Name: Porcupine Meatballs
Total time: 2 h 15 min
Ingredients: Salt and pepper; 3/4 cup long-grain white rice; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 onion , chopped fine; 4 garlic cloves , minced; 1 teaspoon paprika; 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes; 2 cups chicken broth; 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce; 2 tablespoons cider vinegar; 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar; 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme; 1 bay leaf; 2 slices hearty white sandwich bread , torn into 1-inch pieces; 1/2 cup milk; 12 ounces bratwurst , casings removed; 12 ounces 90 percent lean ground beef

Why This Recipe Works

What happens when you add raw rice to ground meat, form it into balls, and cook it? As the rice swells, it sticks out of the meatball like porcupine quills—hence the name. But rice takes longer to cook than meat, and the ground beef was tough and dry by the time the rice was soft. Adding a panade (a mixture of bread and milk) to the lean meat helps keep it moist, as does fattier (and more flavorful) bratwurst. Finally, parboiling the rice for just 8 minutes before adding it to the meat mixture ensures tender rice and moist meat.

Before You Begin

Use canned tomato sauce, not jarred. 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

Bring 4 cups water and 1 teaspoon salt to boil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add rice, return to boil, and cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain rice through fine-mesh strainer, rinse with cold water, and drain again; set aside.

Heat oil in now-empty saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, paprika, and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in broth, tomato sauce, vinegar, sugar, thyme, and bay leaf and bring to simmer. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat, cover, and keep warm.

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Mash bread and milk together with fork in large bowl to form paste. Add bratwurst, beef, parcooked rice, 1 teaspoon pepper, and ½ teaspoon salt and mix with hands until thoroughly combined.

Divide meat mixture into 16 portions (about ¼ cup each) and, with wet hands, roll each portion into meatball; transfer to 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Pour sauce over meatballs. Cover dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake until cooked through and rice is tender, about 1 hour. Let meatballs rest in sauce, covered, for 15 minutes. Transfer meatballs to rimmed serving platter. Skim any fat from surface of sauce with spoon, discard bay leaf, and pour defatted sauce over meatballs. Serve.