Meatloaf

[MarketStEl]

As some of you are no doubt aware, it's possible to do a "barbecue" version of just about anything. Here's mine:

1.5 pounds meatloaf mix (or 1 pound ground beef and 1/2 pound each ground pork and veal)

1/4 cup bread crumbs

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons dried minced onion

1/2 teaspoon Season-All

1 teaspoon barbecue spice blend

1 egg, beaten

1 1/4 cups Gates' Barbecue Sauce, divided

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Combine all ingredients in bowl, reserving 1/2 cup of the barbecue sauce. Mix well to blend. Shape into loaf and bake at 400 F for 40 minutes. Pour remaining sauce over top of loaf and bake an additional 20 minutes.

Gates' Barbecue Sauce is available directly from the source online. However, a fellow expat Kansas Citian I know--a retired math professor at Drexel--warned me when we last spoke that Gates' and Son's mail order service is erratic and hires butterfingered handlers; he has received shipments that included broken bottles. You might do better ordering from one of the many barbecue lovers' emporia online such as America's Best Barbecue.

Or better still, make it yourself. Ollie's been pretty busy spreading the recipe around lately, appearing on the Food Network's "From Martha's Kitchen" (recipe link no longer easily accessible, but I know someone posted it when I mentioned this on eG some months back), CBS' "The Early Show" and other programs. This version of the recipe on Just Recipes recommends you simmer the sauce for 30 minutes to blend the flavors properly. So do I. Most versions of the recipe I've seen online do not call for this step, and you will get an okay Gates' sauce without it, but it really does make a difference. Warning: The recipe as published makes lots of sauce. You can freeze it, but unless you're a big barbecue sauce user, you may want to consider halving it.

Too lazy to order or make Gates'? You have my permission to substitute KC Masterpiece instead, but the flavor won't be the same.

Edited December 15, 2004 by MarketStEl (log)

[clumsycook]

How do you make your meatloaf--with all beef, or a mix? I use all beef from a local farm that raises Highland cattle and makes great ground meat, don't know the fat content but probably high, and sometimes put their bacon over-top. Always comes out moist and beefy. But I know some traditionalists use a mix of beef and pork. Anyone know why pork--does it make up for a lower beef-fat content? Or it is just for taste?

[Darienne]

Yummmm...meatloaf. I have been thinking about meatloaf lately. Or even little meatballs (Albondiguitas) for Albondigas soup.

The original recipe calls for pork, veal and lamb, but I can't recall the last time I saw veal for sale locally and lamb is too costly for our budget, and therefore it's beef and pork with the usual bread, milk, egg, onion, spices and chipotle peppers.

[Katie Meadow]

Equal parts ground chuck, veal and pork. I use relatively lean pork, and I think most of the richness comes from the chuck. I don't try to buy extra lean beef.

[PopsicleToze]

Equal parts beef/pork/veal. Pork for the flavor.

Rhonda

[emilyr]

My/my mom's meatloaf is all beef, if only because I don't remember seeing ground pork or turkey in the grocery store until I was 16, and despite living in a moderately-sized city for four year, I've still never seen ground veal available. We tend to do Italian flavors - garlic, bread crumbs (yes - I'll cop to it, Italian seasoned bread crumbs from a can - we're a family of 6 and next to never have leftover bread of any sort), eggs, milk, oregano, basil and parsley, lots of salt and pepper.

I have to admit that I've never had dry meatloaf at home and we never use sauteed onions, ketchup, tomato sauce or bacon (but couldn't eat the school's without generous portions of ketchup or gravy). I guess we just know the timing? Maybe it's just because meatloaf is usually a cheap dinner and we're buying the cheapes/fattiest hamburger? All I know is that it's beef-y and garlic-y and delicious. As a matter of fact, we decided this morning to have some for dinner tonight.

[OliverB]

pork and beef, 50/50. Don't know why, that's just how my grandmother and my mom make it. Same for patties or meat balls. I've never made it myself, but would do it this way. Bacon on top sure sounds good!

I'd not use veal unless I come across some cheap ground veal, unlikely. Lamb could be interesting I guess.

What's called Hackfleisch, (minced meat) in Bavaria tends to be a 50/50 mix. I'll ask a butcher next time I'm over there or ask my mom to ask why they do it this way. Maybe because most cows are raised for milk and the meat of those breeds is less fatty? Beef is not the most popular.

[SobaAddict70]

Pork, paired with milk lends a sweetness that I find appealing.

