Beef Arancini

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the onion and let it get fragrant for about 2 minutes. Add in the ground beef and brown it while you break it up with a spoon. As the beef cooks, flavor it with the hickory smoked sea salt, Worcestershire sauce and Sriracha. When it is well browned and done, take the skillet off of the heat and set it aside to cool.
2. In a large mixing bowl combine the freshly grated asiago, parmesan, dried oregano, salt, crushed red pepper, marinara sauce and eggs. Add the cooled beef mixture into the bowl. Lastly, the rice goes in. Dive in with your clean hands to gently mix it together into a uniform mixture.
3. Set up a breading line with the flour in the first bowl. In the second bowl whisk together the two eggs and water to make an egg wash. The breadcrumbs go into a third bowl. Then put a sheet tray lined with parchment on the end to hold the breaded arancini. On the stove, fill a large pot with about 7-8 inches of vegetable oil and heat it up over medium high heat. Use a deep fry thermometer to constantly monitor the temperature, you want the oil to get to about 330F.
4. While the oil heats up (which takes some time), bread the arancini. Take handfuls of the rice mixture about the size of your palm and roll them into firm balls. Put each rice ball through the breading line. First, roll it in the flour, then dip it in the egg wash, then thoroughly coat it in the breadcrumbs. Put the finished arancini on the prepared tray. Repeat until all of the mixture is rolled up into balls and the arancini are breaded.
5. The oil should be at 330F at this point. Fry the arancini in batches of 4 or 5. Anything more and it will be too crowded in the pot. It will take about 3 minutes for them to get perfectly golden. Remove them with a slotted spoon or spider and transfer them to a plate lined with paper towel so the oil can drain off. Repeat until they are all fried to perfection. Serve the arancini immediately with warm marinara sauce on the side for dipping. They are such an incredible and flavorful bite!