British Meatballs Recipe - English Venison Meatballs | Hank Shaw (2024)

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Comfort food at its finest. These are classic British meatballs, mixed with a bit of liver and oats, wrapped in caul fat. Yeah, I hear ya: Some of you just got a bit less hungry. But hey, have I ever steered you wrong before? I didn’t think so. Walk with me a moment.

If you like meatballs or meatloaf, you’ll like these. The grain — ground oats in this case, although breadcrumbs work, too — keeps things moist, and a little bit of liver ground in there adds a lot of flavor without getting all… livery. It’s a great use for wild game livers if you save them. Add to this the classic “Scarborough Faire” spices of parsley, sage, thyme (no rosemary, although it’d be fine) and wrap the thing in caul fat. More on that in a bit.

If you are British, you are probably saying to yourself right now, “Well, those are fa*ggots.” Yes they are. But as any English speaker knows, that word also happens to be one of the harsher things you can call a gay man, and gay men are, justifiably, displeased when we blithely use that term for this dish.

So what to call them? Not crepinettes, which, while great, are a French thing, and may in factbe derivative of the English version. (This is disputed.) There are also the amusing names “savoury ducks” or “poor man’s goose,” but they’re not terribly helpful. Really they are a meatball. A very good meatball.

I use venison here, but pork is traditional. Use pretty much any meat you want, so long as there is ample fat. Without fat, you will have dry and sad meatballs.

You’ll also want to try to get your hands on some caul fat. If you are a hunter, look for it when you gut a deer or pig — caul is the lacy lining of the gut cavity behind the diaphragm. I’ve managed to save it in several wild pigs and deer I’ve shot, and it’s perfect for this recipe. What is caul? A fatty membrane that helps whatever you wrap it witha) stay together, and b) stay moist. Aside from meatballs, you’ll see caul used to wrap really lean meats like venison loin and hare.

Admittedly, it can be tough to find. Most butcher shops will be able to get it frozen, and that’s OK. But if you don’t live near a butcher shop, you are most likely out of luck unless you get your own from the animals you hunt. Your other option is really thin bacon. Not as good, but it’ll work.

What do these meatballs taste like? They taste homey, warm and juicy. A little soft, welcoming and very meaty. The caul mostly cooks away, but leaves just enough to make it seem like there is an ultra thin sausage casing around the meatball; a little snap.

Once baked, British meatballs keep well for reheating, so are a great Sunday night meal you can serve again during the week.