Recipes

Beef Croquettes

Recipe No. 183 from the U.S. Army's WWII cookbook — Fritters and Croquettes. Quantities are exactly as printed, for 100 servings; a scaled-down 8-serving version is in the notes.

Army TM10-412 · Beef

Serves 100 servings, two croquettes each.
View source — TM 10-412 Army Recipes (War Department, 1944) ↗

Recipe No. 183 from the U.S. Army’s WWII cookbook — Fritters and Croquettes. Quantities are exactly as printed, for 100 servings; a scaled-down 8-serving version is in the notes.

Ingredients

  • Beef, cooked, ground — 25 pounds
  • Salt — 2 ounces (4 mess kit spoons)

Pepper — ¼ ounce (1 mess kit spoon)

  • Onions, finely chopped — 5 pounds (5 No. 56 dippers)
  • Fat (for frying) — 2½ pounds (1¼ No. 56 dippers)
  • Flour, sifted — 2 pounds (2 No. 56 dippers)

Meat stock, hot — 2 quarts (2 No. 56 dippers)

  • Eggs, slightly beaten — 30 eggs (1½ No. 56 dippers)
  • Bread crumbs, dry — 5 pounds (5 No. 56 dippers)
  • Mace (optional) — ¼ ounce (½ mess kit spoon)
  • Milk, evaporated — 1—14½-ounce can
  • Water (for milk) — 1 pint (½ No. 56 dipper)
  • Eggs, slightly beaten — 10 eggs (½ No. 56 dipper)
  • Flour, sifted (for rolling) — as needed
  • Bread crumbs — as needed
  • Fat (for frying) — as needed

Directions

Key ingredients

Evaporated Milk

  1. Mix ground beef, salt, and pepper together.
  2. Fry onions until brown; add flour and mix well.
  3. Add hot stock gradually; heat to boiling point, stirring constantly.
  4. Cool; add slightly beaten egg, bread crumbs, mace, and ground beef; mix thoroughly. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.
  5. Mix milk and water; add beaten egg and mix well.
  6. Shape meat into croquettes; roll in flour and dip in egg and milk mixture. Roll in crumbs.
  7. Fry in deep fat (350° F.) 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve hot.

Notes

SCALED TO 8 SERVINGS (the original is ÷12.5): Beef, cooked, ground — 2 lb Salt — about 1 tsp Pepper — a pinch Onions, finely chopped — 6⅓ oz Fat (for frying) — 3¼ oz Flour, sifted — 2½ oz Meat stock, hot — 10¼ tbsp Eggs, slightly beaten — 2⅓ eggs Bread crumbs, dry — 6⅓ oz Mace (optional) — a pinch Milk, evaporated — ½ can (14½ oz) Water (for milk) — 2½ tbsp Eggs, slightly beaten — ¾ eggs Flour, sifted (for rolling) — to taste Bread crumbs — to taste Fat (for frying) — to taste

— TM 10-412, Army Recipes (War Department, 15 August 1944), recipe No. 183, Fritters and Croquettes. Army measures: 1 No. 56 dipper = 1 qt; 1 No. 55 dipper = 1¾ qt; 1 mess kit cup = 1½ pints.