@@EGOCOGITOSUM have you watched any other of his videos? he made Italian meatballs. He thinks outside the box that's why the choices were odd to your normal ass
@@drdurchblick6871 In a lot of countries, a lot of farming/butcher related safety regulations are laxed in favor of more stringent food safety regulations, and undercooked pork can be fatal.
@@rich1051414 Not in France, though. Undercooked pork risk is primarily from the possibility of catching a parasite (trichinellosis), but farmed pork is under a very strict veterinary control in France and such infections are extremely rare. A much higher risk is from eating wild boar or imported horse meat, for example. It is a bit ironic that Alex is concerned about eating undercooked pork (not that it is a good idea!) but he wasn't concerned about salmonella from raw eggs when preparing his own mayonnaise in one of his older videos. Where that is almost guaranteed to cause problems (yeah I did get it like that!).
@@oniadrian Raw eggs are ABSOLUTELY NOT sterile. Salmonella can get inside the egg before the shell is even formed. The only way to be 100% safe with eggs is to cook them or use pasteurized ones.
Maybe when you coat the meat Balls with glacing, dip them in sesameseeds After the glacing. And I Do the same as you. Watching cooking Videos to get inspired is just marvelous. Taste a Mettbrötchen from Germany my friend the next time you travel here.
It's funny how scared the French are of raw pork, considering many more of them are getting ill each year from steak tatare (beef) than we are getting from Mett.
Hey Alex, i dont remember in which youtube video i have seen it, but I clearly remember in some video the chef talked about using frozen/gelatinous Stock in small cubes mixed inside the meat to improve juicyness.. since you are the master of stocks and are looking for a jucier meatball.. maybe something to consider? All the best from Germany ✌🏻
I wonder if you can share some good cooking books, thank you for everything Alex!! You are the first that inspired me to become a home cook. Always grateful.
@@albertozaffonato1325 Get a copy of The Flavor Bible. Its not a recipe book. 90% of it is a big cross reference chart. You look up Lemons for example, and they give you everything that goes good with lemons. The best ones highlighted. Even certain cooking tips for some ingredients.
Alex, would you ever consider trying beyond meat or impossible within a meatball? Do you think it would change a lot? Would you need a new recipe specifically for a meat alternative?
I tried making a standard meatball with beyond meat and it simply doesn’t translate that well, so I think you’ll need a new recipe for it. The main problem was it lacked bounciness that meatballs have which I think can be sold by adding tapioca flour...
He did already. Thats where he got the idea to flash fry his meatballs immediately after rolling to preserve their shape. That came from a chinese chef making lions head meatballs
Alex: If you don't wanna eat raw pork, I can't blame you for that. Me: O_O *just finishing my Mettbrötchen for breakfast (minced raw pork on bread roll)*
I'm French and I do like some raw meat from time to time. Steak tartare is basically raw minced beef or horse meat with a raw yolk and seasonings. Though it is not really healthy
@@evs251 actually you can eat raw ground pork in germany in some restaurants, I eat ground pork from the store and never got sick, so you can. Google before you type wrong shit. Chicken on the other hand is a different story
evs251 Yes. In Sweden there is no problem with pork. You can eat Swedish pork raw as we don’t have any trichinella. Chicken on the other hand can always contain salmonella and should never been eaten raw.
The SilentGamer yeah, I don’t know what you classify as medium rare when it comes to chicken, but as long as it’s over 70c, the salmonella is bound to die. And the chicken is still pink 👍
, if you take every sanitation effort you can and you are the one grinding up your cuts of meat then having it incredibly rare in the middle as long as it's cooked to the appropriate temperature should be fine Adding pork fat while grinding up your meat would add the sumptuousness of pork without the actual pork itself and a little bit more fat will make for a juicier meatball
I am surprised that u have never mentioned the "boulets liegeois" a belgian recipe that u should study. You don't live di far from Liege. Give it a try and try It with the the delicious "sauce lapin".
Eh, I mean, he acknowledges that it's fine for weeknight cooking, which is exactly what that cooking video was. Alex is on a quest to make the perfect meatball, Carla's video is for those on a quest to make delicious quick meals after work. They don't have the same goal.
