too! It's so hard to find good meatballs. Most of the frozen I've bought are terrible. That's a great value on the Mama Mancini meatballs...but alas, we have no BJ's 😟. Hopefully, that's a good sign though. Every food vendor at the Q has a main goal of going mainstream. So maybe, I'll see them at Kroger. I find Corky's there all the time.

Re: Publix meatball problem discovered !

msgb — Mon, 22 Jan 2024 17:55:00 GMT

I know from my sister who lives in Florida that some Publix do carry Mama Mancini meatballs.

Re: Publix meatball problem discovered !

Nightowlz — Mon, 22 Jan 2024 18:53:58 GMT

DH makes meatballs with the grass fed hamburger we buy at the farm. They are so good. DH also eats them with spaghetti. He prefers his spaghetti sauce made with a pound of hamburger instead of eating meatballs with it.

Re: Publix meatball problem discovered !

Estellee — Mon, 22 Jan 2024 19:06:25 GMT

Even though it's a lot of work, I always liked my mother's meatball recipe cooked from scratch. Best I ever had!

Re: Publix meatball problem discovered !

cheriere — Mon, 22 Jan 2024 19:30:31 GMT

@Nightowlz I prefer my spaghetti sauce with ground beef too. I also like the meatballs just to add in as extra lol

Re: Publix meatball problem discovered !

SaveTheTurtles — Tue, 23 Jan 2024 02:01:51 GMT

We don't have Publix stores here so have no idea why they were so good. I've never purchased a meatball. I've always made them from scratch.

Re: Publix meatball problem discovered !

LavernLuvsShoes — Tue, 23 Jan 2024 17:47:10 GMT

@SaveTheTurtles wrote:
... I've never purchased a meatball. I've always made them from scratch.

I've tried every brand of store-bought meatball out there, and they all taste more like bread and fillers than actual meat.

I make mine from scratch, and it takes just a few minutes to mix the ingredients and roll them out.

Re: Publix meatball problem discovered !

CelticCrafter — Tue, 23 Jan 2024 17:52:34 GMT

I have never had a pre-made store bought or restaurant meatball that I've liked.

They all have a weird taste and texture to them and none taste like home or even come close.

Re: Publix meatball problem discovered !

chlema — Tue, 23 Jan 2024 18:02:08 GMT

@LavernLuvsShoes wrote:
@SaveTheTurtles wrote:
... I've never purchased a meatball. I've always made them from scratch.
I've tried every brand of store-bought meatball out there, and they all taste more like bread and fillers than actual meat.

I make mine from scratch, and it takes just a few minutes to mix the ingredients and roll them out.

Our local ShopRite had Mama Mancini's meatballs on sale, small pack so I thought I would try them. They are just ok, found them to be lacking in spices, meatball just a meat ball, no onion, green pepper or spices, just bland. They are better than most prepared meatballs that I have tried and should I purchase again I will add "stuff" lol. No way did they live up to all the oohs & ahs and rolling eyes that the Q hosts give us.

Re: Publix meatball problem discovered !

50Mickey — Tue, 23 Jan 2024 19:13:14 GMT

I just bought meatballs at Publix about a week ago. I get them in the fresh meat department. The ones that I bought were the same as they always are. I cook them in a pan in the oven to get rid of most of the fat before adding them to the sauce. The ones that I cooked last week had plenty of fat. I hate to think that these are the last of Publix meatballs. I bought a premade meatloaf yesterday. I wonder why they would continue to make the meatloaves and not the meatballs?

Re: Publix meatball problem discovered !

Trailrun23 — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 00:46:54 GMT

I think homemade meatballs are always the best. You know exactly what the ingredients are. I have always been skeptical of buying them ready-made, frozen or fresh. Never know what is in them besides beef.

Re: Publix meatball problem discovered !

Trailrun23 — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 01:26:27 GMT

Re: Publix meatball problem discovered

Trailrun23 — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 01:27:41 GMT

Re: Publix meatball problem discovered

sunshine45 — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 02:25:01 GMT

homemade meatballs are so good.....sauteed or baked in the oven.

during times when i dont have the time, my favorite meatballs are the ones from schwans/yelloh home delivery and mama mancinis.

Re: Publix meatball problem discovered

Sooner — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 02:31:24 GMT

I would buy pre-made meatballs if they didn't have a pan of fat when you cook them. I make my own from really lean beef and even sometimes cut up my meatloaf (ground beef and good salsa) in squares for use in pasta.

Re: Publix meatball problem discovered !

50Mickey — Sun, 28 Jan 2024 17:36:48 GMT

@jlkz They are still making the meatballs in store in Georgia. I just bought a package today in the fresh meat department. Same meatballs as always. I wonder why your store is no longer carrying these.

I will say that I always cook mine in the over for about 20 minutes at 350. This gets rid of a lot of the fat. If you over cook them and I have they will be dry and hard.

Re: Publix meatball problem discovered !

jlkz — Sun, 28 Jan 2024 17:45:08 GMT

@chlema

If you have a BJ's near you or a store that carries Rosina brand meatballs, try them. They would be a close second to the original Publix that were so good.

Re: Publix meatball problem discovered

chlema — Sun, 28 Jan 2024 19:32:41 GMT

@sunshine45 wrote:
homemade meatballs are so good.....sauteed or baked in the oven.

during times when i dont have the time, my favorite meatballs are the ones from schwans/yelloh home delivery and mama mancinis.

Have you tried Yelloh's meatballs since they bought out Schwans? The quality of so many of their products has gone way down, their meatloaf, pizzas, roasted vegetables to name just a few. I still buy some items but check the reviews first, reviews that were once 4 or 5 are now in the 3's. My driver is totally disgusted with them and plans to retire early.