The secret to the juiciest and tastiest meatballs you will taste. Meatballs are one of those foods that are either incredible or disappointing. There’s nothing worse than a tasteless dry meatball, sadly, that’s what a lot of restaurants seem to serve.

For the best meatballs, it’s best that you talk to your butcher and get them to mince the meat you select on the spot. You want around 15 to 20 percent fat. Don’t buy ready made supermarket (ground) minced meat, you will be disappointed as they often use cheap meat cuts. The combination of beef and pork also make a perfect balance not only in taste but in texture. If your butcher sells pancetta, ask them to mince it for you, it will save you time and work later on.

For the bread, brown bread work best as it holds more fiber, this helps keep in the juices. The grated mushrooms also help elevate the flavour and retain moisture. This is a very simple dish to make, as you basically mix all the ingredients together and voila!

Once the meatballs have been browned, they are rested in a warm spot, on a warm plate which also helps them retain their juices. To de-glaze the pan, use a rich full bodied red wine that you would drink such as a Cabernet Sauvignon or Shiraz. If you can’t drink wine, then use a beef stock.

Don’t overcook them in the marinara sauce as all their juices will seep into the sauce making the meatballs dryer. 30 seconds is the absolute maximum you want to heat them up.

Enjoy my juicy Italian style meatballs.