Recipe Background
The Best Sweet & Sour Meatballs perform a delicate and delectable balancing act. On one side, we see sweet and tangy pineapples and smoky brown sugar. On the other side, we have soy sauce for umami richness and vinegar for a sharp note. It's this balance of flavors that makes the sauce coating each beefy, succulent meatball so amazing and makes the taste so powerful. Best Sweet & Sour Meatballs win the blue ribbon, every time!
The Best Sweet & Sour Meatballs perform a delicate and delectable balancing act. On one side, we see sweet and tangy pineapples and smoky brown sugar. On the other side, we have soy sauce for umami richness and vinegar for a sharp note. It's this balance of flavors that makes the sauce coating each beefy, succulent meatball so amazing and makes the taste so powerful. Best Sweet & Sour Meatballs win the blue ribbon, every time!
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
For the sauce:
- 1 (8-ounce) can pineapple chunks
- water to taste
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 green bell pepper chopped
- green onions optional, to taste, sliced, for garnish
Directions
- In a large bowl, add the ground beef, the ginger, the garlic powder, and the black pepper, and mix together gently but thoroughly until well-combined.
- Shape the beef mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the meatballs in batches and cook, while turning the meatballs, until they are evenly browned but not cooked through, about 10 minutes.
- Strain the pineapples and reserve the juice in a 1-cup glass measuring cup.
- Add the water to the measuring cup with the pineapple juice until the liquid reaches the top.
- In a small bowl, add the brown sugar and the cornstarch and whisk to combine.
- Transfer the cooked meatballs to a clean plate, reserving the pan drippings.
- Add the pineapple juice mixture and the brown sugar mixture to the warm pan drippings and stir to combine.
- Add the vinegar and the soy sauce to the pineapple juice mixture and stir to combine.
- Bring the pineapple juice mixture to a boil and cook until thickened, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the cooked meatballs, the pineapple chunks, and the green peppers to the sauce and simmer until the meatballs are no longer pink inside and reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees F, about 10 minutes.
- Serve garnished with the green onions.
×