Moink balls
While browsing online, Gijs came across a MOINK balls recipe and, being curious, decided to give it a try. MOINK balls are a true party snack: Italian-style meatballs wrapped in bacon. Even King Willem-Alexander has tried them. Because the cooking temperature for MOINK balls does not need to be extremely precise, they are also ideal as a snack during long barbecue sessions, for example with spareribs or pulled pork. Below is the official MOINK ball recipe, with a few notes from Gijs on how he thinks it can be improved.
Ingredients:
- 300 g bacon (breakfast bacon)
- Cocktail skewers
- Smoking wood (apple/pear/cherry)
- 1 tsp coarse salt
- 1 tbsp freshly ground pepper
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1.5 tbsp paprika powder
- 1.5 tsp mustard powder
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 750 g ground beef (Gijs prefers a half-beef, half-pork mix. It is less dry, but not “official”)
- 40 g Parmesan
- 1 egg
- 60 g breadcrumbs (seasoned)
- 120 ml milk
- 2 cloves fresh garlic
- 2 tsp parsley
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 1 tsp oregano
- 240 ml raspberry jam
- 60 ml balsamic vinegar
- 3 cloves fresh garlic
- 2 chipotles in adobo sauce (1 chipotle gives a less dominant flavor)
Preparation:
Although this recipe uses quite a few ingredients, the preparation is relatively simple. But because barbecuing together is always more fun than doing it alone, Gijs called in backup today. For the MOINK balls, Gijs starts with the meat mixture. His friends first finely chop 2 garlic cloves and grate 40 grams of Parmesan. Then the egg is beaten and all ingredients for the balls are kneaded together thoroughly.
While the meat mixture is being prepared, Gijs lights the barbecue and starts on the rub. The cooking temperature for MOINK balls is between 105 and 120°C. For the rub, Gijs throws all ingredients into an electric coffee grinder, so he does not have to grind salt and pepper by hand, and everything is mixed well right away.
By the time Gijs has lit the barbecue and prepared the rub, the meat mixture is ready too. Now it is time to roll the meatballs, each about 30 to 35 grams. Once shaped, Gijs sprinkles them with rub and wraps them in strips of breakfast bacon. A toothpick keeps the bacon from sliding off the balls on the barbecue.
Gijs lets the balls firm up in the fridge while the barbecue warms up. Once the barbecue is at temperature, the MOINK balls can go on. This time Gijs chose to place them on a pizza stone, though this increases the risk of burning the sauce that goes on later. However, the rack above the stone was already in use that day, so he had little choice.
Gijs does recommend being careful with smoke, though. Minced meat is more porous and can become over-smoked quickly. Try to keep smoke time to a maximum of 20 to 30 minutes.
While the MOINK balls are on the barbecue for about an hour, it is time to make the sauce. Officially, MOINK balls are served with a Raspberry Balsamic Chipotle Sauce. For this sauce, Gijs puts 240 ml raspberry jam, 60 ml balsamic vinegar, 2 chipotles in adobo, and 3 garlic cloves into a blender. Once smooth, he pours the sauce into a saucepan and heats it while stirring until it becomes fully liquid.
Once the MOINK balls reach an internal temperature of 60°C (after about one hour), it is time to coat them with sauce. To keep the barbecue from cooling down too much (there is other meat on it too), Gijs quickly takes the balls off and puts them in a bowl. He then pours the sauce from the pan into the bowl and tosses all balls until evenly coated.
Now the MOINK balls go back on the barbecue until they reach an internal temperature of 70°C (after about 30 minutes). After that, they are ready to eat.
If you want to serve this dish at a party, prepare the balls and sauce in advance. That way, they only need to be cooked on the day itself. Reheating is also possible, but Gijs personally likes that a bit less.