Leave it to celebrity chef Alton Brown to teach us an entirely unexpected way to make meatballs, and it involves using an egg carton. We know it sounds ridiculous, but don’t laugh! After hearing Alton’s explanation behind using a cardboard egg carton, you’ll understand why it’s actually a brilliant hack when cooking the meaty delicacy.
The Cutthroat Kitchen host recently took to Instagram to share this personal photo, writing, “Thinking about the time I roasted my meatballs in an egg carton to wick away the grease. #crispyallover.” People quickly realized the reason behind the inventive idea and began commenting. One of Alton’s followers wrote”Holy hell that’s brilliant!,” while another complimented him saying “You’re so smart,” as well as “This is genius.” Yeah, it is!
The reason why Alton’s hack is so brilliant is that it solves the pesky problem of grease pools that form when you bake meatballs on a square sheet pan. The best-tasting meatballs are roasted or seared first for a crispy exterior and then finished off by simmering in tomato sauce to keep them juicy. However, we do have one concern that Alton has yet to address about this method which is: does the egg carton burn in the oven? I guess we’ll just have to find that out on our own.
Alton Brown’s meatball recipe calls for a combo of ground beef, ground pork, and ground lamb and the seasonings include garlic powder, dried parsley, dried basil, and red pepper flakes. The medium sized meatballs are bound together with eggs and breadcrumbs as well as spinach for good measure, too. It’s your standard meatball recipe with a twist (as Alton’s recipes typically are), and the egg carton technique makes it even more special.