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Ahem. I present to you THE meatball of all meatballs. There’s an oddity in the list of ingredients, but believe me when I tell you; these will be the talk of your dinner party. These meatballs are incredibly juicy and quite possibly the best ones I’ve ever tried. I kid you not.
My sisters Tanya & Sveta have been raving about how their Mama-in-law (they married two brothers, you see) makes fantastic meatballs. I finally asked Maria for the recipe. I knew from the first bite; my sisters were right.
Flashback! (I love how food triggers memories). I remember the first time we gave my grandpa a burger, he took it apart and ate each ingredient separately. He was probably wondering why we served Katleti in such a strange way.
The Ukrainian way is to serve katleti (meatballs) along side potatoes and salad, but I do think they’d taste great as sliders. Yum, yum!
Ingredients for Juicy Pork Meatballs:
2 slices good black/rye bread
1 lb lean ground pork (I ground my own lean pork tenderloin)
1 small/medium onion, finely chopped
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp Mrs. Dash salt-free seasoning, or your fave seasoning
3/4 tsp Salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp mayo.
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs.
Oil to Saute (I used extra light olive oil)
P.S. Maria said you can double the batch and freeze half of them raw then thaw and saute them when you’re ready for more!
How to Make Juicy Pork Meatballs:
1. Dry your bread slices in the oven at 350˚F for 25 minutes (or in the sunshine) until fully dried.
2. Once bread is fully dried, soak it in water for 10 mins then squeeze out the water and drain really well. I placed/pressed a bowl over the bread crumbs inside of my colander to help drain it. Break bread into crumbs.
3. Saute onions in a medium pan over medium/high heat until golden brown then set aside.
4. Place ground pork into a large mixing bowl. Add moist bread crumbs, sautéed onion, 1 beaten egg, 1/2 tsp Mrs. Dash seasoning, 3/4 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp black pepper and 1 Tbsp Mayo. Mix until well combined.
5. Form 1 1/2″ meatballs and slightly flatten each one. Roll meatballs in bread crumbs and arrange on a platter.
6. Heat a large non-stick pan (I used my cast iron skillet) over medium heat with 2 Tbsp oil. Once oil is hot, add 1/2 of the prepared meatballs (about 10) and cook about 3 minutes per side, adding more oil as needed.
Saute until meatballs are golden brown on the outside and cooked through. Remove to a plate lined with a paper towel.
These were soo stankin’ juicy! My mouth is watering. Come to Mama!
Just in case you missed the juiciness..
Juicy Pork Meatballs (Kotlety)
Ingredients
- 2 slices good black bread
- 1 lb lean ground pork, I ground my own lean pork
- 1 small/medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1/2 tsp Mrs. Dash seasoning
- 3/4 tsp Salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 1 Tbsp mayo.
- 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
- Oil to Saute, I used extra light olive oil
Instructions
- Dry your bread slices in the oven at 350˚F for 25 minutes (or in the sunshine) until fully dried.
- Once bread is fully dried, soak it in water for 10 mins then squeeze out the water and drain really well. I placed a bowl over the bread crumbs inside of my colander to help drain it. Break bread into crumbs.
- Saute onions in a medium pan over medium/high heat until golden brown then set aside.
- Place ground pork into a large mixing bowl. Add moist bread crumbs, sautéed onion, 1 beaten egg, 1/2 tsp Mrs. Dash seasoning, 3/4 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp black pepper and 1 Tbsp Mayo. Mix until well combined.
- Form 1 1/2" meatballs and slightly flatten each one. Roll meatballs in bread crumbs and arrange on a platter.
- Heat a large non-stick pan (I used my cast iron skillet) over medium heat with 2 Tbsp oil. Once oil is hot, add 1/2 of the prepared meatballs (about 10) and cook about 2-3 minutes per side, adding more oil as needed. Saute until meatballs are golden brown on the outside and cooked through. Remove to a plate lined with a paper towel.
Notes
Wow, best meatballs I have ever made. They were such a hit. So juicy and soft.
So glad to hear that, Nadia! Thank you for the review.
I don’t understand the reasoning behind drying the bread first, then soaking it, then wringing it out. Can you explain the why for these very confusing steps? It all seems so unnecessary. Thank you. And thank you for all your terrific recipes! I have tried many and so far I have Loved every one!
Hi Cheryl! Thank you, I’m glad you’re loving my recipes. Drying the bread first improves the bread’s ability to absorb and retain moisture. It’s important because it helps the texture and flavor of the meatballs.
Love this recipe! I have been using it for several years now, both when cooking for my clients (I’m a postpartum doula), and my own family. Easy, versatile, and they freeze great! Thanks for a keeper and please visit us
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it!