The Meatball Sub That’s Better Than a Michelin 3-Star Meal?

🔪MY GEAR:

--RECIPE--
Makes 5 sandwiches + 1 extra roll

SUB ROLLS
▪380g or 1 5/8c water 86F/30C
▪12g or 3tsp instant yeast
▪20g or 1 3/4Tbsp granulated sugar
▪525g or 4 1/4c bread flour
▪12g or 2tsp salt
▪Untoasted white sesame seeds

Add water, yeast, sugar, flour, & salt to mixer with dough hook. Mix on high for 6min. When ready dough should be formed into a ball that clears the sides of mixer and should pass the tug test (see @0:42). Place dough into a bowl and round as shown @0:49. Cover and let sit at room temp for 45min.

Perform a strength building fold then round and tuck into a ball as shown @1:09. Cover and allow to sit at room temp again for another 45min.

Flip dough onto floured cutting board and degass well. Divide dough into 6 pieces (about 150g each). Preshape each piece as shown @4:20. Cover dough balls with damp towel and rest for 15min.

Prepare 2 trays/plates: 1 with white sesame seeds, the other with a wet towel. Spray/oil baguette pan (if you don’t have a baguette pan, proof in couche and bake on sheet tray)

Shape rolls as shown @5:12. Place shaped roll onto wet towel, seam side up, then into sesame seeds. Place in baguette proof pan, seed side up. Cover with a towel and proof for 45-60min.

Score rolls and mist well with water. Load pan into 400f/205C oven to bake for 18-20min, spritzing rolls and oven again before closing door.

--
MEATBALLS
▪200g 3/4c + 1Tbsp whole milk
▪50g or 1/4c sour cream
▪1 egg
▪150g white bread (about 6 slices), cut into cubes
▪1lb/.5kg 80/20 ground beef
▪1lb/.5kg 80/20 ground pork
▪125g or 1 1/4c grated parm
▪15g or 1/4c fresh parsley, chopped
▪15g or 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
▪Pinch chile flakes
▪3g or 1.5tsp ground black pepper
▪18g or 1Tbsp salt
▪15g lemon juice (juice ½ lemon)

Whisk milk, sour cream, and egg. Add bread. Whisk/stir until pasty and broken down. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Divide into 15 100-105g balls. Work and roll balls between your hands. Place each ball on parchment lined sheet tray. Bake at 475F/245C for 25min, flipping after 15min.

--
SAUCE
▪Olive oil
▪White onion, small diced
▪15g (4-5 cloves) garlic
▪Salt
▪Chile flakes
▪28oz can tomato puree
▪28oz can crushed tomatoes
▪sugar

Preheat large, heavy bottomed pot over medium. Add in a long glug of olive oil. Add onion, garlic, and pinch of salt. Sweat, stirring every couple of minutes until onions have softened. Add pinch of chile flakes and allow to bloom for about a minute. Stir in tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to med low to reduce for about 25min.

--
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
▪Full fat mozzarella, sliced (2 per sandwich)
▪Giardinara, chopped finely (recipe below)

Gently stir cooked meatballs into pot of sauce. Taste for seasoning. Stir in pinch of salt and pinch of sugar. Roast in 350F/175C oven to reduce for 20-25min.

To prep sub rolls, halve then remove about half of bready filling from the top piece. Put 2 pieces of mozz on bottom piece and place under broiler on high until cheese is melted and bread is a little toasty (30-50sec).

Spoon giard on top of cheese followed by 3 saucy meatballs. Top with toasty top bun.

--
GIARDINIERA (makes 1qt/ltr)
▪150g or about 1 1/3c each of Cauli, Celery, Green Bell Peppers, Carrots
▪75g or 1/2 c serrano (or another hot pepper of choice)
▪400g or 1 3/4c white distilled vinegar
▪200g or 3/4c water
▪24g or 1 1/2 tbsp salt
▪300g or 1 1/3c light olive oil
▪150g or 3/4c ex virgin olive oil

Chop all veg into small dice and mix to combine. Combine vin, water, salt in a sauce pan, bring to a boil, add veg, stir, turn off heat and allow to cook as it comes to room temp. Transfer to container and refrigerate 2 days.

After 2 days, strain liquid off veg. To the strained veg mix, add oils & store in fridge until ready to use.

--
#meatballsub #meatballs #sandwiches

CHAPTERS
0:00 Intro
0:19 Mixing the bread
1:40 Meatballs
3:49 Bread: shaping
5:58 Baking the balls and starting the sauce
7:09 Organizing my videos with Notion (ad)
8:19 Finishing the balls and sauce
10:03 Baking the rolls
11:03 Assembly
13:08 Let’s eat this thing

**DISCLAIMER: links in this description may be affiliate links. If you buy these products via my links I'll receive a small commission at no added cost to you.

