REWIND -- Meatballs in the Slow Cooker

You can always add sauce if you like your sub that way. I prefer mine with a sprinkling of red pepper flakes or the Dark and Smoky blend from the Flatiron Pepper Co.

In my quest for the perfect meatball, I experimented from my previous Meatballs in the Slow Cooker recipe by changing up the meatball ingredients and working on a new sauce. The results were better than the previous recipe, and the sauce tastes much more flavorful. Try them both out and see which one you like better.

METHOD

1.       Combine beef, pork, Panko, Italian seasoning, garlic, onion, and egg until well mixed. Form the meatballs, making them about the size of a golf ball. Use a #20 scooper or your hands.

2.       In the slow cooker, mix the spaghetti sauce and tomatoes. Set your slow cooker for low for 8 hours.

3.       During the first hour, stir the sauce occasionally, breaking up the tomatoes as they cook. After 1 hour, place the meatballs in the sauce and cover.

4.       Cook covered for about 6 to 6 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally to cover the meatballs with the sauce. For the last 30 minutes, uncover and finish cooking. You may want to use a splatter screen on top to keep things cleaner.

5.       Enjoy

SOFTWARE

·       1 pound of ground beef (90/10 or as lean as you can get)

·       1 pound of ground pork

·       1 cup Panko breadcrumbs (Italian style is best)

·       1 T. Italian seasoning

·       2 T. minced garlic

·       2 t. onion powder

·       1 egg, lightly beaten

·       24 oz. spaghetti sauce (homemade or jar doesn’t matter, but diavolo is best)

·       28 oz. whole San Marzano tomatoes

VARIANTS

These go great in a soft roll with a slice of provolone that gets melted under the broiler. Sure, you could mix them in with your favorite pasta. Nothing wrong there but eating them by themselves seems like a decadent treat.