Italian Meatballs in oven

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portlandsonics

Assistant Cook
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Dec 30, 2019
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Portland, OR
For 1.5 pounds of rolled italian meatballs what oven temp. and oven time would you generally use? I know oven temps. vary but still curious on this one. I roll my meatballs about a medium size as well. Thanks for any guidance.
 
I plan to just put them in the sauce for a just little after they are fully cooked.
Then, I wouldn't go longer than 20 minutes..the longer you let them simmer in the sauce, the more tender and flavorful they will become..just be gentle when stiring them so you don't break them up..
I just cooked some last night..ate a few leftovers a while ago..
 
I use to fry mine all time to brown the edges, but then the first grandson came along and didn't like dark spots on his food not even grill marks ( still the same at 20 yrs old)
So I decided to bake them and I think he would of eaten the whole pan at the age of 3. Been doing them that way every since. I think even I like them better.
 
Anyone dredge raw meatballs in flour before frying or baking? Lidia does it on TV.

@Chief. Sage and Thyme? From your recipe other thread.
 
My preferred method is to brown the meatballs in a hot skillet then put them in the sauce and cook them for about 1.5 hours. I feel it's the better way because you get better browning and the meat cooks longer in the sauce adding more flavor to the sauce.

I would recommend browning the meatballs in the oven at 450ºF to 500ºF to get a good crust quickly then into the sauce for a longer period to flavor the sauce.

Just my opinion.
 
I think you have to be careful not to dry the inside out by overcooking before going into the sauce. I don't believe that the meatball absorbs much moisture after it is cooked, otherwise it would fall apart..so, a quick brown for a crust and flavor then bung them in...
 
The last time I made meatballs for Sunday Gravy, I put them directly in the sauce. Going back to partially baking them in the oven.
 
Meatnalls are made of meat. When meat is heated beyond 165 deg. F. the protiens begin to contract, and squeeze out moisture, and become dry and tough. Cooking quickly in either a hot fry pan, or in a very hot oven, then simmer slowly in sauce will give you a tender, juicy meatball. Meatballs turn mushy when too much breadcrums, rolled oats, or other fillers are used. I know this from personal experiance.

I like to combine 1 lb. ground beef, with 1/2 lb. ground pork, i.e. sausage, ground pork, 1 extra large egg, 1/4 cup bread crumbs, seasonings., and a quarter cup of whole milk. Additional additions can include finely chopped peppers and onion, but just enough to add flacor. The filler, and egg act as a binder to help the meatballs stay as a cohesive ball.
The seasonings need to compliment the sausage. Also, a grated hard cheese will give a great flavor boost to the meatballs. Bonus, simmering the meatballs in the sauce will help flavor the sauce. Typically, the sauce does not flavor the meatballs.

The secret to great meatballs is propper seasonings, with the right ratio of filler to meat. Done correctly, it doesn't matter whether the meatballs are 1/2 inch diameter or a three inch diameter. The cooking time is just altered.

The advantage of roasting them in the oven is that you can control/remove excess fat easier, and you get a more uniform crust. Another option is to place the meatballs in a coverrd fryin pan with a quarter cup of watter to steam until they are cooked through, and finish in the oven. This reduces cooking time, and keeps you from burning the outside by the timr the inside is done. It also reduces the fat without putting it in the sauce.

Hopefully, this will help.

Seeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
 
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Thanks Chief.
Well I made my mothers Italian meatballs yesterday and it seemed I added all but the kitchen sink to the meat mixture.
All the traditional seasonings and finely minced vegetables like onion, garlic and green and red bell peppers. And much more including about a full cup of Romano cheese. Eggs, milk and Panko bread crumbs were also added.

So, I rolled the meatballs in flour and fried in about 1/2" of olive oil. They browned much quicker this way and I was putting meatballs into my home made sauce much faster than normal. They got a very nice crust quickly while the insides were still raw.
I am now a fan of the flour dredge. Will use it from now on.

I also used Italian sausage links. I peel off the skin and cut into similar size pieces as the meatballs.
 