Hey Alex. If you want make your meatballs without milk, consider trying beer instead. It's a fairly common substitute in Swedish meatballs. I make mine with lots of beer, a touch of cream, some fond and a little bit of syrup. The sugar is surprising flavour enhancer that should not be underestimated.
why is the whole world afraid of raw ground pork? In gernany its called Mett and we eat it on buns with salt, pepper and oniens! Its great but it needs to be very fresh!
"This is not a good idea, unless this is a weeknight and you don't care about anything." Bold of you to assume I care about anything even on a weekend.
Hey Alex There is that pan that Japanese people use for cooking octopus with some batter I forgot what its called but I think its great way to cook your meatballs with that nice browning.
Alex, I'd love if you watched the Meatball recipe from "Serious Eats". I've tried a lot of different recipes for meatballs, yours included, and even some of the ones you watched here. But absolutely no recipe topped that one for me, it's my go to everytime. Edit: He even uses an ingredient that would be a nice test for your future recipes which is to put stock gelatin in the mixture, kinda like they do in soup dumplings.
Well you sure don't have the highest standards for your videos sources, but variety is always good I guess. However, you didn't even include chef John from foodwishes dot com wiiith... meatballs!
Man I always love just how deep you can dive into a seemingly simple dish Alex. I really love how your knowledge, passion, quirky sense of humour and superior editing skills come together to form extremely entertaining and informative videos. Seeing your genuine enjoyment in your videos is really the most satisfying thing for me. Never stop having fun man.
do a port wine glaze it wil bring some sweetness and wine tones to the meatball I do it and it awesome and very tasty. a tip from Portugal, btw love your vids
I have to disagree with you here, Alex: 2 parts beef meat and 1 part pork sausage is the base for good meatballs. It provides fats and spices to the mixture and you don't even have to oil the pan
Raw pork. As a german: Have you heard of "Mettbrötchen"? Look it up. Try it. Especially when you ground the meet yourself it's totally legit to eat it raw.
My favorite part of this video is when you told off those Bon Appetit guys and called their recipe a "false good idea". Thank you for that, I have been wanting to say that about some of their videos for a long time.
Hi Alex! Love your videos. Would like to share my experience with you! I have experimented with using oats instead of bread crumbs, with nice results. Instead of cinnamon I add nutmeg. Please consider and try those!
Absolutely LOST MY SHIT when my sweet boy Lorenzo from Epicurious appeared! There are too many butter loving characters in this video, it's bad for the heart.
In Japan there's raw chicken sushi. It's safe to eat as the chickens are specially bred and grown to lower the significantly the chances of salmonella.
How about a side video involving your meatball mix? Get a bone and shape it into a meat like in dragonball. Fill it with mozzarella so when you bite into it, it's like when cartoon characters bite into stretchy meat
Watching Alex’s first meatball video made me want to make meatballs that evening. This video seems to mirror exactly the rabbit hole I went down when researching how exactly I wanted to make them.
11:30 Late to the show: Raw groundbeef or pork isnt much of an issue if it's fresh. Have you ever heard about German "Mettbrötchen"? It's basically flavoured ground pork on half a bread roll with onions, salt and pepper - it tastes amazing ^^
Alex, Italian meatball...50/50 pork and beef. If you can get veal then 33% x 3 veal pork and beef(80/20). Red chili flakes, milk powder, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, fresh grated parmesan cheese, 1 whole egg for every 1 lb meat, fresh chopped Italian parsley, fennel seeds, maybe a small dash of cayenne, and some Italian seasoning. Mix and roll out 50g meat balls. Pan sear on all sides on med low till browned and done. I wish i could upload a photo of my work of this. ~Chef
What about actual Italian Meatballs (“Polpette”)? The fundamental thing about them is that in their popular and traditional “poor” origins they were made to finish up all the remains of altrady cooked meat left from previous meals as roast, stew, boiled meat, and/or remains of prosciutto that are too “old” to be eaten alone. If you use raw meat, instead, it’s just another kind of fried burger. So the perfect Italian traditional “pop” grandma’s polpettas are made with: -remains of COOKED meat (beef, veal, pork, even roast chicken, whatever is left in the fridge) -prosciutto cotto (if left) -egg -potato -stale bread soaked in milk (or cream) -parmigiano (quite a bit) -parsley You then make some flat round disks, not spheres, and cook in a flat skillet with little oil and/or butter (no deep immersion frying), so that the cooking is more homogeneus inside. They have to be crispy outside, but soft and tender inside, not juicy, not gummy. That’s it! Just as simple. You may add spices, pimento, pepper or herbs as you prefer to make them more fancy and close to your personal taste, but this is not tradition.
