I’m playing favorites with meatballs, and I have to say: pork is better than beef. Ground pork has a higher fat content than most ground beef (depending on what you buy), and it holds together better while it cooks. The resulting meatball is more tender than anything I’ve ever cooked on the stove top. Because pork holds together better while cooking, the flavors of the garlic, scallions, soy sauce and brown sugar really shine here. The flavor of these pork meatballs is like teriyaki sauce, but on the inside. If you wish they were covered in a sweet sticky sauce, you will love my honey garlic pork recipe.

Ways to Serve Pork Meatballs

My favorite way to serve these pork meatballs is over freshly cooked rice and with steamed broccoli or bok choy on the side. Serve them as-is with a small dish of toothpicks for a party appetizer. Check out all off my Party Food Ideas here. Pile these meatballs into a mini baguette sub, top with pickled vegetables and a drizzle of sriracha, mayo and fresh cilantro sprigs for bánh mi-like flavors!

The Ingredients

Ground Pork. One pound of ground pork. You can find this in the sausage section of the market, but be sure that you’re buying plain ground pork, not sausage which has seasonings and flavors already mixed in! Garlic. Three cloves of garlic, minced very finely. I like to use a microplane to grate it very finely. Brown Sugar. A small amount of brown sugar to bring some sweetness to the pork. Soy Sauce. Instead of salt, we’re using one and a half teaspoons of soy sauce. Rice Wine Vinegar. This acts as a tenderizer in the mixture and adds saltiness without salt. Black Pepper. One-half teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper. Scallions. Two fresh scallions (also called green onions) thinly sliced. Be sure to save a few on top for garnish. Cornstarch. Adding one tablespoon of cornstarch into the pork meatball mixture makes a super tender meatball, just trust me on this one! Cooking Oil. We need roughly two tablespoons of olive for browning the meatballs in the skillet. This can be any neutral oil, like canola oil, grapeseed oil, vegetable oil, olive oil, anything you like to sear with. Chicken Broth. Once the meatballs are brown, add one cup of chicken broth to the pan to continue to cooking process. The steam from the chicken broth is what makes these meatballs cook gently and become so tender. For serving: You can serve these over rice with a steamed vegetable on the side, or with toothpicks as an appetizer.

How to Make Pork Meatballs

Other meatball and appetizer recipes for you:

Whole30 Meatballs made with ground turkey and sweet potatoes. Swedish Meatballs for Two are just like the ones at IKEA. Bacon Wrapped Asparagus is another crowd favorite.

Ground Pork: One pound of raw ground pork. You can find this in the sausage section of the market, but be sure that you’re buying plain ground pork, not sausage which has seasonings and flavors already mixed in!Rice Wine Vinegar: You can use rice wine vinegar, cooking wine (Shaoxing) or mirin here. Anything slightly acidic but delicate in flavor. Do not use plain white vinegar, red wine vinegar or balsamic–they’re too strong!Cooking Oil: This can be any neutral oil, like canola oil, grapeseed oil, vegetable oil, olive oil, anything you like to sear with.Chicken Broth. Any type of broth you have works here.For serving: You can serve these over rice with a steamed vegetable on the side, or with toothpicks as an appetizer.

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