Go to the Recipe: Ultra-Tender Lion’s Head Meatballs
One meatball to rule them all!
I don't eat pork. Would this work with beef, lamb, chicken, or turkey? Thanks!
I'm allergic to potatoes. What can be substituted for the potato starch?
You could definitely substitute cornstarch for potato starch in this recipe. It behaves very similarly, with minor differences in sauce texture. I would start with a 1:1 substitution by weight.
We didn't test into this, but I would go with a high-fat cut of meat that's rich in collagen. Boneless beef short ribs come to mind, or even a combination of lamb shoulder and lamb belly/breast (if you can find it) would work purely from a texture perspective. But keep in mind that the flavors would be outside the realm of the original dish.
Hope this helps!
Can this be adjusted to make smaller sized meatballs for appetizers?
Though we've never tried this, I'm sure you could. The braising time might be shorter (say, 3 hours compared to 4) depending on how small you go, but I would just pull a meatball every hour to test, and go with your personal preference for texture.
Good luck!
If I wanted to braise not in a pot but via sous vide method would that be acceptable? And if so what would the times and temps be?
These were a labor of love to make for sure. But after 3 hours in the braise these were luscious, tender, juicy. I can see why these are for special occasions.
These are ridiculously good. A little more work than your average meatball but well worth it.
I took PTO so I could make these for my wife's birthday. Well worth the effort. I used a meat grinder instead of a food processor. I think it took more time but it worked out fine.
That’s true love right there.
Made these today, and yes it takes a day! I ground my meat in my Thermomix and that was the most difficult part of the recipe. They were super lush and so moist. I could only fit four in my pot to braise but as I was cooking for two it did not matter. I have frozen the other four after the frying step. Will braise them for a future meal and see if freezing changed the texture. thanks for the brilliant instructions, I love watching your videos. I am in South Africa by the way 😊.
