Some Meatball Experiments

Improving Taste, Texture, and Browning

Hey, everyone!

A couple of months ago I was in NYC and ate at one of my favorite restaurants— Nura in Greenpoint. They have these incredible meatballs there, and I just couldn’t get over the texture of them. They were light, airy, and had this springy/bouncy feel that was really satisfying.

I felt like I needed to recreate them, so I started doing some research to find out what their secret might be. Ultimately, I came across a bunch of information around the use of baking soda as a secret ingredient in different recipes using ground meat. AI was actually quite useful in this research process— according to Claude, there are a few things that adding baking soda helps with:

• Tenderizing: Baking soda raises the pH level of the meat, making it more alkaline. This can help break down proteins, resulting in a more tender texture.

• Moisture retention: The alkaline environment created by baking soda can help the meat retain moisture during cooking, potentially leading to juicier meatballs.

• Browning: The higher pH can promote faster browning (Maillard reaction) when the meatballs are cooked, potentially enhancing flavor.

• Texture alteration: In some cases, it can create a slightly springier or bouncier texture in the finished meatballs.

• Binding: It may help ingredients bind together more effectively, though this is a minor effect compared to traditional binders like eggs or breadcrumbs.

I decided to give it a try, and it worked! Not only did it improve the texture and browning, but it did so without affecting the taste at all.

Ultimately I landed on a ratio of 1/4 to 1/2 tsp of baking soda per pound of meat. I also found a number of chefs who suggested mixing the baking soda with a bit of lemon juice beforehand (to neutralize the flavor) and water (to dissolve it and distribute it more evenly in the meat). I did both, and I was super happy with the results.

The other technique that I’ve been using a ton lately is this onion hack that I learned from a bunch of Middle Eastern recipes. Instead of just chopping up onion and adding that to ground meat, you use a food processor or a cheese grater to turn the onion into almost a paste, then press all of the liquid out of it before adding it to the meat mixture.

This does a few things. First, it means you get all of the onion flavor without any of the water present in the onion. Second, the onion distributes much more evenly throughout the ground meat. This not only means more balanced flavor, but it also helps the texture a lot. Big chunks of onion are often the culprit behind meatballs or kebabs falling apart, and this prevents that. When I do this in a food processor, I’ll often throw a few cloves of garlic in with the onion so they get evenly distributed as well.

I’ve used both of these techniques with meatballs and kebabs/koobideh, but I think they’d work for any kind of ground meat dish. I want to try them with burgers next.

Below is a simple meatball recipe using these, but feel free to experiment on your own!

As always, let me know if you have any questions!

Myles

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Ingredients

• 1lb ground lamb, or 50/50 mix of beef and lamb

• 1/4 - 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 yellow onion

• 2 cloves of garlic

• 2 tbsp spice blend

• (optional) finely chopped herbs, crumbled feta cheese

• salt

• olive oil

Process

Pre-heat your oven on the broiler setting.

Place the ground meat into a bowl.

Separately, in a small bowl, add 1/2 tsp baking soda. Squeeze a bit of lemon juice over the baking soda (it will bubble up), and then add in a couple of tbsp of water. Mix it to dissolve the baking soda.

Pour the baking soda mixture onto the meat, and use your hands to mix and incorporate it throughout. Set the meat aside to rest for 15 min.

Use a food processor or a cheese grater to grate the onion and garlic until it is almost a paste.

Place that into a fine-mesh strainer, and use a spatula to press out all of the water.

Once the meat has rested, add the onion mixture to the meat.

Salt the meat generously, and then add in whatever herbs, spices, and additional flavorings you’re using. I’ve been loving this spice blend from Burlap & Barrel. I added some crumbled feta and chopped parsley and cilantro to these meatballs, as well.

Put some oil on your hands to prevent the meat from sticking and roll it into balls. Place those onto a sheet tray.

Place the sheet tray under the broiler and cook the meatballs, turning halfway through cooking, for 10-20 minutes. Keep an eye on them, as the broiler can cook things quickly. Alternatively, you can roast them at 400F for 10-15 minutes or until cooked through.

Serve immediately.

I like to plate these over a bed of yogurt with some crumbled pistachios over the top.

Enjoy!