Wingman's Signature Smoked Meatball Sub with Home Made Tangy Marinara
Hi all, in this recipe I started working on a spaghetti and meatball recipe. So I started playing around with the sauce. I ended up with a damn fine marinara sauce that had a pronounced garlic, basil & Oregano flavor and was not sweet. I have grown tired of overly sweet pasta sauces. Anyway the more I thought about this sauce the more I was driven away from Spaghetti.
A killer meatball sub came to mind. So let’s talk meatballs. I mixed 1 lb. chub of Jimmy Dean Maple sausage, 1 lb. chub of Jimmy Dean regular sausage and 3 lbs. 85/15 ground beef. As for herbs & spices, mushrooms, red onion, 3 eggs, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, pepper, garlic, sun dried tomatoes, parsley, bread crumbs and parmesan cheese. At this point the meat mixture was smelling damn good! In the fridge it went for a couple hours.
Once the meat rested I formed 2 to 2 1/2 inch meatballs. Then it was onto the cooker and they cooked @ 210 degrees until they reached 160 degrees. I misted them a couple of time with apple juice during the cook. Some may wonder why such large meatballs? I have found larger meatballs end up moister and much more tender and juicy. I just cut them in half before I put them in the Marinara.
And that was the next step. Cut them up and get them simmering in the marinara. Simmer for 20 minutes.
Now the buns... I picked up some 6" rolls from our Safeway bakery. I cut them in half and placed them in the cooker until they were toasted. At this point I pulled a couple cups of marinara from the pan on the stove and spread it on thick on each roll. Then I laid down some Mozzarella cheese. Once the cheese melted it was time to build the Sammy.
Each sub got 3 meatball halves and a couple spoon of marinara. Oh man my kitchen was smelling amazing! One benefit to using meatball halves is they stay on the bun much better, I can also tell you they were thick and meaty too. The meatball subs were a huge hit with the family. They knocked out 75% of the meatballs and sauce. The flavor was spot on in my opinion. The maple sausage didn't over power the flavor but it added a nice sweet to the meat. That was complimented buy the garlic, rosemary and sun dried tomatoes.
Meatballs
3 lbs. 85/15 Ground Beef
1 lb. Jimmy Dean Maple Sausage
1 lb. Jimmy Dean Regular Sausage
1 Cup Bread Crumbs
1/2 Cup Finely Chopped Brown Baby Bella Crimini Mushrooms
1/2 Cup Minced Red Onion
1/3 Cup Chopped Sundried Tomatoes
1/3 Cup Chopped Fresh Parsley
1/3 Cup Parmesan Cheese
5 Cloves Chopped Garlic
2 Tbsp Worcestershire
1 Tsp Chopped Fresh Rosemary
1Tsp Pepper
Marinara Sauce
2 28 oz. Cans of Crushed Tomatoes
6 Cloves Chopped Fresh Garlic
4 Fresh Basil Leaves (torn apart)
2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
3 Slices Red Onion Coarsely Chopped
1/3 Cup Chopped Brown Baby Bella Crimini Mushrooms
2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVO)
1 Tbsp Grated Parmesan Cheese
I didn't even watch the video. I just read the text in the post. AND MAN my mouth is watering. And I just came back from a grill fest. I am gonna watch the video tomorrow. SOUNDS F'n AWESOME Rob!
Look similar to the one I did for the last contest!! I hear ya on that sweet sauce (gravy to those east coasters out there) I use fresh puree when ever i can!! I found the smoked meatball to be a nice addition to the flavor of the meat and it helps the sauce/gravy as well!!
I wasnt a big fan of meatballs subs - until now. That looks excellent! Thanks for the post. It's on my list to make for sure.
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Those meatball hoagies sound great and LOVE the recipe, especially with letting them simmer in the sauce a bit to absorb some of the flavor of the sauce as well as distribute some of their flavor from the fats that meld with the sauce as they sit in it and simmer
Thanks for sharing the sauce recipe too, I have a meatball recipe I love but am not happy with my current sauce recipe so I'll be giving the sauce a try in the next day or two cause it sounds really good!
Brother's fiance, wife, my sister-in-law (or might as well be cause wedding is in 12 days) said when she makes her Sunday gravy they add a few chopped up carrots and that it adds a nice natural slight sweetness while absorbing some of the tart flavor from the tomatoes. Haven't tried it yet but is a really interesting idea.
Those meatball hoagies sound great and LOVE the recipe, especially with letting them simmer in the sauce a bit to absorb some of the flavor of the sauce as well as distribute some of their flavor from the fats that meld with the sauce as they sit in it and simmer
Thanks for sharing the sauce recipe too, I have a meatball recipe I love but am not happy with my current sauce recipe so I'll be giving the sauce a try in the next day or two cause it sounds really good!
Brother's fiance, wife, my sister-in-law (or might as well be cause wedding is in 12 days) said when she makes her Sunday gravy they add a few chopped up carrots and that it adds a nice natural slight sweetness while absorbing some of the tart flavor from the tomatoes. Haven't tried it yet but is a really interesting idea.
Thanks Jimmy, I have been thinking about the marinara and one thing came to mind. If you want a bolder or stronger tomato flavor one might try adding some tomato paste to the recipe. It wouldn't take much. This would darken it up and give it a tomato kick. I'm going to try this soon.
Wingman's Signature Smoked Meatball Sub with Home Made Tangy Marinara
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It's on my list to make for sure.
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