Problem cooking meatballs

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When I make meatballs, its usually to go with tomato sauce. I brown them in a pan but don't try to cook them through. In the pan I give them a nice crust all around then toss them into the sauce to finish cooking and flavoring the sauce.

How long does that usually take in the sauce?
I usually end up cooking my sausages and ground hamburger pretty much all the way because I don't know how long it would take to finish them in the sauce. I'm probably missing out on a lot of flavoring.

BTW, an old Italian friend of mine once told that the secret of not burning the meatballs in the sauce is to set a smaller pan in the bottom of the sauce pot. Maybe he knew one day I would eventually try making them :)
 
How long does that usually take in the sauce?
I usually end up cooking my sausages and ground hamburger pretty much all the way because I don't know how long it would take to finish them in the sauce. I'm probably missing out on a lot of flavoring.

BTW, an old Italian friend of mine once told that the secret of not burning the meatballs in the sauce is to set a smaller pan in the bottom of the sauce pot. Maybe he knew one day I would eventually try making them :)

it all depends on how you cook your sauce and how thick it is... I simmer my sauce a medium/low flame. after browning the meatballs 2 hours in the sauce cooks it through nicely.
 
Two hours!? :ohmy: I can't wait that long to eat :LOL:
My "sauce" consists of opening a jar, pouring it in the pan, adding stuff to it and heating it through :ermm:

I would like to try making it from scratch again. I used to when the recipe was on the back of lasagna noodles. I saw Emeril make a simple sauce one time that had me thinking I should make my own, but I'm a man of convenience when it comes to cooking :rolleyes:
Usually I feel like making my own sauce again when watching "Good Fellas"....
 
How long does that usually take in the sauce?
I usually end up cooking my sausages and ground hamburger pretty much all the way because I don't know how long it would take to finish them in the sauce. I'm probably missing out on a lot of flavoring.

BTW, an old Italian friend of mine once told that the secret of not burning the meatballs in the sauce is to set a smaller pan in the bottom of the sauce pot. Maybe he knew one day I would eventually try making them :)


I make my own sauce and cook it with the meat for 1.5-2 hours.

Your old Italian friend probably had a pot with a thin SS bottom.
 
Two hours!? :ohmy: I can't wait that long to eat :LOL:
My "sauce" consists of opening a jar, pouring it in the pan, adding stuff to it and heating it through :ermm:

I would like to try making it from scratch again. I used to when the recipe was on the back of lasagna noodles. I saw Emeril make a simple sauce one time that had me thinking I should make my own, but I'm a man of convenience when it comes to cooking :rolleyes:
Usually I feel like making my own sauce again when watching "Good Fellas"....

I'm in the hospital right now, so I can't check my recipe, but I'm pretty sure my Greek meatballs recipe calls for simmering in the sauce for about 15 minutes. If the meatballs are 1.5 to 2 inches in diameter, they will definitely not need 2 hours to finish cooking.

When I make meatballs for spaghetti, or for an appetizer, I bake them at 400 degrees F for 15-20 minutes. They get a nice brown caramelized crust that is really yummy.

btw, I often doctor up jarred sauce, too. May I suggest that you reverse your method? I saute chopped onions and 1/2 each red and green pepper in olive oil, then add 2 cloves minced garlic for about 30 seconds, then add the sauce. Sauteeing the veggies first brings out the fat-soluble flavors, so it improves the sauce quite a bit. HTH.
 
btw, I often doctor up jarred sauce, too. May I suggest that you reverse your method? I saute chopped onions and 1/2 each red and green pepper in olive oil, then add 2 cloves minced garlic for about 30 seconds, then add the sauce. Sauteeing the veggies first brings out the fat-soluble flavors, so it improves the sauce quite a bit. HTH.

That's actually how I do it, in a SS saute pan, but I pretty much cook everything before adding the sauce. I cook the meat then add onions, garlic, mushrooms and whatever seasoning I have a taste for. Sauce goes in last. Maybe I should do my sausage in the oven and the sauce would stick to the pasta better.
I'm getting in the mood for some spagetti:)
 
Two hours!? :ohmy: I can't wait that long to eat :LOL:
My "sauce" consists of opening a jar, pouring it in the pan, adding stuff to it and heating it through :ermm:

I would like to try making it from scratch again. I used to when the recipe was on the back of lasagna noodles. I saw Emeril make a simple sauce one time that had me thinking I should make my own, but I'm a man of convenience when it comes to cooking :rolleyes:
Usually I feel like making my own sauce again when watching "Good Fellas"....

2 hours is nothing, ive had sauces ive cooked for 12 or 14. us italians are crazy like that

well you could always go the psuedo-from scratch way... if not there are some easy recipies... maybe try something like:

2 cans of tomato paste in a large pot. gradually add water and cook it over a high flame stirring constantly until you get the desired thickness of your sauce. usually ill go with 24 to 32 oz of water for 2 cans of tomato paste. then reduce to a simmer

peel about 6 or 8 roma tomatoes... crush them all together in a large bowl and add to the sauce.

Dice an additional 3 or 4 tomtoes and drop them in the sauce as well and simmer for about 20 minutes with an occasional stir....

