Italian Venison Meatballs
User Reviews
5
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Prep Time
1 hr
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Cook Time
20 mins
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Total Time
1 hr 20 mins
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Servings
10 servings
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Calories
354 kcal
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
Italian
Italian Venison Meatballs
Description
Italian Venison Meatballs blend 2 1/2 pounds of venison and 1 pound of pork belly, enriched with milk-soaked bread, eggs, cheese, and seasonings including garlic, oregano, and optionally fennel seeds. The meat is chilled and ground or pulsed finely for the right texture. The soaked bread adds softness and moisture to the mixture. The mixture is handled gently to keep the meatballs tender rather than tough. Cooking typically involves frying in olive oil until browned, but baking in a muffin tin is a suitable alternative. These meatballs are somewhat fragile but are flavorful with a balanced seasoning and a slight herbal note from the oregano and fennel.
The texture is moist and tender rather than dense, making them easy to break apart when eating. They're suited to pairing with pasta, tomato-based sauces, or can be served as finger foods. Because they contain pork belly for fat, they stay juicy despite the lean venison.
The notes suggest handling the meat gently to avoid toughness, adjusting moisture by adding more bread or cheese if needed, and mention that the meatballs freeze well after browning for future use. Baking at a low temperature in muffin tins is a hands-off cooking option if frying is not preferred.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 pounds venison or other meats, lean
- 1 pound pork belly or fatty pork shoulder
- 2/3 cup milk
- 3 lices bread crusts removed
- 2 egg
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds (optional)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 4 tablespoons cheese pecorino or parmigiana, grated
- 1 1/2 cups bread crumbs
- olive oil for frying
Instructions
OPTIONAL HAND GRINDING STEP
- Chill the venison and pork fat until it is almost freezing by sticking it in the freezer for an hour. Cut both the meat and fat into chunks that will fit in your grinder. Grind through your fine die. If you do not have a meat grinder, you can use a food processor, set on pulse. Don’t crowd the processor and chop the meat in pulses until you get something that looks like ground meat — it will not be as good as with a grinder, but it is easier than hand-mincing everything, which is also an option. Put the meat in the fridge.
MEATBALLS
- Pour the milk into a pot and set it on low heat. Cut the crusts off the stale bread and break it into pieces. Add it to the pot. It will begin to absorb the milk. When it does, turn off the heat and mash everything into a paste. Let it cool to room temperature.
- Put the ground meat into a large bowl, add the salt and spices and herbs, as well as the cheese. Crack the eggs into the bowl, then pour the bread-milk mixture in. With clean hands, gently mix everything together. Do not knead it like bread. Just gently work the mixture — think cake, not bread.
- When it is mostly combined — you need not get everything perfect — grab a palm-full and roll it into a ball with your palms, not your fingers. You want meatballs about 1 1/2 to 2 inches across.
- Gently roll the meatballs in the bread crumbs. You may need to re-shape them before putting them onto a cookie sheet lined with wax or parchment paper.
- When the meatballs are all made, get a large pan ready; I use a big, old cast-iron frying pan. Fill it with about 1/4 inch of oil. I use cheap olive oil. Bring it up to temperature over medium-high heat. You are looking for about 325°F. Set the meatballs in the hot oil, not touching, to fry.
- You want the oil to come up halfway on the meatballs. Add a little oil if need be; don’t worry, you can reuse it later. Fry until nicely browned, then turn them over to brown the other side.
- When cooked, set the meatballs on a paper towel or wire rack to drain. They can be used right away or cooled and then refrigerated for a week, or frozen for several months. How to serve? You could do worse with a marinara sauce, or my Tomato Sauce with Fennel.
Notes
- Use ground meat directly to reduce preparation time to about 20 minutes.
- Handle and mix the meatball mixture gently to maintain a tender texture and avoid toughness.
- If the mixture feels too wet, adjust by adding more meat, bread, or grated cheese.
- Brown meatballs before freezing to store them for later use.
- For an alternative cooking method, bake meatballs in a mini muffin tin at 300°F until browned instead of frying.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 10servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 354 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 354kcal | 18% |
| Carbohydrates | 17g | 6% |
| Protein | 50g | 100% |
| Fat | 8g | 12% |
| Saturated Fat | 3g | 15% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 1g | 6% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 2g | 10% |
| Trans Fat | 1g | 50% |
| Cholesterol | 155mg | 52% |
| Sodium | 990mg | 41% |
| Potassium | 721mg | 15% |
| Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Sugar | 2g | 4% |
| Vitamin A | 116IU | 2% |
| Vitamin C | 1mg | 1% |
| Calcium | 107mg | 11% |
| Iron | 7mg | 39% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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