Swedish Meatballs Recipe (They’re Way Better Than IKEA’s)

It may come as somewhat of a shock that Swedish meatballs are, in fact, Turkish. Apparently King Charles XII brought the recipe back from Turkey in the early 1700s. It’s even said that he preferred to enjoy his meatballs with a hot cup of coffee - another iconic Swedish item - although personally, I think I’d pass on that flavor pairing. If you’ve only experienced Swedish meatballs when roaming the highly enjoyable labyrinth that is IKEA, you’re in for a treat. Not that theirs aren’t any good… but these ones are just so, so much better.

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Wild Boar: The Delicious Secret Ingredient

Traditionally these would probably be made with pork, but subbing ground wild boar meat not only adds more depth of flavor to these meatballs but also makes them quite a bit healthier (and more sustainable). Our Southwestern wild boar roam the forests, foraging their natural diet. They love to eat berries, nuts, roots and tubers which give their meat its unique and delectable flavor profile. They’re trapped under the supervision of specialized veterinarians and butchered by a small scale, species specific facility.

Just like all of our products, we care about where this meat comes from. Wild boar are actually an invasive species to North America, and their population continues to grow. They ruin crops and disrupt the growth of endangered plants in forests by digging in the soil. When we eat humanely trapped wild boar meat, it helps to protect our food supply and forest ecosystems.

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Beef That’s Pasture Raised In Mountain Valleys

Our grass-fed & finished beef is raised essentially wild on a beautiful 20,000 acre ranch here in New Mexico. The cows roam freely as far as the eye can see with extremely minimal handling. For those familiar with New Mexico, it might sound surprising that there’s so much lush green grass for them to graze on. These fields are naturally irrigated by a sparkling river flowing with ice-melt from the Sangre de Cristo mountains. We started stocking beef due to popular demand from customers who wanted to eat this meat with the knowledge that it’s impeccably sourced.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons bison tallow, divided
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 pound ground wild boar
• ½ cup Panko breadcrumbs
• 2 egg yolks
• ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

To make the gravy:

• ¼ cup unsalted butter
• ⅓ cup flour
• 4 cups bison bone broth
• ¾ cup sour cream
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Fresh parsley leaves, chopped for garnish
• Lingonberry jam for serving, if desired

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Instructions:

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the bison tallow in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. When the tallow is hot, add in the diced onion and sauté until they’re tender and fragrant, approximately 2-3 minutes.
2. Combine the ground beef, ground wild boar, bread crumbs, 2 egg yolks, spices and cooked onion in a large bowl. Season generously with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Combine thoroughly with clean hands (take care not to overdo it - just keep mixing until everything is incorporated, and then stop).
3. Use clean hands to form about 24 meatballs around 1 ½ inches in diameter.
4. Melt the remaining tablespoon of bison tallow in the skillet. Cook the meatballs in batches, making sure they have ample room in the pan to brown evenly on all sides. Each batch should cook for approximately 4 minutes. As they finish cooking, transfer the meatballs to a plate lined with paper towels.
5. Melt the ¼ cup of butter in the skillet to make the gravy. Use a whisk to mix in the flour gradually, stir constantly for about one minute until the mixture gets a little browned. Gradually whisk in the bison bone broth. Cook for another 1-2 minutes, until the gravy begins to thicken. Stir in the sour cream. Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
6. Add the meatballs back into the pan and cook them in the gravy. Stir occasionally, until they’re cooked all the way through and the gravy has thickened as desired (approximately 8-10 minutes).
7. Serve immediately, garnished with chopped parsley on top.

Our Beck & Bulow Team Is Here To Serve

All of our products are packaged by hand in our Santa Fe warehouse and delivered straight to your door, in a reusable cooler with dry ice for optimal freshness. Our team is more than happy to help with any questions you may have, from helping you select items for your order to assisting with cooking tips and recipe ideas. Feel free to reach out, and know that each time you call our offices you’ll be directly connected with one of our friendly team members here in Santa Fe.

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