The Absolute Best Cut Of Pork For Making Meatballs

Meatballs are one of those comfort dishes that you'll find in some form in most international cuisines. However, despite the dozens of delicious meatball recipes available, it's hard to beat the classic pork style. Rich, savory, and ever-so-slightly sweet, pork meatballs are incredibly versatile and can be paired with all sorts of tasty sauces. The best part is that meatballs are super easy to make at home if you have the know-how, and there are plenty of tips and tricks for crafting the perfect pork meatballs. However, there's one factor that supersedes all of those: the cut of meat you're using.

Meatballs are made with ground pork, but they're not always made from the same cut of meat. Whether you're buying pre-ground meat or grinding it yourself, pork shoulder is the best pick for meatballs, and it all comes down to the fat ratio. Flavor aside, the best meatballs are moist and juicy but still manage to hold their shape. Fatty cuts — like pork belly — can result in greasy meatballs with an unbalanced texture, while leaner cuts — such as pork loin — can dry out and lead to crumbly, less-flavorful meatballs. The sweet spot is a fat content between 20 to 30%, which is what we typically get with a shoulder cut. Not only is it easy to grind consistently for a uniform texture, but the connective tissues and marbling in the shoulder result in a tasty and tender meatball that won't fall apart during cooking.

One of the best things about meatballs is that there are countless ways to tweak and boost their flavor. Although you can make adjustments by incorporating different seasonings, it all starts with the meat. In fact, most classic meatball recipes use a combination of different ground meats to create the ideal balance of flavor and consistency.

Beef is a popular choice for meatballs because it can stand up to bold sauces and ingredients; however, it can be tricky to get the fat ratio right. Ground beef chuck typically has a fat content of around 15 to 20%, but adding ground pork shoulder to the meatball mixture helps create a wonderful depth of flavor while maintaining that beautifully juicy texture. Using fattier cuts, like ground pork shoulder, also means we can add other tasty meats that would be too lean to use on their own. Veal is an excellent pick, as it's deeply flavorful and highly nutritious, but it's not fatty enough to work on its own. Gamier meats like lamb or venison make for stunningly earthy and rich meatballs but they also require other ingredients to boost their fat.

If you want to use less pork in your mixture, this is where including fattier cuts can work nicely. However, if you're trying to reduce the fat content of your dish entirely, you'll need to incorporate binding ingredients – like eggs – into your mixture to keep the meatballs together and retain their juiciness.