Asian Meatballs

These little meatballs are “the bomb,” judging by the reaction they get at parties. It might have been a tad overambitious to bring this appetizer to a Christmas gathering of my wife’s colleagues, because I had just created the recipe the month before. Normally I like to make a new dish several times and refine it so there are no awkward surprises. My unusual confidence came from the reaction I got during the dish’s Thanksgiving dry run. No one had room for the turkey after stuffing themselves with meatballs. The Christmas party went so well, I’m ready to post these little buggers. Try it yourself and let me know your thoughts.

Tips:

This great party appetizer is good served warm or at room temperature.
Don’t overwork the meatballs when mixing the ingredients. This will help keep the meatballs light and fluffy instead of dense.

Ingredients

Meatballs
1 lb. ground beef (15-20% fat)
1 lb. ground pork
1/4 cup green onions, chopped (white and green parts), plus extra for garnish
1 tsp ginger, grated
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
2 eggs
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 tsp sesame seeds plus extra for garnish
1 tbsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
Hoisin BBQ Sauce
3 tbsp hoisin sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp ginger, grated
1/4 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp garlic chili sauce
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
½ tsp Worcestershire sauce

Steps

Step 1
Make the Meatballs
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, add the ground beef, ground pork, green onions, ginger, garlic clove, cilantro, eggs, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, panko bread crumbs, sesame seeds, salt and pepper. Mix well with your fingers, not your hands. Softly roll each meatball to the size of a golf ball – approximately 2 tbsp of the mixture. Place each meatball in a large baking dish – use two if necessary. The mixture should make approximately 30 meatballs. Top the meatballs with a sprinkle of sesame seeds, then place them in the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes or until done. Remove the meatballs from the oven and allow them to rest for 5 minutes.
Step 2
Make the Hoisin BBQ Sauce
Place a medium-size saucepan on the stove on medium heat. Add the hoisin sauce, ketchup, soy sauce, ginger, sesame oil, honey, garlic chili sauce, rice wine vinegar and Worcestershire sauce. Stir. Bring the BBQ sauce to a boil, then turn off the heat.
Step 3
Assembly
Place two meatballs on a small appetizer plate. Drizzle the hoisin BBQ sauce over the top of the meatballs. Garnish with chopped green onions. Serve with toothpicks or a small fork.

Alisha Ross

June 12, 2019 @ 6:55 am

I’ve been a meatball love my whole life! I’ll take ’em any way I can get them, and I love this simple, turkey version — classic with a twist!
Regards

Jeffrey Gwynn

July 17, 2019 @ 10:15 pm

I’m glad you enjoyed this fusion of Italian and Asian cuisine. It’s one of my favorites.

Asian Meatballs

Ingredients

Meatballs

Hoisin BBQ Sauce

Steps

2 Comments

Alisha Ross

Jeffrey Gwynn

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