Like fertile wild mushroom patches or the exact contents of famed amari, meatballs are both prized and guarded. Chefs can be tight-lipped about their favorites recipes, guarding ingredients and techniques that go many limbs up the family tree. Fortunately, we found a top-rated chef willing to offer some reveals.
Chef Matthew Cutolo knows a thing or two about meatballs. He’s over at Gargiulo’s of Coney Island, where his meatballs have become famous. The Italian-American restaurant has been up and running since 1907.
The meatballs he makes are inspired by the cooking of his grandmother. While he keeps the exact approach to himself, he does offer The Manual some extremely helpful tips on the matter. So, ready that apron and pasta pan and get to cooking.
Really, it’s hard to make a bad meatball. Even the plant-based options we’re pulling straight out of the freezer these days can turn heads. However, when you hit a meatball out of the park, you know it (and experience it fully).
Read on for some pro-level tips on making ideal meatballs at home.
Chef Cutolo’s tips
“A meatball recipe might be one of the most debated dishes in Italian-American cooking,” Cutolo says. “Every family has their own version, shaped by where they originated from in Italy and how they grew up eating them. Ingredients, techniques, and traditions can vary widely, but these are my tips and tricks for making a great meatball.”
Here are his pro tips for making the very best meatballs.
Use meat with a higher fat content
“My grandmother’s meatball recipe used all beef and I always recommend using 80/20 ground beef,” says the chef. “The higher fat content creates a meatball that’s more flavorful and naturally moist.”
Don’t overcook the mixture
“One of the biggest mistakes people make is overmixing the meatball mixture,” continues the chef. “You want to combine the ingredients until they’re just incorporated, then stop. Overworking the meat compresses the mixture and results in dense meatballs instead of light, tender ones.”
Fry your meatballs for maximum flavor
This is an interesting one, and something that can really set a meatball apart from the pack. “We can debate the ingredients in a meatball mixture, but I swear by frying your meatballs before finishing them in sauce,” Cutolo says. “Frying creates a beautiful crust on the outside, locks in moisture, and develops incredible flavor through caramelization. Another benefit is that the browned bits left in the pan build the sauce’s base, adding even more depth.”
Other tips for making standout meatballs
This writer has something of a following in the meatball department as well. I can’t claim to be a renowned chef, but I do make meatballs that tend to fetch compliments. So in addition to the many great tips above, try incorporating some of the following advice.
Do not overlook the sauce. It’s the bedrock of the dish so make sure you’re either working with a brand you really like (go with Giadzy for a good base or Carbone for a ready-to-eat sauce) for the premade stuff or are dialing-in your herb and spice blend if you’re making your own. Even a seemingly small addition like profumo del Chianti sea salt can elevate the entire sauce.
Try mixing a little pork in with your beef. It adds a little extra flavor and can shake up the consistency for the better. I will sometimes go all the way to 50-50 in terms of beef-to-pork but tend to use more beef than pork for best results. And speaking of consistency, add a raw egg to help bring everything together.
Consider having some other flavor and textural additions. Bread crumbs are great (and an excellent way to use that stale bread or last piece in the loaf), as are fried onions. I tend towards briny notes so consider adding capers or olives to your meatballs, or at least to your sauce.
Frequent your local Italian markets and restaurants and take notes. Call your grandmother or the neighborhood elders for some wisdom. Experiment at home and celebrate with dinner parties. With Italilan-American food, there’s hardly such a thing as too much. And when it’s time to serve up your work, consider pairing that classic spaghetti and meatballs recipe with a nice earthy Italian red wine like Aglianico or Chianti Classico.
Your turn. Get busy making that next Sunday dinner. Go whole hog and make your own pasta. There’s nothing more rewarding than a dinner you’ve assembled from scratch, start to finish.
Clearly, if you’re on the east coast or happen to be, get out to the chef’s restaurant. If you’re stuck at home, mimic his ways. You’ll end up with something special you can enjoy family style, as it was intended.
No matter what you do, we recommend having a baguette to soak up all that goodness. A good sauce, and all of those meat juices, should not go to waste. Mangia!
