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Boulets liégeois
Boulets à la liégeoise: Liège meatballs in sweet-sour apple and pear syrup sauce
Liège is famous for its boulets: big, tennis-ball-sized meatballs served in a dark, sticky sauce made with sirop de Liège, the region's thick apple-and-pear syrup, with onions and a little vinegar. They are a brasserie staple across Wallonia, eaten with a mountain of chips and a side of salad, and families make them for Sunday lunch. The mix is half pork, half beef, so this is a pork dish. Rushing the onions is the step most people get wrong: they need a good 20 minutes to turn sweet before the sauce comes together. Chef's tip: if you cannot find sirop de Liège, use 3 tablespoons of apple butter or date syrup with 1 tablespoon of black treacle for the same dark, fruity tang.
- Total time
- 75 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the meatballs
For the sauce
Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Soak 2 slices stale white bread in ¼ cup water for 5 minutes, then squeeze it out and crumble it into a large bowl.
5 minStep 2: Add 12 ½ oz pork mince, 12 ½ oz beef mince, 1 onion, 1 egg, ⅓ oz fresh parsley, ¼ tsp ground nutmeg, 1 ¼ tsp salt and ½ tsp ground black pepper. Mix with your hands until evenly combined. Shape into 8 large balls with wet hands.
Step 3: Heat 2 tbsp sunflower oil in a wide casserole over a medium-high heat and brown the meatballs for 8–10 minutes, turning, until crusted all over. They will finish cooking in the sauce. Lift them out.
10 minStep 4: Lower the heat to medium-low, add 3 onions with a pinch of salt and cook for 20 minutes, stirring often, until soft, sweet and golden brown.
20 minStep 5: Stir in 1 tbsp plain flour for 1 minute, then add 2 cups beef stock, 4 tbsp sirop de Liège (apple and pear syrup), 2 tbsp red wine vinegar, 1 tbsp brown sugar, 3 sprigs fresh thyme, 1 bay leaf and 2 cloves. Stir until the syrup dissolves and bring to a simmer.
Step 6: Return the meatballs, cover and simmer gently for 25 minutes, turning them halfway. Cut one in half: there should be no pink, and the centre should read 160°F.
25 minStep 7: Uncover and simmer for 5 more minutes if the sauce needs to thicken to a glossy coat. Taste: it should be sweet and sharp at once; add a splash more vinegar if it is too sweet. Remove the cloves and bay.
5 minStep 8: Serve with chips and a green salad. Leftovers keep 3 days in the fridge; reheat until bubbling.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 610 kcal
- Protein
- 37 g
- Carbs
- 36 g
- Fat
- 35 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does boulets liégeois take?
- About 75 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 50 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of egg?
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water per egg, left for 5 minutes (baking only; vegan).
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