I mix 2 pounds of ground beef with 1 pound of ground pork and 1 pound of ground veal, add 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs (I have been known to use rolled oats instead of bread crumbs), 2 eggs and 1/4 cup milk whisked together with a fork, and 2 Tbs Italian seasoning which has all the herbs I would usually add separately. I used to mix in about a 1/2 tsp of crushed red pepper flakes but now my cooking includes my grand kids, who are real sissies about spicy food.

I divide the mix in half and make meatballs with one half and a meat loaf with the other half. I roll the meatballs a little smaller than a tennis ball and place them and a pound of Italian sausage links (can't buy spicy sausage any more either!) on a rack in a sheet pan. I bake them for 25 minutes at 375F, turning once at 15 minutes. I actually made them in a Pyrex dish in the microwave once. DO NOT DO THAT!

After they are done, I add them to Grandma's sauce and let them simmer for at least an hour. If you don't simmer the sausages in the sauce for at least an hour you can't cut them with a fork when you eat them.
 
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Meatnalls are made of meat. When meat is heated beyond 165 deg. F. the protiens begin to contract, and squeeze out moisture, and become dry and tough.


Seeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


hate to hijack this but i'm curious on this statement. i agree on the 165 however when i smoke a brisket 165 is the 'stall' meaning that yes it contracts, squeezes out moisture, etc. however i keep going past it until i get up to 195-200 and wrap and it relaxes and sucks all the juices back in, becomes moist, juicy, etc. is it the same with all meat (like meatballs for instance here) or is this just with brisket that it does this?
 
hate to hijack this but i'm curious on this statement. i agree on the 165 however when i smoke a brisket 165 is the 'stall' meaning that yes it contracts, squeezes out moisture, etc. however i keep going past it until i get up to 195-200 and wrap and it relaxes and sucks all the juices back in, becomes moist, juicy, etc. is it the same with all meat (like meatballs for instance here) or is this just with brisket that it does this?

You have to get brisket beyond 165ºF to your target temperature to break down the collagen. That collagen melts into the meat and provides juiciness and mouth feel.
 
What Andy said. I once decided to cook some soup with male a soup with Kielbasa i it. I put it in the slow cooker overnight, with the other ingredients, expecting the meat to be tender, and juicy, and all of the flavors wll belned. I served it up the next day and was completely surprised that the sausage was as dry as cardboard, and had no flavor, though it was completely submerged in simmering liquid.

After 165 degrees F. turkey meat will dry out, and stay dry, no matter what temp. you raise it to above 165. The same is trued of any lean meat, or poultry. If you have a fatty cut, with connecting tissue, or gristle, the meat itself will begin to dry out above 164, but at about 190, the fats and collagen will melt and saturate the meat ,making it more tender, and giving it back some juiciness though that texture comes from molten fat and dissolved collagen rather that water.

This type of cooking works for brisket, pork shoulders, ribs, oxtail, hocks, pork belly, etc.

Hope that answers your question.. And yes, you can overcook and dry out a meatball. But usually do to the ground up fat and connecting tissue, they are more forgiving.

Seeeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
 
What Andy said. I once decided to cook some soup with male a soup with Kielbasa i it. I put it in the slow cooker overnight, with the other ingredients, expecting the meat to be tender, and juicy, and all of the flavors wll belned. I served it up the next day and was completely surprised that the sausage was as dry as cardboard, and had no flavor, though it was completely submerged in simmering liquid.

After 165 degrees F. turkey meat will dry out, and stay dry, no matter what temp. you raise it to above 165. The same is trued of any lean meat, or poultry. If you have a fatty cut, with connecting tissue, or gristle, the meat itself will begin to dry out above 164, but at about 190, the fats and collagen will melt and saturate the meat ,making it more tender, and giving it back some juiciness though that texture comes from molten fat and dissolved collagen rather that water.

This type of cooking works for brisket, pork shoulders, ribs, oxtail, hocks, pork belly, etc.

Hope that answers your question.. And yes, you can overcook and dry out a meatball. But usually do to the ground up fat and connecting tissue, they are more forgiving.

Seeeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

What the heck does, "I once decided to cook some soup with male a soup with Kielbasa i it." mean?
 
What the heck does, "I once decided to cook some soup with male a soup with Kielbasa i it." mean?

It means that the touch pad got me, and I didn't catch it. Just delete the "With make soup" part. Maybe I should just give up. But my homemade spudnuts were a success tonight. Does that count?

Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
 

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