HELP!!!!!

_ I am trying to my meatballs like my late MIL made. They were actually red from papricka and moist an flavorful. I think they were an old German recipe from her mother. My husband loved them and I have tried several times, but can't reproduce them. I just made some and fried a test meatball, dry with hardly any flavor. I used ground chuck, onion, celery, salt, pepper, 2 eggs, 2 slices of wet bread, and lots of papricka. Does anyone have any idea what I am doing wrong?
Peg