What about adding different cuts of beefs? For example adding some filet or hanger for smoothness and tenderness with some tritip or picanha for flavour and a little chew.
All the European videos were great. then the American ones were just like “WORLD’s biggest meatball!” Make a meatball out of a sausage 😂😂😂. American food just can’t compete with Europe
Alex, I LOVE your videos. They are so delightfully geeky, fun, and interesting. I'm also a fountain pen fanatic, and noticed you write your notes with a fountain pen. Is that a Kaweco Sport? Please, let us know what pen you are using!!!
I've been following this subject Alex and Mark Bittman's recipe from "How to Cook Everything" is a great foundation minus the egg. Indeed eggs do not belong in meatballs or meatloaf for that matter. Neither does perfect a perfectly spherical shape guarantee anything. Glad you got that out of your system! Taste and tender texture. That's all that matters when it comes to Meatballs. And I think golf-ball size will suit most folks. Alex, I don't recall you ever doing meatloaf. Meatloaf is Classic American comfort food.
@Alex if you want to make the best meatball, you need the highest quality meat. Go to the beginning Alex. Go to the farm your meat was raised from. Tip: if you haven't, compare grass-finished beef, to grain-finished beef. You'll never go back.
XVic 4 «A chef is a trained professional cook and tradesman who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation, often focusing on a particular cuisine.» Alex say on his info page that he is self-taught.
Alex, one thing I agree with is to not overcook. When I am doing the meatballs it is just frying them to golden brown on high heat which leaves them a bit raw in the center. Then I put them into the thermos pot and hold about half an hour. When done- they will not be raw but juicy and tender yet with the flavor from Americanization. Also, I found mixture of pork and beef the best. Almost 50% + 50% or when doing beef I just add smoked beef ribs meat- the cheapest one but should add a bit fat. It is about 20-30% smoked pork and rest beef. About the breadcrumbs - I am lazy, just use my bread slices, leave them into to sit in the milk for 15- 25 minutes and then break them apart with my hand. And instead of pepper I use a bit of chilly.
Hey Alex, If you wan't that Maillard reaction awesomeness, the jist of it is, proteins, fats and simplified sugars. Paired with correct cooking temperatures (140-170 degrees celsius). Perhaps try adding a little bit (teaspoon or a few) of fructose or another simplified sugar to your cooking. With the added sugar the reactions really start going and you can get an awesome browning even in relatively low temperatures. And it really does enhance the flavor.
I commented on the last video the idea of using a takoyaki maker but I just remembered the Chinese video where they used a wok. What if you invented your own round bottom wok with an exaggerated curve that was very small and you used the rolling motion of the meatball while cooking to make it perfectly spherical? p.s. that pen you're using looks so incredibly satisfying to write with. May I ask where it came from?
Sorry to say this Alex, but you are a bit too biased for not using sausage farce in meatballs. Especially some German sausages can ad taste and structure that you cant archive normally due to its production process: German sausages are mad with a CUTTER. Its made like a very very fine cut minced farce, that is nearly a paste. Normally the proteins would denaturalize due to the heat, that is produces while being minced. The trick in German sausages is, that it is cooled down so that the denaturalisation is not happening and the structure is stable. Try four uncooked/rare Nuremberger Sausages within your meatball mass and you will see the difference. Good luck! ;-)
A traditional german food is completely raw ground pork ("Mett") on a breadroll with raw onions, some salt&pepper as well as sometimes cornichons, in fact it's practically the german equivalent to the jambon-beurre. It's quite safe if you use good quality meat and eat it fresh. Bacteria only become a problem when ground pork gets older than a day.
