The Biggest Little Pork Meatballs in town

In our humble home, quick and easy tend to be the meals we gravitate to.  These little pork balls are fairly no fuss and are baked in the oven giving you time to decompress after a long day.  They’d work well at a party with a selection of sauces too!

Before you get started, set the oven to 400 degrees F, and prep a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Recipe for the Meatballs:

• 1.5lbs of ground pork
• 2 eggs + 1 egg white
• ~3 minced scallions
• ~3 minced garlic cloves
• ~1 Tablespoon grated ginger
• 3 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 Tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• ~ 2 teaspoons sugar
• ~ 2 teaspoons cornstarch

Roll up your sleeves and mix all these ingredients, yes, get your hands in there and add some elbow grease.  It’s the secret ingredient.  Sssshhh, don’t tell…

Now, start rolling these into balls and placing onto your prepared baking sheet.  No more than 2″ in diameter, but if you’ve got little ones in the house, you could make them smaller for easier bites, just adjust your baking time accordingly.

Recipe for the Sauce:

• 1/2 cup Hoisin (usually in the International or Asian section of the grocery store)
• ~1 teaspoon rice vinegar (usually in the vinegar aisle but may also be found in the Asian section)
• ~ 1 Tablespoon of sugar
• A dollup of honey (roughly a spoon size)

Divide out a portion of this sauce for later dipping and set aside.  If there are eaters in your home that prefer a little more spice in their culinary life, add some Sriracha sauce to taste.

Brush each of the meatballs with sauce from the original bowl and place sheet in oven.  Check back in about 20 mins.  Our oven is persnickety, but once they begin getting a lovely golden brown I sacrifice one on the alter of my tastebuds.  If they’re cooked thru – they’re done!

I serve these with homemade fried rice, but if your grocery store sells fresh Chinese food (ex: Raley’s) you could always buy a pint on the way home.  Enjoy!