Meatballs
Dive into this bowl of warmth and flavour with Phil Roberts’ meatball recipe.
Ingredients
450g ground beef
450g ground pork
Handful of breadcrumbs
80g grated parmesan cheese
1 bunch fresh parsley, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
200g cheese, grated, for topping (Do it yourself, not shop bought)
SAUCE
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
Olive oil
1 tbsp dried oregano
Tsp white sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 glass red wine
2 tbsp tomato paste
100ml beef or chicken stock
Method
1. Set up your BBQ or smoker for indirect cooking at 125°C and add your favourite smoking wood. Cherry is my preference here.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, ground pork, breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, parsley, garlic, onion, salt and pepper.
3. Mix until well combined, but do not overwork the mixture.
4. Form the mixture into meatballs. Think ping pong balls not king kong balls.
5. Place the meatballs on the grill and smoke for around 20-25 minutes.
6. While the meatballs take in their own flavour, add a skillet or a shallow cast iron pot to the BBQ or the hob indoors and add a glug of olive oil, the garlic, onions and oregano and slowly sauté until softened and aromatic. Then deglaze the pan with the wine and simmer.
7. Once the red wine has been absorbed a little into the onions, add the tomato paste, chopped tomatoes, sugar, salt & pepper and stir slowly but consistently until combined and simmer until the sauce has reduced a little and thickened.
8. Now either decant the sauce into a dish you don’t mind going into the smoker or use your cast iron pot and remove the meatballs from the smoker or BBQ.
9. Add them directly to the sauce and cover with cheese. Then place back onto the heat with the lid down for another 30-40 minutes.
10. The next time you open the BBQ lid you will see the oozy, creamy cheese blended into the rich tomato sauce and smoked meatballs poking their little heads above the surface. Good luck resisting that.
More Recipes Ideas from Phil Roberts
Method
1. Set up your BBQ or smoker for indirect cooking at 125°C and add your favourite smoking wood. Cherry is my preference here.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, ground pork, breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, parsley, garlic, onion, salt and pepper.
3. Mix until well combined, but do not overwork the mixture.
4. Form the mixture into meatballs. Think ping pong balls not king kong balls.
5. Place the meatballs on the grill and smoke for around 20-25 minutes.
6. While the meatballs take in their own flavour, add a skillet or a shallow cast iron pot to the BBQ or the hob indoors and add a glug of olive oil, the garlic, onions and oregano and slowly sauté until softened and aromatic. Then deglaze the pan with the wine and simmer.
7. Once the red wine has been absorbed a little into the onions, add the tomato paste, chopped tomatoes, sugar, salt & pepper and stir slowly but consistently until combined and simmer until the sauce has reduced a little and thickened.
8. Now either decant the sauce into a dish you don’t mind going into the smoker or use your cast iron pot and remove the meatballs from the smoker or BBQ.
9. Add them directly to the sauce and cover with cheese. Then place back onto the heat with the lid down for another 30-40 minutes.
10. The next time you open the BBQ lid you will see the oozy, creamy cheese blended into the rich tomato sauce and smoked meatballs poking their little heads above the surface. Good luck resisting that.