‘French Chef reacts’... more like ‘French Culinary Engineer reacts’... 👀
@@josephr7529 Every chef is a scientist, but the best chefs are artists
He should team up with Heston Blumenthal for a new 'chemistry in the kitchen' series...
If only there was a word for someone that engineers culinary goods
"Culinary Engineer" is my new favorite job title
"French Chef reacts to bassically every youtube channel I watch on a daily basis"
If all “reaction” videos were like this one, the internet would be a better place. Well done, as always and forever, Alex. Thank you 😊
agreed!
@@EGOCOGITOSUM have you watched any other of his videos? he made Italian meatballs. He thinks outside the box that's why the choices were odd to your normal ass
@@EGOCOGITOSUM t'es un rageux gros
After seeing Alex' reaction to the idea of raw pork, I want to see him to travel to Germany and eat Mettbrötchen.
Yeah, Alex is a bit overcautious with food safety... was the same thing with his dough mixer project that he abandonend.
@@drdurchblick6871 In a lot of countries, a lot of farming/butcher related safety regulations are laxed in favor of more stringent food safety regulations, and undercooked pork can be fatal.
@@rich1051414 Not in France, though. Undercooked pork risk is primarily from the possibility of catching a parasite (trichinellosis), but farmed pork is under a very strict veterinary control in France and such infections are extremely rare. A much higher risk is from eating wild boar or imported horse meat, for example.
It is a bit ironic that Alex is concerned about eating undercooked pork (not that it is a good idea!) but he wasn't concerned about salmonella from raw eggs when preparing his own mayonnaise in one of his older videos. Where that is almost guaranteed to cause problems (yeah I did get it like that!).
@@JanCiger Raw eggs are sterile. There's no risk of salmonella, maybe on the shell but the inside is clean.
@@oniadrian Raw eggs are ABSOLUTELY NOT sterile. Salmonella can get inside the egg before the shell is even formed. The only way to be 100% safe with eggs is to cook them or use pasteurized ones.
no Chef John? well, after all, you are the boss of your sauce ...
He is the Steven Seagal
of the meatball.
He is the apollo creed of his meat indeed.
He is the Cher of his meaty sphere.
0/10 no cayenne.
Ghostfather I was really hoping he would watch a chef John video
2:22 "I'm going to let these guys experience their own death" LOL
The cooking world on RUclips is much harsher than I thought....
Maybe when you coat the meat Balls with glacing, dip them in sesameseeds After the glacing. And I Do the same as you. Watching cooking Videos to get inspired is just marvelous.
Taste a Mettbrötchen from Germany my friend the next time you travel here.
DemTacs nichts geht über ein leckeres Mettbrötchen🍻
YES THIS this right here You sir are a genius
@@KhanggiTanka Thank you. You're awesome too. 😊
It's funny how scared the French are of raw pork, considering many more of them are getting ill each year from steak tatare (beef) than we are getting from Mett.
Alter ...
Ein Mettbrötchen ist echt keine Delikatesse ...
Alex: “Using sausages for meatballs is not a good idea”
*Italians adding salsiccia to a meat ragu like there's no tomorrow have entered the chat*
sinner they are
Salciccia is like cheese, it makes everything better
Hey Alex, i dont remember in which youtube video i have seen it, but I clearly remember in some video the chef talked about using frozen/gelatinous Stock in small cubes mixed inside the meat to improve juicyness.. since you are the master of stocks and are looking for a jucier meatball.. maybe something to consider? All the best from Germany ✌🏻
Just found it! Its from serious eats :)
shokugeki no soma kind of stuff
Like soup dumplings!
Liquid does not improve juiciness! It's fats!
@@rivendoto YES
Alternative title: Frenchman recreates Kermit drinking tea meme for 13 minutes straight.
Alex: holds out pinky while drinking tea like a boss.
Also Alex: drinks tea out of a jar.
as a poor man from indiana, i second drinking out of jars.
Wow, I have watched at least half of those videos myself at some point in my life!
This is like the ultimate crossover, I didn't know I needed!
😄😄
The biggest thing I learned from these videos is that super popular youtube videos mostly are absurd content made by lunatics!
You damn right
Epicurious: * doesn't get Alex as a guest *
Alex: Fine, I'll do it myself.