[johncurty]

I made this. I trusted completely. I did not think it would be life changing.

I’m an above average baker and these rolls were 100% transformative, for someone who bakes. I did do a 24 hour cold ferment cause I couldn’t bake the same day.

I have a great meatball recipe which you can now find in my trash bin because this one is so much better.

I’d now recommend that the planet earth make everything Brian makes. But if you only do one recipe from start to end, you will have an amazing meal; you will impress and influence; and you will fall in love with cooking if you make this one.

[thecraftysouthpaw]

Thank you so much for your channel and recipes! Since we discovered you about 6 weeks ago, my wife and I have only eaten out once. You’ve given this retired 20-year veteran of the restaurant industry the joy and passion to get back in the kitchen. You’re the best!

[TheGrim]

I'm so glad you posted this recipe. I've been craving one ever since I ordered a mootball feetlong at Subway and couldn't ever show my face there again

[walterstewart]

Brian, you have substantially upped the food game for my wife and me!!! We are in your debt!!! I made the rolls a second time for a sausage sub, and they came out wonderfully well -- they rose so high they were touching!! On the subs we put your jardinere (from the Italian beef, if I remember correctly). Tomorrow night it's going to be our second Detroit pizza -- so you have substantially improved our meals!! Thank you, Brian!!

[FAvlJms]

This is bizarre, I've been wondering in the past few days about why some of my favorite meatballs have a slightly acidic taste and have been mulling the idea of adding sour cream and/or lemon juice. This is the first such recipe I've seen include them. The stars have aligned, keep up the great work!

[thefumexxl]

Man. You make the speed at which this can be done A LOT clearer. I love your recipes. Your potato salad changed my entire opinion on the dish.

[carlzepecki]

This recipe is AMAZING. We made this last night and are very happy with the outcome. This is the best meatball recipe I've ever made! Well done, sir! Well done!

[deaconfrost]

You are my new favorite chef to watch! ive cooked multiple recipes of yours so far since i went on a binge fest LOL. And they are all amazing and do not disappoint! Keep it up!!

[BanjoBrasel]

I love watching your videos. You make stuff that I can actually make at home and I live in BFE with tiny grocery stores. Thanks Man!

[OnniHopeDream]

I'm so glad you posted this! I made your original meatballs recipe with the intent of turning them into subs, and while it turned out great overall, that meatball recipe was intended for pasta and were obviously much more tender than you'd want for a sub. Really rad it's like you read my mind of a future vid I wanted to see and addressed this + all the other sweet tips you'd wanna know for the perfect meatball sub. Definitely gonna make this soon!

[mauroshinzato]

Hey thanks for not throwing the food to just make funny noises for the videos/shorts. You show a beautiful respect for the food and I appreciate that.

[lobstahchowdah]

We made your meatball subs on the weekend, and holy moly, these are fabulous. Had leftover meatballs and sauce with some pasta last night and thoroughly enjoyed that meal as well. The tomato sauce in itself is going to be our go-to. Finishing the sauce in the oven really seems to add flavour that isn’t achieved on the stove top. The only thing missing for us was the giardinera (can’t seem to buy that in our neck of the woods in Atlantic Canada) but I found a recipe and plan to pickle my own so we will have it for next time we make these, which will be very soon. Thanks for the recipes!

[charlesstout]

Great recipes for a great sandwich! I don't know if anyone else caught this, but, Bri, you clearly indicated that you are a professional chef when you called the meatball mixture a "farce, " at about 3:19 on the video. I hadn't heard that in years! Merci beaucoup pour les memoires!

[frankzito]

Former Chicagoan (now LA) here. This brings me back to my childhood. I guess it's time to step up and start baking these rolls and making them balls. Thanks Bri !!!

[Jennifer.Greene]

Made this today for dinner and it was good! Before making it I thought how good can a meatball sub be, well the answer is pretty darn good! I’ve tried so many of Brian’s recipes and not a single has been a disappointment.

[keensbeanz]

Most people that can't find buttermilk are probably from outside the US and if they're in europe there's a good chance they can find something called kefir which is very similar. Conversely you can also add a bit of vinegar or lemon juice to whole milk and let it sit for 15 to 20 min and get a close approximation to buttermilk.

[diabeticdaniel]

This was the wrong video to watch in my hospital bed whilst im fasting in preparation for a surgery. It was the right video to produce a smile though :)

[uniquelyshellz]

haha, I like how you always finish your videos with a dance. I strongly believe my husband and son would love this meatball sub. I got to make this and follow exactly the way you make it.

[aznanimedude]

OMG that visual when you pressed it down to glue everything together. That HITS HARD

[katherinesmith]

I can see why you were so happy with the results. That process for the meatballs is something I will definitely try.