Wonderful in meatballs also.

[fooey]

The internets will store this forever, so I blame my mother: Lipton Onion Soup Mix, 1/2 oink, 1/2 moo, bacon fat, old bread (crust removed, soaked in milk, squeezed), never bread crumbs, lots of garlic, black pepper, eggs, and 1T yellow mustard (no idea why she uses this, but maybe the acid helps), salt.

Never, ever anything tomato on top. When I see tomato sauce or (mein gott, ketchup!) on a meatloaf, I point and cringe and call it blasphemer!

Garlic mashed taters on the side with gravy made from the drippings are requisite, ja? Oh, oh and brussel sprouts perfectly done (the greatest vegetable no one seems to like).

Darienne, did you say Albondigas in public?! How could you! I even have Macrona almonds for almond sauce.

Edited September 14, 2009 by fooey (log)

[patti]

One pound ground beef and and one pound ground pork, a few splashes of Worcestershire sauce as well as a few dashes of Tabasco. Couple squirts of ketchup, a handful of chopped onions & peppers, a little minced garlic, some breadcrumbs, one egg, and a heavy hand of Tony Chachere's seasoning. Mix, form into a loaf, and place in a baking dish that has been sprayed with Pam. I usually bake mine in a 9 x 12 pyrex dish and not one that the meatloaf just fits into. C'est bon!

Ooh, I forgot. Sometimes I lay a couple of slices of bacon across the top.

Edited September 14, 2009 by patti (log)

[Pierogi]

50% ground chuck, 25% ground pork and 25% ground veal. For those of you that can't find ground veal, get some cheap veal steaks/chops/etc., trim it up, but don't take off all the fat, and blitz it in your food processor for a bit. Works like a charm. The pork adds flavor and the veal lightens the mix. An egg, and some bread crumbs (fresh is best, but panko works) and spices/seasonings/herbs as the mood strikes. Fresh parsley and thyme are the most usual suspects. MAYBE sage, and a hint of rosemary, but just a hint. S&P of course. Milk yes, to soak the bread crumbs if they're fresh. Garlic always. Onions, probably 99.9% of the time (pre-sauteed or just diced very fine). Bacon on top usually. Sorry, but yes, sometimes catsup on top. Never, ever tomato SAUCE on top. Mashed potatoes with a brown gravy from the drippings on the side.

The best part is the meatloaf sammiches for lunch at work the rest of the week.....

[ray goud]

50% ground chuck, 25% ground pork and 25% ground veal. For those of you that can't find ground veal, get some cheap veal steaks/chops/etc., trim it up, but don't take off all the fat, and blitz it in your food processor for a bit. Works like a charm. The pork adds flavor and the veal lightens the mix. An egg, and some bread crumbs (fresh is best, but panko works) and spices/seasonings/herbs as the mood strikes. Fresh parsley and thyme are the most usual suspects. MAYBE sage, and a hint of rosemary, but just a hint. S&P of course. Milk yes, to soak the bread crumbs if they're fresh. Garlic always. Onions, probably 99.9% of the time (pre-sauteed or just diced very fine). Bacon on top usually. Sorry, but yes, sometimes catsup on top. Never, ever tomato SAUCE on top. Mashed potatoes with a brown gravy from the drippings on the side.

The best part is the meatloaf sammiches for lunch at work the rest of the week.....

Very good and almost perfect.... now add a glaze of 50 percent maple syrup/dijon mustard, and replace the bread crumbs with crushed saltines (lots of 'em) and you have perhaps the ultimate.

Haven't tried this variation yet, but a best friend says to add raisins!!!

Ray

[KensethFan]

I use 50% veal and 50% beef. Comes out really well, with good flavor. Some use pork for both the fat content and the taste. I don't eat pork so I find this is the best compromise.

[Pookie]

50/50 pork and beef. And an egg, some panko and whatever sauces tickle my fancy. Hp, BBq, Ketchup etc. If we are feeling like the kid is not eating her veggies I will blitz some carrots very finely and mix those in too. They give a slight sweetness and make me feel better.

I glaze the top with some sauce or another. We eat a lot of meatloaf as it is something we can all agree is good.

[Jaymes]

Last night I made Cajun Meatloaf from Louisiana Kitchen.

This was a huge hit!

[Emily_R]

My meatloaf improved dramatically when I jettisoned from breadcrumbs and replaced them with bread soaked in milk (my recipe sounds very close to the one Marco_Polo described above. The bread/milk makes incredible difference in moistness and texture. Same goes for meatballs.