The reaction on Collin Keys video was spot on haha
this collin key guy is so disgusting..
its a seizure trying to sell merch to 6 year olds using fever dream imagery
@@nicokuhne3255. What a description! Haha, love it!
That video was bizarre. It was as if Alex had accidentally tuned in to the television on a satirical near-future dystopian science-fiction movie.
I wonder if you can share some good cooking books, thank you for everything Alex!! You are the first that inspired me to become a home cook. Always grateful.
he has a book
@@yooooothisisinsanebroiloveyou8 me too but I need moaaaaaar
@@albertozaffonato1325 Get a copy of The Flavor Bible. Its not a recipe book. 90% of it is a big cross reference chart. You look up Lemons for example, and they give you everything that goes good with lemons. The best ones highlighted. Even certain cooking tips for some ingredients.
@@misterturkturkle thank you!
@@albertozaffonato1325 Welcome. I love mine and i know a lot of YT chefs that swear by it.
Alex, would you ever consider trying beyond meat or impossible within a meatball? Do you think it would change a lot? Would you need a new recipe specifically for a meat alternative?
He makes real food
@@novakane8722 yo dude, I'm trying to be nice in 2020 so all I will say is, ignorance is bliss
Sebastian Rodriguez it was a joke, albeit a bad one
I tried making a standard meatball with beyond meat and it simply doesn’t translate that well, so I think you’ll need a new recipe for it.
The main problem was it lacked bounciness that meatballs have which I think can be sold by adding tapioca flour...
I'd personally just go for falafels than impossible meatballs or the like. Why try for a likely mediocre imitation when you can have something great?
This man is an engineer, I am an engineer. We need to nerd it.
This video is exactly what I do any time I try a new food except I run out of time at the end and order Chinese.
Get some Chinese meatball wisdom in there too! I know you also watch Wang Gang!
He did already. Thats where he got the idea to flash fry his meatballs immediately after rolling to preserve their shape. That came from a chinese chef making lions head meatballs
@@misterturkturkle Yes, that's why I said "I know you watch Wang Gang..." lol
@@Wisefish99 🥄
Alex: "It's not adorable. *sip*"
I laughed so hard here XD
Advertises Skillshare, learns everything on RUclips
Alex: If you don't wanna eat raw pork, I can't blame you for that.
Me: O_O *just finishing my Mettbrötchen for breakfast (minced raw pork on bread roll)*
Feels like the whole world is scared of raw meat while we germans just dig in xD
I'm French and I do like some raw meat from time to time. Steak tartare is basically raw minced beef or horse meat with a raw yolk and seasonings.
Though it is not really healthy
There’s no danger in eating raw ground meet in Sweden. Even pork is totally safe if it’s recently ground 👍
No pork and chiken are not fine.
@@evs251 actually you can eat raw ground pork in germany in some restaurants, I eat ground pork from the store and never got sick, so you can. Google before you type wrong shit. Chicken on the other hand is a different story
@@evs251 stupid, swedish air makes the meat safe to eat! You can bring all your raw meat to Sweden and gobble it up
evs251 Yes. In Sweden there is no problem with pork. You can eat Swedish pork raw as we don’t have any trichinella. Chicken on the other hand can always contain salmonella and should never been eaten raw.
The SilentGamer yeah, I don’t know what you classify as medium rare when it comes to chicken, but as long as it’s over 70c, the salmonella is bound to die. And the chicken is still pink 👍
5:56 Alex throwing shade on meatballs made from sausages:) love it
Chef?
I love that you use a Kaweco Sport. Fountain Pen Peeps represent!
And I want to know more about his notebook. It appears custom, maybe Tomoe River? Or is it something that he's put his own cover over?
Glad I'm not the only person that recognized that.
TWSBI Eco!
@@ChrisDePrisco I love my several Ecos. But I admit my Lamy 2000 may be my favorite.
What nib do you guys think he is using?
Love all your videos, dear man of France that cooks, but this I upvoted for the "In terms of fashion, tho, he is a surfer, basically"!
For a bit of freshness try adding spearmint to the mix, we add it in traditional Greek meatballs
Oh I need to try that! 🤤
Alex, you should try using a takoyaki pan to keep the meatballs round.
