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Honored Contributor
Posts: 13,347
Registered: ‎07-25-2010

Re: My meatballs were tough!

You can always use them for golf balls.

Super Contributor
Posts: 439
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Re: My meatballs were tough!

Yes, I use 1 1/2 lbs ground meatloaf mix, which is veal, pork & beef.

It is Bobby Flays meatball recipe, and they always come out good. I'm wondering if I left something out!

Honored Contributor
Posts: 19,346
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: My meatballs were tough!

Don't over mix, that can cause toughness.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 25,929
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: My meatballs were tough!

Youn probably handled the meat too much - and i never brown them - just throw them into the sauce.
Contributor
Posts: 70
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: My meatballs were tough!

On 1/6/2014 qvc chick said:

Yes, I use 1 1/2 lbs ground meatloaf mix, which is veal, pork & beef.

It is Bobby Flays meatball recipe, and they always come out good. I'm wondering if I left something out!

Could you have possibly forgotten the breadcrumbs? Tha's the only thing I can think of.

I use seasoned italian breadcrumbs and keep adding water until I get a soft almost mushy consistency. I'd rather have them like that than hard.

Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,220
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Re: My meatballs were tough!

I make mine with a veal meatball mix, egg, milk, parm cheese, and seasonings. After I lightly mix all, I loosely form it into meatballs. I cook them in the microwave for 10-12 mins. They come out great every time!

Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,463
Registered: ‎12-26-2011

Re: My meatballs were tough!

Hi, I come from an Italian family and have made my meatballs the same way for years. This is what I put in them:

85% lean beef or ground turkey (not extra lean)

bread crumbs

milk

grated parm cheese

salt & Pepper & parsley

grated fresh garlic

If mixture is too dry or too moist, I adjust the bread crumbs and the milk. I don't add eggs because I'm allergic to them.

I use a meatball scoop to make them all the same size and I bake them in the oven at 350 for about 25 minutes (depending their size) then add them to the sauce.

I NEVER put raw meat into my sauce. Even if I'm adding sausage or other things I always brown them first. The meatballs are the only meat that I cook in the oven instead of frying.

Definitely mixing them too much makes them hard not adding enough liquid and using meat that is too lean. If you want to add moisture you can always add beef broth if you don't want to add milk.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 15,173
Registered: ‎02-27-2012

Re: My meatballs were tough!

Such an interesting thread filled w/ great suggestions! Thanks OP for starting! I need to be more mindful of over mixing!

I come from a long line of sauce/meatball makers but never knew of anyone using milk! I am going to try that!

Thanks boby for the Carmine's recipe idea. I looked it up and it is pretty close to how we always made them...minus the milk and I could never use veal...but otherwise...that is how we always made them. Gram use to save all the white bread slices and dry them out. She used them in meatballs, stuffings, meatloaf etc.

Like Carmine's recipe, I have always pan fried mine first. Dad always liked the outside to be golden brown. However, I am going to give oven baking a try.

I have always felt a little weird about trying to cook them raw right into the sauce, but I am going to give that a try too. Fabio (the Chef, not the model) makes his that way and he is so darn cute! LOL that should be a reason to try it!!{#emotions_dlg.tt1}