Make-Ahead Sweet and Sour Cocktail Meatballs
By America's Test KitchenPublished on August 15, 2012
Time
1½ hours, plus 30 minutes chilling and 30 minutes cooling
Yield
Serves 20
Ingredients
MEATBALLS
4 slices hearty white sandwich bread, torn into pieces½ cup whole milk 2 large egg yolks ½ pound ground pork ½ cup finely chopped fresh parsley 2 garlic cloves, minced1 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons pepper 2 ½ pounds 85 percent lean ground beefSAUCE
1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 onion, minced1 (28-ounce) can tomato sauce 2 ½ cups apricot preserves ¼ cup packed dark brown sugar 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakesBefore You Begin
Use a 1 1/4-inch melon baller or a 1 tablespoon measuring spoon to form the meatballs. It's unnecessary to temp the meatballs because they will reach a food-safe temperature if cooked according to the recipe instructions. (For more information on food safety, check out this guide.)
Instructions
- MAKE MEATBALLS Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 450 degrees. Using fork, mash bread, milk, and egg yolks in large bowl until smooth. Add pork, parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper and mix until incorporated. Add beef and knead gently until combined.
- BAKE MEATBALLS Form mixture into 1¼-inch meatballs (you should have about 80). Bake meatballs on 2 rimmed baking sheets until cooked through and beginning to brown, 12 to 15 minutes, switching and rotating sheets halfway through cooking. Let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. Transfer to large zipper-lock freezer bag and freeze for up to 1 month.
- MAKE SAUCE Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Cook onion until softened, about 5 minutes. Whisk in tomato sauce, preserves, sugar, Worcestershire, mustard, and pepper flakes and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until sauce is thickened, about 15 minutes. Let cool to room temperature. Transfer to airtight container and freeze for up to 1 month.
- TO SERVE Reheat sauce, covered and stirring occasionally, in Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Once sauce reaches simmer, stir in frozen meatballs and cook until heated through, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve.
Time
1½ hours, plus 30 minutes chilling and 30 minutes coolingYield
Serves 20Ingredients
MEATBALLS
SAUCE
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
MEATBALLS
SAUCE
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
MEATBALLS
SAUCE
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
Browning our Make-Ahead Sweet and Sour Cocktail Meatballs in a skillet was a pain. Baking them in the oven was faster and ensured the meatballs browned evenly.
We found that the most common binders—bread crumbs, cracker crumbs, and cornflake crumbs—dried out the meatballs. We settled on a panade, a paste made from bread softened in milk, to protect our Make-Ahead Sweet and Sour Cocktail Meatballs recipe from the freezer's dry cold.
The right balance of salt, pepper, garlic, and parsley complemented the sweet and sour flavor of the sauce perfectly. Tomato sauce doctored with red pepper flakes, Dijon mustard, and a few other key ingredients took care of the sour portion of the sauce. For the sweet, we tested every type of jam and jelly we could think of and settled on one standout.
Before You Begin
Use a 1 1/4-inch melon baller or a 1 tablespoon measuring spoon to form the meatballs. It's unnecessary to temp the meatballs because they will reach a food-safe temperature if cooked according to the recipe instructions. (For more information on food safety, check out this guide.)
Instructions
- MAKE MEATBALLS Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 450 degrees. Using fork, mash bread, milk, and egg yolks in large bowl until smooth. Add pork, parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper and mix until incorporated. Add beef and knead gently until combined.
- BAKE MEATBALLS Form mixture into 1¼-inch meatballs (you should have about 80). Bake meatballs on 2 rimmed baking sheets until cooked through and beginning to brown, 12 to 15 minutes, switching and rotating sheets halfway through cooking. Let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. Transfer to large zipper-lock freezer bag and freeze for up to 1 month.
- MAKE SAUCE Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Cook onion until softened, about 5 minutes. Whisk in tomato sauce, preserves, sugar, Worcestershire, mustard, and pepper flakes and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until sauce is thickened, about 15 minutes. Let cool to room temperature. Transfer to airtight container and freeze for up to 1 month.
- TO SERVE Reheat sauce, covered and stirring occasionally, in Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Once sauce reaches simmer, stir in frozen meatballs and cook until heated through, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve.
Gift This Recipe
Enjoyed this dish? Let others know by sharing it as a gift recipe.
Appears In
Key Equipment
More Like This
Keep Exploring
0 Comments