How to keep all-beef meatballs from falling apart?

[Anonymous]

I can't seem to keep my meatballs together. I brown them then toss in the sauce. Maybe I am keeping them too long in the sauce but I want to make sure they are really cooked for ds. Also, I use the bread crumbs from whole foods. Maybe they are too fine? Any help is appreciated. TIA!

[Anonymous]

I use crushed saltines and an egg to hold mine together. I don't think that leaving them in the sauce too long is your problem.

[Anonymous]

I use the bread crumbs from Whole Foods, about a cup, and an egg, per pound of beef.

[Anonymous]

I used to make meatballs with nothing but meat in them that were quite hard, and recently tried a recipe of meat+egg+bread - result, the new meatballs were moist but more prone to falling apart.

Conclusion: You are using too much bread (the egg acts as a sealant).

[Anonymous]

Perhaps the bread crumbs are a bit too dry as well. When I make meatballs, I use finely chopped bread that I mix with a bit of milk or water, along with some egg. I don't really measure -- I just sort of eyeball it. I have never had them fall apart on me. You could also try browning them in the oven rather than on top of the stove.

[Anonymous]

Try baking them instead of using a saute/fry pan. I also saw something on the food network about rolling the balls in breadcrumbs after you have formed them (I think in addition to using breadcrumbs in the mixture). I haven't tried this but they looked great on tv. I think this step adds a crispy outer layer that may help hold it together, but I didn't try it yet.

FYI, I just tried Giant brand "old school Italian" frozen meatballs last night from their Simply Enjoy line and they were actually excelent. Better than trader joe's. And I don't typically like frozen anything.

[Anonymous]

Do you stir them when they are in the sauce? My recipes says to only sort of "swirl" the pot twice during the cooking process or you'll end up with meat sauce.

[Anonymous]

OP, what's your recipe? If you write it out I should be able to adjust it without major changes.

[Anonymous]

I just made my meatballs (following a Gourmet recipe), and it calls for equal parts bread crumbs and milk, set aside for 5 minutes before adding anything else. It seems to do the trick - I've never had a problem with them falling apart.

(P.S. I also bake them).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just made my meatballs (following a Gourmet recipe), and it calls for equal parts bread crumbs and milk, set aside for 5 minutes before adding anything else. It seems to do the trick - I've never had a problem with them falling apart.

(P.S. I also bake them).

Milk and bread crumbs also work for me. However, sauteing imparts SIGNIFICANTLY more flavor than baking, especially if you brown the meatballs in the same pot as you're making the sauce. All those browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot make for a delicious sauce, and browning the meat in a pan increases the complexity of flavor in the meatballs themselves. I believe it's called the Maillard reaction.

[Anonymous]

Whole Foods Crumbs, 1 egg and finely chopped onions. These meatballs also make great soup -just add noodles.