Next add in all your spices... this really varies to your taste... i swear by fresh herbs but you can still make a great sauce with dry stuff.... some bay leaves or basil, garlic, oregano, garlic salt, some olive oil, salt, etc....

stir it in and give it a taste and adjust seasonings as need be. then add in your meat (pork, veal, meatballs, whatever) and simmer for an addition 1.5 to 2 hours. you'll have a great tasting sauce with little effort other then time and patience.
 
Hmmm.... after reading all this, I`m now wondering if I`v been making my meat balls all Wrong? :doh:

I add them to the pan after I`v made them and after a little rest time to bind, THEN I turn on the fire very low with the lid on.
 
Hmmm.... after reading all this, I`m now wondering if I`v been making my meat balls all Wrong? :doh:

I add them to the pan after I`v made them and after a little rest time to bind, THEN I turn on the fire very low with the lid on.


I'm not sure there's anything wrong with that. My approach is to cook them in the sauce after just a surface browning. If you like, you can cook them through in the pan.

When I make a meat sauce, brown meatballs, sausages and stew beef chunks in a saute pan and toss them all into the sauce to finish cooking and impart some of their flavor to the sauce while they gather up some of the sauce's flavor into the meat.
 
well I do all that in the morning, let them simmer in the sauce for half hour and then turn everything off, then come the end of the day (food time) I just have to re-heat more or less :)
 
I make them with the home made sauce as well however the reason why I cook them in the oven over the stove is to avoid the oil and the fat.

My Sicillian grandmother taught me how to cook them in the frying pan from the age of 10 with EVOO but I prefer to make them in the oven as they're better for our health and it's less mess.

Of course, it's a personal preference in the end and they can be cooked however one chooses to make them but to me it's actually easier to do it that way as I know they are thoroughly cooked. As I said earlier, since I make my meatballs on the larger size, larger than most in the grocery store, this is an appropriate cooking choice as it works better for me.
 
I make them with the home made sauce as well however the reason why I cook them in the oven over the stove is to avoid the oil and the fat.

My Sicillian grandmother taught me how to cook them in the frying pan from the age of 10 with EVOO but I prefer to make them in the oven as they're better for our health and it's less mess.

Of course, it's a personal preference in the end and they can be cooked however one chooses to make them but to me it's actually easier to do it that way as I know they are thoroughly cooked. As I said earlier, since I make my meatballs on the larger size, larger than most in the grocery store, this is an appropriate cooking choice as it works better for me.

im a BIG meatball guy myself.... got any secrets to keep it nice and moist? i usually put some ketchup and cheese in the center and it does the trick well
 
im a BIG meatball guy myself.... got any secrets to keep it nice and moist? i usually put some ketchup and cheese in the center and it does the trick well

I don't use ketchup in mine but Parmesan cheese yes. However what I will do is put a bit of my home made tomato sauce in it instead. The spice of the sauce will help. Something else I will use, if I can get a hold if it, is a small amount of Romano cheese to compliment the Parmesan as they work together quite well. Something else I add into the meat balls is a finely diced onion, as that will enhance the flavor.

As soon as I get the chance, I will sit and write up my family recipe that is used and send it. I've always gone by memory and never taken time to write it down, really bad I know. When my great grandmother passed, she had taken her recipes with her pretty much as unless you were watching no one knew. :chef: So now I have something to start working on for a family heirloom.
 
Thanks for the sauce recipe JJ14 and looking forward to your meatball recipe SueBear
 
I don't use ketchup in mine but Parmesan cheese yes. However what I will do is put a bit of my home made tomato sauce in it instead. The spice of the sauce will help. Something else I will use, if I can get a hold if it, is a small amount of Romano cheese to compliment the Parmesan as they work together quite well. Something else I add into the meat balls is a finely diced onion, as that will enhance the flavor.

As soon as I get the chance, I will sit and write up my family recipe that is used and send it. I've always gone by memory and never taken time to write it down, really bad I know. When my great grandmother passed, she had taken her recipes with her pretty much as unless you were watching no one knew. :chef: So now I have something to start working on for a family heirloom.

thanks, i'll try substituting the ketchup with some sauce or maybe just a little tomato paste
 
IMHO, the reason to cook meatballs in the sauce is neither to flavor the meatballs nor the sauce, but rather to cook down collagen in the meatballs. At one level, this isn't strictly neccesary. Being made of minced meat, there's no question of their beng tough. Still, cooking down the collagen has an advantage. A plain meatball is tender enough. A well-cooked one is juicy. Therein, the difference.
 
Thanks for the good advice, guys :) Many of you mentioned about using oven to cook the meatballs. Is it the regular microwave ovens that you guys are refering to?

And also, when I heat the meatballs, is it necessary to turn the balls after 10 or 15 minutes under 400 degree F, and repeat heating? Will the 'unturned' side get overcooked? Or can I just leave the meatballs alone & unturned until they fully baked?
 
Thanks for the good advice, guys :) Many of you mentioned about using oven to cook the meatballs. Is it the regular microwave ovens that you guys are refering to?

And also, when I heat the meatballs, is it necessary to turn the balls after 10 or 15 minutes under 400 degree F, and repeat heating? Will the 'unturned' side get overcooked? Or can I just leave the meatballs alone & unturned until they fully baked?


We are referring to a regular oven, not a microwave. No need to turn over the meatballs.
 
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