If you know someone who is curiously apprehensive about trying venison meat, this venison Margherita meatball recipe is for them. Hearty, juicy, and flavorful meatballs served in a thick Margherita inspired sauce–these are guaranteed to satisfy you.
Venison Margherita Meatball
Print RecipeIngredients
- Meatball Ingredients
- 3 pounds of ground venison meat
- 1 pound of pork fat
- 1 onion, quartered
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 cups of panko crumbs
- 2 cups of milk
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons of dry oregano
- 25 grams of salt
- 3 grams of ground black pepper
- 10 basil leaves
- 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary
- 1 sprig of fresh oregano
- 1 tablespoon of vinegar
- 1/3 cup of white wine
- Sauce Ingredients
- 1 onion, diced
- 5 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 28-ounce can of diced tomatoes
- 10 basil leaves
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoon of dry oregano
- 1-2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
- 5 1/2 ounces of tomato paste
Instructions
Meatball Instructions
- Make sure the venison meat and pork fat are extremely cold. I usually work with partially frozen meat because it’s easier to cut and grind.
- Cut the meat, pork fat, and onion into chunks large enough for your meat grinder. Add them to a large bowl with the minced garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, rosemary, and chopped basil leaves. Mix the everything with your hands until the spices are evenly distributed on the chunks of meat and fat.
- In another bowl, combine eggs and milk. Add the panko crumbs and set the bowl aside to do its thing.
- Grind the meat, fat, and onion chunks. I prefer using medium grind, but you can vary this depending on texture preferences.
- Take the bowl of ground bear meat and mix in the wine, vinegar, and wet panko crumbs. Mix with your hands. If your hands aren’t hurting from the cold at this time, the meat is probably too warm.
- Place the mixture in the fridge to cool down for 15 to 20 minutes while you start the sauce preparation.
- Form the meatballs using your hands and set them aside on a tray.
- Take a large frying pan or cast-iron skillet and fry the meatballs in a thin layer of olive oil.
- Once they begin to pull together, flip them and cook on the other side. Continue flipping every few minutes until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Fry the meatballs in batches. Do not crowd the pan. Set them aside on a sheet or plate as you go.
Sauce Instructions
- Use olive oil or butter to caramelize the onions in a large dutch oven.
- Add all of your remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Taste the sauce and adjust salt level based on personal preference.
- Add the fried meatballs to the bottom of the dutch oven and use a large spoon to cover them in the sauce gently. Let the sauce to simmer for another 10 minutes.
- Serve with spaghetti.