2:55 "its like an adult movie" i genuinely died, absolutely love Alex, an absolute legend!
, if you take every sanitation effort you can and you are the one grinding up your cuts of meat then having it incredibly rare in the middle as long as it's cooked to the appropriate temperature should be fine
Adding pork fat while grinding up your meat would add the sumptuousness of pork without the actual pork itself and a little bit more fat will make for a juicier meatball
I feel cheated=( Reaction videos...porque???
I am surprised that u have never mentioned the "boulets liegeois" a belgian recipe that u should study. You don't live di far from Liege. Give it a try and try It with the the delicious "sauce lapin".
5:54 *Yeah but it's Carla so you better shut your face Alex*
Eh, I mean, he acknowledges that it's fine for weeknight cooking, which is exactly what that cooking video was. Alex is on a quest to make the perfect meatball, Carla's video is for those on a quest to make delicious quick meals after work. They don't have the same goal.
Hey Alex. If you want make your meatballs without milk, consider trying beer instead. It's a fairly common substitute in Swedish meatballs. I make mine with lots of beer, a touch of cream, some fond and a little bit of syrup. The sugar is surprising flavour enhancer that should not be underestimated.
why is the whole world afraid of raw ground pork? In gernany its called Mett and we eat it on buns with salt, pepper and oniens! Its great but it needs to be very fresh!
common man! you have to give german "Königsberger Klopse" a shot!!!
Alex complains about raw pork:
surprised german noises
Using some aged beef, 20% fat, panko & beer mixture, dipping in a demiglace based cream sauce. Deep fry it in tallow.
"This is not a good idea, unless this is a weeknight and you don't care about anything." Bold of you to assume I care about anything even on a weekend.
I love that you are using a "stylo" rather than a normal boring pen .... thought I was the last of our kind doing that :))))
You need to watch food wars
I just wanna hear Alex say jucie meatballs
Hi Alex! i'm Roberto, and i'm really happy to see your videos, keep going like this man...as an italian i'm really proud of you❤️
Hey Alex
There is that pan that Japanese people use for cooking octopus with some batter I forgot what its called but I think its great way to cook your meatballs with that nice browning.
Takoyaki
Alex .... you are officially obsessed with meatballs !!!
But he was overly focused on the balls. Now he needs to put his efforts to the meat.
His own words.
I nearly choked on my drink from this.
Who isn’t?
Alex, I'd love if you watched the Meatball recipe from "Serious Eats". I've tried a lot of different recipes for meatballs, yours included, and even some of the ones you watched here. But absolutely no recipe topped that one for me, it's my go to everytime.
Edit: He even uses an ingredient that would be a nice test for your future recipes which is to put stock gelatin in the mixture, kinda like they do in soup dumplings.
Well you sure don't have the highest standards for your videos sources, but variety is always good I guess.
However, you didn't even include chef John from foodwishes dot com wiiith... meatballs!
Chef John is the best! ❤️
"Wet hands make smooth balls"
John, Chef (2019)
At least with Swedish meat, rare pork is perfectly safe, the hygiene and animal welfare standards here are probably the highest in the world.
Same in Germany, a breadroll with raw pork, raw onion and a little salt&pepper is traditional a food here.
Alex, pour combien de like ou de baille comme ça tu vas manger la boule de viande géante de New-York ?
Alex and lorenzo in the same video c:
As the French say: “Idiotíque”
No we don't say that, not even a word
Man I always love just how deep you can dive into a seemingly simple dish Alex. I really love how your knowledge, passion, quirky sense of humour and superior editing skills come together to form extremely entertaining and informative videos. Seeing your genuine enjoyment in your videos is really the most satisfying thing for me. Never stop having fun man.
nice
Nicccee
nice
do a port wine glaze it wil bring some sweetness and wine tones to the meatball I do it and it awesome and very tasty.
a tip from Portugal, btw love your vids
Made me think of the italian experts reaction to your Cacio e pepe video :) watch?v=32Nl3QbfuAs
youp i think that is why he passively aggressively decided not to include Italian recipes ....haha.
Alex you can eat raw pork go to germany and try mettbrötchen
i said it once and i'll say it until ALEX sees it, TRY A TAKOYAKI PAN
From a French person with a heavy accent, there's no way this dude isn't exaggerating his on purpose.
