Egg substitute in meatballs

[Catalyst]

You don't need a binder if you want to make a rich savory meat ball just put the mince and spices in a food processor to break down the proteins and fat they bind tighter when formed. You will see a difference after a few pulses in the mince just wait till it is all consistent texture.

I use this method to make meat balls on rosemary skewers for grilling. I never have a problem with them not binding well and I never add a starch like bread crumbs or eggs.

[Andy M.]

Meatballs started out in life as a poor man's food. Adding bread crumbs or stale bread soaked in milk was a way to stretch the meat to feed more faces. This addition resulted in meatballs with a different, more tender, texture from an all meat meatball, which would be a firmer, chewier item.

The addition of bread/crumbs and moist ingredients made the addition of egg more important as a binder.

That being said, do whatever you want. If you like heavy firm meatballs, that's OK. If you like lighter, softer meatballs go another way.

Basically if you make meatballs you like and they stay together without egg. Great. If you're having a problem with their breaking up, add egg.