Pork Instead of Turkey in Meatballs

Asked by Vics. Answered on 16th April 2011

Full question

The Turkey Meatball recipe in the Kitchen book says that you can freeze the leftovers. Can you do this if you use pork instead of turkey? (I've always thought you have to be careful about re-heating pork?). Thanks.

Our answer

You can use minced or ground pork instead of turkey in the meatballs. As pork is a lean meat it doesn't always reheat very well as it can become dry, however minced pork will contain some fat and as the meatballs are simmered in the tomato sauce and reheated in this sauce they should not dry out as much as a simple cut of pork.

For freezing and reheating pork meatballs we would suggest that you follow the same guidelines as for freezing and reheating all stews and meatballs. Cool and refrigerate the dish as quickly as possible (within 2 hours of cooking) and when completely cold pack portions into resealable containers and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost the meatballs overnight in the refrigerator and reheat gently until the sauce and meatballs are piping hot all the way through.