Not necessarily, i know people who talk like that.
Why didnt you react to marco pierre white meatballs
that csgo match found sound fx on the 1st second of the video
Where's the Meatball Merch?? My Meatballs are great and my Baguette is biggest 🤣🤣🤣🤦♂️
Dip your meatballs in gochujang sauce
I have to disagree with you here, Alex: 2 parts beef meat and 1 part pork sausage is the base for good meatballs. It provides fats and spices to the mixture and you don't even have to oil the pan
Raw pork. As a german: Have you heard of "Mettbrötchen"? Look it up. Try it. Especially when you ground the meet yourself it's totally legit to eat it raw.
I like the finer minced variation but don't trust all sources of meet.
Just use a broiler for the browning in the oven
My favorite part of this video is when you told off those Bon Appetit guys and called their recipe a "false good idea". Thank you for that, I have been wanting to say that about some of their videos for a long time.
Hi Alex! Love your videos. Would like to share my experience with you! I have experimented with using oats instead of bread crumbs, with nice results. Instead of cinnamon I add nutmeg. Please consider and try those!
I give it 3 days before he gets copyrighted
Cook promotes eating raw pork as okay/rare:😎
Alex: 🤮
Jamie's a surfer dude xD
I always get excited when I see a new video from you Alex. Loving this series!!
Hey man, get over meatballs!! If you have a craving for meatballs, make meatloaf instead. A lot less work, same taste sensation!
Oh my God, it's the blue sweater with white stripes!!! It's a good day.
Ever thought of using a takoyaki pan to get the browning while maintaining the shape?
Still baffled how he's ignoring German "Frikadellen" and "Fleischknöpfe" in his research.
Absolutely LOST MY SHIT when my sweet boy Lorenzo from Epicurious appeared! There are too many butter loving characters in this video, it's bad for the heart.
Watching anybody but Alex cook in his videos just makes me want to wash my hands for some reason 😂
Perfect Meatball? Mettbrötchen - raw pork meat on a roll
Thank you for your hard work ❤️
With all appreciation and respect i guess you can't call yourself a chef that simply
I was taking notes!!! I promise
"This feels like an adult movie. These balls, don't look horrendous to me. I especially like the glaze!!!"
- Alex 2020
I love my ground pork medium rare!!
in germany there is this thing called mett and its raw ground pork that is seasoned and eaten spread onto bread and yes its safe to eat
In Japan there's raw chicken sushi. It's safe to eat as the chickens are specially bred and grown to lower the significantly the chances of salmonella.
How about a side video involving your meatball mix? Get a bone and shape it into a meat like in dragonball. Fill it with mozzarella so when you bite into it, it's like when cartoon characters bite into stretchy meat
Watching Alex’s first meatball video made me want to make meatballs that evening. This video seems to mirror exactly the rabbit hole I went down when researching how exactly I wanted to make them.
11:30 Late to the show: Raw groundbeef or pork isnt much of an issue if it's fresh. Have you ever heard about German "Mettbrötchen"? It's basically flavoured ground pork on half a bread roll with onions, salt and pepper - it tastes amazing ^^
Alex, Italian meatball...50/50 pork and beef. If you can get veal then 33% x 3 veal pork and beef(80/20). Red chili flakes, milk powder, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, fresh grated parmesan cheese, 1 whole egg for every 1 lb meat, fresh chopped Italian parsley, fennel seeds, maybe a small dash of cayenne, and some Italian seasoning. Mix and roll out 50g meat balls. Pan sear on all sides on med low till browned and done. I wish i could upload a photo of my work of this. ~Chef
What about actual Italian Meatballs (“Polpette”)?
The fundamental thing about them is that in their popular and traditional “poor” origins they were made to finish up all the remains of altrady cooked meat left from previous meals as roast, stew, boiled meat, and/or remains of prosciutto that are too “old” to be eaten alone.
If you use raw meat, instead, it’s just another kind of fried burger.
