Makes about 12 meatballs, or 4 servings. Shortly after Scooter’s Cafe opened in Poplarville, Mississippi, my family and I became fans of the restaurant’s meatball po’ boys. After sharing with Chemin, the owner, that I wanted to learn how to make her meatballs, she kindly allowed me to observe. Like most seasoned cooks, she knew her recipe by heart and added the spices without measuring. After observing her process, I made my own meatball recipe and then added an additional ingredient: Parmesan cheese. What makes Chemin’s meatballs unusual is that she doesn’t use bread crumbs as a binder. She said that crumbs are used to make the meat go further, and if you don’t have to use them, don’t! I used the tips and techniques I learned from Chemin to make these venison meatballs; you’ll notice that there are no bread crumbs in these bundles of goodness. If you don’t have venison, ground chuck works well too.
2 pounds ground venison (80 percent lean)
1 ¼ teaspoons fine sea salt
¾ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon dried parsley
½ teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons whole milk
4 teaspoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 ½ teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Place the meat in a medium bowl. Add the salt, onion powder, garlic powder, parsley, Italian seasoning, black pepper, cayenne, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, milk, and Parmesan cheese to the bowl. Gently work the ingredients into the ground venison. Do not overwork the meat.
Form the meatballs by scooping ⅓ cup of the mixture into your hand and rolling it into a ball. Pour the oil into a 12-inch cast-iron skillet and place the meatballs close together.
Bake the meatballs for about 25 minutes, until done. Transfer the meatballs to a paper towel–lined plate to drain. Serve warm.
Makes about 12 meatballs, or 4 servings.
Serving Tip: Serve with marinara sauce and spaghetti, with a mushroom cream sauce and egg noodles, or on mini buns with your favorite sandwich toppings.