I can absolutely say that I learned to cook from my mother. Unfortunately for readers, this means that it is difficult for me to use a strict recipe. I love to play around while cooking, and I never cook the same meal in exactly the same way twice. So feel free to stray from my measurements, it’s only an approximation! Cooking is supposed to be fun and delicious, and you’re supposed to enjoy it! That being said, I’m going to share with you a very easy recipe you can make this Thanksgiving. It will work well as a really fun appetizer and will appeal to a wide variety of people!
Teriyaki Meatballs(with a kick!)
What you’ll need for this recipe:
- 1-2 lbs of ground beef (ground sirloin)
- 1 bottle of Teriyaki (Lowry’s Teriyaki Pineapple Marinade)
- 1 can of pineapple chunks (in 100% pineapple juice)
- 1 bottle of Panko seasoned bread crumbs (It’s in a white jar)
- About a capful of pepper sauce (as in peppers that soak in vinegar)
- Seasonings(add what you like, I usually season with a mix [below])
– Adobo, sea salt, season salt, a dash of garlic powder
- One large bowl,
- One iron skillet (you can use a regular sauce pan but an iron skillet will work better)
- Spatula or tongs. (If you don’t own tongs, buy them! They are the most useful kitchen tool you may ever own.)Serving Bowl
* Parentheses denote ingredients used by Caroline
Ready? Okay.
1. Take your meat (I like to use about a cup to every 1.5 pounds of meat), and put into a LARGE bowl (you’re going to need to mix it up). Season it first, using whatever seasonings you would like.
2. Get your breadcrumbs and pour about a half-cup over the meat. Mix it all in, add another half cup and mix again. You want the meat to have a slightly thicker consistency, but you don’t want it to be completely filled with crumbs.
3. Add a splash of pineapple juice and a cup of teriyaki marinade and mix again. Roll out into balls a little larger than a ping-pong ball.
4. Put your iron skillet on the stove, turn on high, add all of your meatballs and allow them to brown a little on the underside. Flip them over. Let them cook for about five minutes.
5. Add one half-cup of teriyaki marinade, one half-cup of water, a big splash of pineapple and a capful of pepper sauce to the meatballs and turn the heat down to about medium.
6. The pepper sauce is tricky, because the sauce needs a little kick to balance the sweetness. Season the sauce to taste and feel free to play with the balance until you get something you like.
Let the meatballs keep cooking and add more sauce and water when the marinade cooks down. If you want, throw in some pineapple chunks to cook in. You’ll probably need to let it cook for another 10-15 minutes. When the meatballs look done, cut one to make sure it is cooked through (and feel free to taste test it!). To serve them, pour everything into a large bowl. The longer they soak in the marinade , the more flavorful they’ll get!
Here’s a photo of the finished product!