So the perfect Italian traditional “pop” grandma’s polpettas are made with:
-remains of COOKED meat (beef, veal, pork, even roast chicken, whatever is left in the fridge)
-prosciutto cotto (if left)
-egg
-potato
-stale bread soaked in milk (or cream)
-parmigiano (quite a bit)
-parsley
You then make some flat round disks, not spheres, and cook in a flat skillet with little oil and/or butter (no deep immersion frying), so that the cooking is more homogeneus inside.
They have to be crispy outside, but soft and tender inside, not juicy, not gummy.
That’s it! Just as simple. You may add spices, pimento, pepper or herbs as you prefer to make them more fancy and close to your personal taste, but this is not tradition.
What about adding different cuts of beefs? For example adding some filet or hanger for smoothness and tenderness with some tritip or picanha for flavour and a little chew.
All the European videos were great. then the American ones were just like “WORLD’s biggest meatball!” Make a meatball out of a sausage 😂😂😂. American food just can’t compete with Europe
Alex, I LOVE your videos. They are so delightfully geeky, fun, and interesting. I'm also a fountain pen fanatic, and noticed you write your notes with a fountain pen. Is that a Kaweco Sport? Please, let us know what pen you are using!!!
I've been following this subject Alex and Mark Bittman's recipe from "How to Cook Everything" is a great foundation minus the egg. Indeed eggs do not belong in meatballs or meatloaf for that matter. Neither does perfect a perfectly spherical shape guarantee anything. Glad you got that out of your system! Taste and tender texture. That's all that matters when it comes to Meatballs. And I think golf-ball size will suit most folks. Alex, I don't recall you ever doing meatloaf. Meatloaf is Classic American comfort food.
@Alex if you want to make the best meatball, you need the highest quality meat. Go to the beginning Alex. Go to the farm your meat was raised from.
Tip: if you haven't, compare grass-finished beef, to grain-finished beef. You'll never go back.
Alex I love you but you're not a chef
YoElemental how is he not a chef
XVic 4 «A chef is a trained professional cook and tradesman who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation, often focusing on a particular cuisine.» Alex say on his info page that he is self-taught.
Alex, one thing I agree with is to not overcook. When I am doing the meatballs it is just frying them to golden brown on high heat which leaves them a bit raw in the center. Then I put them into the thermos pot and hold about half an hour. When done- they will not be raw but juicy and tender yet with the flavor from Americanization. Also, I found mixture of pork and beef the best. Almost 50% + 50% or when doing beef I just add smoked beef ribs meat- the cheapest one but should add a bit fat. It is about 20-30% smoked pork and rest beef. About the breadcrumbs - I am lazy, just use my bread slices, leave them into to sit in the milk for 15- 25 minutes and then break them apart with my hand. And instead of pepper I use a bit of chilly.
Hey Alex, If you wan't that Maillard reaction awesomeness, the jist of it is, proteins, fats and simplified sugars. Paired with correct cooking temperatures (140-170 degrees celsius). Perhaps try adding a little bit (teaspoon or a few) of fructose or another simplified sugar to your cooking. With the added sugar the reactions really start going and you can get an awesome browning even in relatively low temperatures. And it really does enhance the flavor.
I commented on the last video the idea of using a takoyaki maker but I just remembered the Chinese video where they used a wok. What if you invented your own round bottom wok with an exaggerated curve that was very small and you used the rolling motion of the meatball while cooking to make it perfectly spherical?
p.s. that pen you're using looks so incredibly satisfying to write with. May I ask where it came from?
Sorry to say this Alex, but you are a bit too biased for not using sausage farce in meatballs. Especially some German sausages can ad taste and structure that you cant archive normally due to its production process: German sausages are mad with a CUTTER. Its made like a very very fine cut minced farce, that is nearly a paste. Normally the proteins would denaturalize due to the heat, that is produces while being minced. The trick in German sausages is, that it is cooled down so that the denaturalisation is not happening and the structure is stable. Try four uncooked/rare Nuremberger Sausages within your meatball mass and you will see the difference. Good luck! ;-)
A traditional german food is completely raw ground pork ("Mett") on a breadroll with raw onions, some salt&pepper as well as sometimes cornichons, in fact it's practically the german equivalent to the jambon-beurre. It's quite safe if you use good quality meat and eat it fresh. Bacteria only become a problem when ground pork gets older than a day.