Under Inflated (Meat)ball Recipe
Super bowl XLIX is on the horizon and it seems the last few days has been more about Deflate-Gate than preparing for the big game. We are not here to judge the NFL or the New England Patriots but rather to show how easy it is to deflate a standard meatball to make it easier for your game day guests to handle this favorite tailgating appetizer.
If you are curious about how an NFL football is made check out this video:
For twenty weeks this football season we have featured a tailgating post. The trending post grid on the right column of our site shows the most popular posts on our website for the last 48 hours. We knew we were on to something as the tailgating posts we put together made it to #1 every week.
Each week we offered eight tailgating recipes. It seems that the different variations of meatballs were always among the most popular recipes we posted each week. Since the playoff game last weekend and the recent events, it was easy to pick a theme for this post. The meatball recipe that we are featuring in this week has two variations. First, is the Seattle Seahawk fully inflated meatball and the directions in the recipe also show how to deflate the meatball to lower standards.
Here is the meatball recipe:
For the Meatballs you’ll need:
2 pounds ground beef
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 c. tomato paste
Spicee Gourmet Tuscan Blend to taste (about a tablespoon per pound)
1/4 c. parmesan or romano cheese
1/3 c. fresh chopped parsley
1 T. wet mustard
a little salt
3 garlic cloves, pressed
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl until mixed. I like to make the meatballs a consistent size and place them onto the baking sheet that’s been sprayed with Pam. Using the 1.25″ diameter melon baller and two pounds of ground beef yielded 66 meatballs.
Here is where the magic happens. To get the proper inflation for Seattle meatballs use an inflation needle. The proper psi is 13. Use an air gauge to check the pressure.
Be careful that you do not over inflate the meatball as shown below.
To somehow mysteriously under-inflate your meatballs, insert the inflation needle and let the air out of your meatballs.
Bake in a 400 degree oven for 15 – 18 minutes, or until nice and brown. The farther down in the oven, the darker the meatballs will be, so if that’s something you worry about, just switch the trays halfway through baking.
Place the meatballs in the crock pot and cover with this basic sauce:
1 bottle chili sauce
1/2 jar grape jelly
1/2 cup honey if desired.
Cover and set on low until the meatballs disappear.
Then all you have to do is hunker down with a beverage and a blanket and watch the game.
Who do you think is going to win the big game?
For more great tailgating recipes click HERE,
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