There are many benefits a person experiences when owning a meat grinder.  One of those reasons is too…. answer please…. grind meat.

By being able to grind your own meat, whether it be beef, turkey, chicken or venison, you are able to have fresh meat to your liking for many recipes.  Here is one of my favorite recipes below – Italian meatballs.

To get started:

Using your meat grinder like the Waring Pro MG-800, grind the raw meat using the ‘fine’ plate.   This is the setting you would normally use for hamburgers or meatloaf.  The medium and course settings are more for soups and chili.

Place the raw meat in the feeding tube and use the pusher to slide any unwilling pieces down.  The grinder will chop the meat and push it through the plate where it extrudes into your bowl.

Remember to follow the instructions for cleaning the parts properly.  This is very important to the longevity of your parts with the Waring Pro.

If you are not going to make the meatballs right away, go ahead and store in the fridge, but no more than 2 days.   It is best to use it right away when the meat is freshest.   You can also freeze the meat for longer storage periods.

This is a good idea when grinding large amounts of meat at one time.

Making the Meatballs

Some people use a combination of beef and pork, but I prefer my meatballs with just meat.

1. To make about 10 meatballs, combine all the following ingredients:
   1 lb beef
   2 eggs
   1/2 cup breadcrumbs (unseasoned)
   2 Tablespoons basil
   3 Tablespoons Parmesan or Romano cheese (grated)
   1 clove garlic chopped
   1 teaspoon of salt and pepper
2. Form into round balls which fit into the palm of your hand – not too big, but not too small either.
3. Heat about 1/4 cup olive oil in a large deep sided skillet (preferably not non-stick) and once the oil is hot, gently add the meatballs in.
4. Cook over med-high heat about 4 minutes with the lid partially covered.
5. Once they have cooked and browned more than half way through turn each over with a fork or spatula and continue heating until cooked thoroughly.
6. When finished, let drain on some paper towels on a plate to help absorb the extra grease.
7. Serve with some sauce and enjoy!

Tips

Here are some tips from my own experience:

1. If the oil begins to smoke and bits of the meatballs turn black and start to smell, you do not have enough oil.   Add in extra oil.  If everything smells like burnt meat, you may need to remove from heat and let cool to clean it out a bit.
2. I found it most useful to use a fork to move the meatballs around rather than a spatula.  The meatballs should easily roll when they are ready.  Check it every few minutes and you will tell the difference.  This took me awhile to get the hang of because I was so afraid everything would burn – but this was not the case.
3. I made the mistake of squeezing everything into the pan to try and save time.  Don’t do this.  Instead take your time and allow for enough room for the meatballs to move around.

I wish you the best in your cooking endeavors with your meat grinder friendly recipes!

Liz

www.simpleitaliancooking.com
Italian Recipes

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