[Jaymes]

My meatloaf improved dramatically when I jettisoned from breadcrumbs and replaced them with bread soaked in milk (my recipe sounds very close to the one Marco_Polo described above. The bread/milk makes incredible difference in moistness and texture. Same goes for meatballs.

Interesting to me, now that I type this, that I've never tried the bread soaked in milk. I've used everything else - bread crumbs, cracker crumbs, even instant oatmeal, but for some reason, bread soaked in milk just didn't sound that appealing.

However, after reading your post, I'm definitely going to do it the next time I make meatloaf.

What kind of bread did you use? Just a white bread with a good crumb - something like Italian or French?

[Toliver]

My meatloaf improved dramatically when I jettisoned from breadcrumbs and replaced them with bread soaked in milk (my recipe sounds very close to the one Marco_Polo described above. The bread/milk makes incredible difference in moistness and texture. Same goes for meatballs.

Interesting to me, now that I type this, that I've never tried the bread soaked in milk. I've used everything else - bread crumbs, cracker crumbs, even instant oatmeal, but for some reason, bread soaked in milk just didn't sound that appealing.

However, after reading your post, I'm definitely going to do it the next time I make meatloaf.

What kind of bread did you use? Just a white bread with a good crumb - something like Italian or French?

Jaymes, my mom does the same thing (milk soaked bread) and just uses whatever bread she has on hand.

As an FYI...the combination of milk and bread is called a panade. I discovered this thanks to Cooks Illustrated's recipe for meatballs that was brought up in the eGullet meatballs discussion. The starch and milk combine to soften the meat so it will be less dense. It works for meatloaf as well as meatballs.

[snowangel]

I, too, swear by the bread soaked in milk technique. Oh, and I don't add eggs. As soon as I went this route, my kids would eat meatloaf!

[Jaymes]

I, too, swear by the bread soaked in milk technique. Oh, and I don't add eggs. As soon as I went this route, my kids would eat meatloaf!

No eggs? How does that change the texture?

[snowangel]

I, too, swear by the bread soaked in milk technique. Oh, and I don't add eggs. As soon as I went this route, my kids would eat meatloaf!

No eggs? How does that change the texture?

It seems to make it lighter with the milk-soaked bread and no eggs. Try it. (I also like to add crumbled bacon to the mix.)

[snowangel]

Does anyone see any reason not to freeze a raw meatloaf?

[heidih]

I have a vague recollection of trying to freeze it raw before, and if I am not mistaken, there was lots of weeping of fluids when I defrosted and the end result had a texture I did not care for. That may have been a function of the amount of egg, onion, bread crumb in the mix.

[Pierogi]

Last night I made Cajun Meatloaf from Louisiana Kitchen.

This was a huge hit!

Did you make the "Very Hot Cajun Sauce" as well ? If so, was it that murderous? Some of Prudhomme's stuff is relatively tame (which the meatloaf stikes me as) and some is off the charts HOT (which to me, without making it, seems like the sauce would be).

I trust you Jaymes, your carnitas are Da Bomb. Tell me about the sauce, if you can. TIA.

[Jaymes]

Last night I made Cajun Meatloaf from Louisiana Kitchen.

This was a huge hit!

Did you make the "Very Hot Cajun Sauce" as well ? If so, was it that murderous? Some of Prudhomme's stuff is relatively tame (which the meatloaf stikes me as) and some is off the charts HOT (which to me, without making it, seems like the sauce would be).

I trust you Jaymes, your carnitas are Da Bomb. Tell me about the sauce, if you can. TIA.

Didn't make the "Very Hot Cajun Sauce." It does look pretty tangy and some members of my family are not that fond of heat. Also, my family is very fond of the meatloaf glaze that I've used for some thirty years, so that's what I always put on top of my meatloaves, regardless as to which recipe I've used for the loaves.

Here it is:

Sweet & Sour Meatloaf Glaze

* 1/3 c catsup

* 1 tsp Worsty

* 1 T dark brown sugar

* 1 T yellow mustard

* 1 tsp (or more to taste) horseradish

Mix all ingredients together, brush over meatloaf. Lay bacon strips on top if desired.

Oh, and PS - thanks for the compliment about the carnitas. It really pleases me to know that someone is enjoying my recipes and I appreciate your letting me know.

Edited September 27, 2009 by Jaymes (log)