Meatballs in crock pot?!
Answers: If I am making homemade meatballs in the crock pot, do I need to brown them first? If i brown them and then add them with sauce to the crock pot, how long do i cook them?
It is best to brown them at medium-high heat in a saucepan. You want to seal in the flavor and browning them helps enhance their flavor too. Plus, you want to cook some of the fat out of the meatballs so it's not floating around in your sauce making it greasy. Oh, and please learn from a mistake I made when I was younger, after browning the meatballs, add the COLD sauce to the COLD crock pot and then turn the crockpot on. Once the sauce starts to heat up, THEN add the meatballs. I once poured hot meatballs straight into the cold crock pot, and because of the drastic change in heat it cracked and broke the pot!! You can cook the meatballs on low 8 to 10 hours, or high for 2 to 3 hours (start the time once you have added the meatballs and closed the lid). You don't need to cook them as long as other foods because you have already started the cooking process by browning them. If you cook them any longer than that they will become dry and rubbery (yes, even if they are cooking in the sauce). Also, be sure not to take off the lid during cooking or it will add on another 15 to 20 minutes to the cooking time as you have just released the trapped heat, and it will take some time to get the inside back to the temp you set it to. You can also use frozen meatballs. Make the meatballs with the raw meat and the other ingredients, then brown the meatballs. Place them in the freezer in a single layer so they won't stick together. Once you are ready to cook them, no thawing necessary. Just pour the sauce and frozen meatballs into the cold crock pot. Stir, and then turn on the crock pot and cook on low for 10 to 12 hours or high for 5 to 6 hours.
P.S. If you have made your meatballs properly, they will not fall apart if you cook them in the crock pot without browning them first. They will be bland, though because they will absorb alot of the flavor of the sauce.
Brown the meatballs first. Put into crock pot. Add your sauce and cook on low for 8hrs. or high for 4 hrs.
Yes I would brown them first to seal in the juices and if your using a crock pot depending on the size of your meatballs cook on low for 4 to 5 hours.
yes brown them so they don't fall apart
Brown them first on the stove, then leave them in the crockpot with a sauce for 3-4 hours. Depending on the kind of meat you use, and the extenders and binders, you could end up with spaghetti sauce instead of meatballs in sauce if you cook them too long.