If You're Not Grilling Meatballs, You're Missing Out On This Bold Backyard Flavor

No matter where you are in the world, people love meatballs, from Swedish köttbullars to Persian koftas and Spanish albondigas. So how do you make your meatball stand out from the crowd and turn above average to exemplary? While there are many factors that go into making delicious meatballs — the fat content in the mince, the seasoning, the quality of the panade, the correct rolling technique — the one surefire trick to add bold, backyard flavor to your meatballs is to cook them on the grill.

Take a classic Italian meatball recipe, for example. It traditionally starts with panade, a thick bread-and-milk paste that keeps the meatballs moist, plus ground meat, parmesan, and seasoning. Once you've rolled the meatballs, you would throw them into an oven for 15-20 minutes before taking them out and cooking them in a sauce. This process will deliver great meatballs, no doubt. What it won't deliver is the charred, smoky hit that will make them unforgettable.

Like the oven method, there are two steps when it comes to cooking meatballs on the grill. First, place them on the grill right over the hot coals. Cook them on each side until the surface is charred enough that the meatball will slide right off. This should take around one to two minutes on each side. Next, move the meatballs away from the coals to a part of the grill where the heat is more gentle. Cover and cook for another 15-20 minutes. What you have now are super-smoky, aggressively charred meatballs that truly stand out.

So, what's the difference between oven roasting and grilling? In theory, both work on similar principles. The first step in both methods gives the meatballs a caramelized, charred exterior, while the second step allows them to cook through at lower temperatures. The difference comes down to two factors: temperature and control. Cooking meatballs in the oven gives you 100% control over the temperature and time. It takes guesswork completely out of the equation and once you've got the recipe nailed down, you'll make deliciously moist meatballs every single time.

With the grilling method, the payoff is the bolder flavor, but you do give up some control. In many ways, these meatballs are like miniature burgers, and people tend to make a lot of mistakes when it comes to grilling burgers. One of the big ones is not understanding the different heat temperature zones on the grill. The high-heat zone which gets direct heat from the coals and sears on the meat, and the the low-heat zone which gets indirect heat and cooks the meat all the way through.

Cooking on high heat also comes with the risk of the meatballs drying up. To avoid this, it's essential not to cook them over direct heat for too long. You could also move the meatballs from the direct heat into an aluminium pan and toss it in some sauce before covering and cooking them in indirect heat