½ cup breadcrumbs
2 onions, finely grated and excessive juice removed
4 cloves garlic, mashed (optional)
1 and ½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes or Aleppo pepper, optional
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon chili powder, optional
¼ cup water
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon lemon juice
In a large bowl, combine ground beef, breadcrumbs, finely diced onion and mashed garlic. Add in the spices. In a small bowl, mix baking soda, water and lemon juice. Pour this into the ground beef mixture. Mix well with your hand. Knead it for 5 minutes so that everything is combined well. Cover and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight or at least 2-3 hours. Roll them into meatballs. Heat olive oil in a cast iron pan or any non-stick pan. Cook the meatballs over high heat, flipping them over or shaking the pan occasionally so that all sides are cooked for about 3 minutes. Don't overcrowd the pan, cook the meatballs in batches until they finish or save some to freeze.