AB's Meatloaf


 

JimK

TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Yesterday, I tried the recipe posted here:

http://tvwbb.com/eve/forums/a/...0069052/m/5110094404

Overall, not bad at all. I liked it, but I'll continue my search for the perfect meatloaf. I used 80/20 beef and 90/10 ground pork. Here are my results:

After a rest in the fridge:

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The WSM, doing it's thang...

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'Bout 3/4 of the way through:

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Off and ready for a brief rest:

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Plated:

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I served w/ some frozen garlic cheese bread and a cuke salad I made w/ some diced red onion. whipped up a 'dressing' with white vinegar, veg oil, dill, S&P and a dash of red wine vinegar for added zing.
 
Frozen garlic cheese bread? Doesn't that hurt to bite??? Sorry
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Anyhow, looks to be much tastier than the recipe I used from the Cooking Topics section. I need more spice and flavor!

Thanks!
 
It does look good. And I too love simple little fresh cuke salads.

I don't know what you're looking for in a meatloaf but here are a few thoughts and things I do you might find helpful or wish to try:

For a lighter texture/flavor go with a 50-50 mix or beef and pork, or beef and turkey, or beef and pork sausage. Still lighter, go with one third each beef, pork and turkey. (You can use ground bacon in the mix as well.)

Sweat the vegetables: Melt enough unsalted butter in a 50-50 mix with oil over medium heat, just enough to film the pan well, and cook the onion and peppers (and carrot and/or celery - whatever is in your mix), with a pinch of salt, till soft. This will release and evaporate off a lot of their water, concentrating flavors. Add fresh garlic, if using, just for the last minute or two.

Or: For deeper flavor and a sweetness boost, do the same. Use higher heat though, stir more often, and cook till the onion is light to medium brown all over. Add garlic, if using, just for the last 35-45 seconds.

If using thyme (I usually do) try using fresh. Dried is fine if fresh is unavailable but, either way, add to the vegs in the pan when you add the garlic - or just before. The same applies if using chile or chili powder. Many of the flavor volatiles in thyme and chile - and definitely the heat - are fat soluble. These will better release and mix with the bit of fat in the pan and will disperse better when mixed with the meat(s). In all the above cases, scrape the mix onto a sheetpan or into a bowl when done, and allow to cool a bit before mixing the loaf.

Try one egg per pound of meat.

I nearly always add minced fresh parsley and/or minced scallion to the mix to boost the vegetal flavor notes.

Some milk in the mix will add richness. I often add a little cheese as well, like cotija, asiago or parm.

Taking a tablespoon portion of your mix and nuking it just till cooked through, then tasting, will let you know if you need to make flavor adjustments - salt, pepper, etc. - before forming the loaves.

I'm not a fan of glazes of any kind on meatloaf, but to boost flavor even more I cook the meatloaf early enough so that it can cool a while before serving. To serve, I melt unsalted butter in a large pan with a little oil (not a nonstick pan), slice the meatloaf, then sauté the slices, shaking the pan often so the pieces slide (this helps crust development), till moderately browned and lightly crusty on the bottoms; then I flip the slices and brown the other sides. (This is also the only way I reheat leftover meatloaf). Browning the cut sides of the slices adds lots of deep flavor, texture, yet the insides become lighter (from some fat loss to the pan).

Just a few thoughts.
 
I have a much simpler recipe. I like my meatloaf spicy.I use Two pounds 93/7 ground sirloin. I only use egg white, feed the yolk to
my dog. Add a generous portion of Italian breadcrumbs and freshly ground sea salt and cracked black pepper. Go heavy on the ground pepper. Form into a loaf and put into a meatloaf dish. Coat the top of the loaf with your favorite BBQ sauce. Put in the oven at 350 for 70 minutes.

Have never tried to cook one in the bullet but will give it shot.
 
Thanks for the tips, Kevin. It was a bit on the dry side, and I had thought it could have used two eggs, instead of the one called for in the recipe. Love the idea of sweating the veg.

I used one chunk of cherry in this cook and was surprised how little of the flavor came through. Could be I covered it up w/ the glaze and the spices.
 
It's interesting that this thread should show up this morning...I did a meatloaf last night.

Mine had plenty of flavor and smoke, but was tough, and I mean Tough with a capital T. Tough to slice, tough to chew. It was just very dense.

It's a slight variation of the wife's recipe, which she makes in the microwave, and never, ever turns out tough for her.

Here's the recipe I used:
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
8 oz tomato sauce
1 tsp prepared mustard
2 lbs lean ground chuck
1 lb ground pork
1 med onion, chopped
2/3 cup Italian bread crumbs
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 Tbsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp Onion powder
1/2 tsp Garlic powder
Fresh cracked black pepper to taste

Combine brown sugar, tomato sauce, and mustard. Set aside.
Combine beef, onion, bread crumbs, eggs, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder.
Add 1/2 tomato sauce mixture.
Form into a loaf, place on oiled, disposable, foil pizza pan.
Smoke at 350* till 165* internal.
When at 100* internal, pour remaining tomato sauce mixture over loaf.
I used Pecan chunks for smoke.

Anyone have any ideas why it was so tough?
 
Wow. Too sweet for me. Toughness likely is caused by a couple things. First, the mix is fairly dry; second, the finish temp is high relative to the lack of moisture and fat in the mix. Possibly a third: the cooktemp is a bit high relative to the sugar quantity.

The dynamics of microwave cooking are very different. Therein lie differences between hers and yours.

Jim-- Spices won't cover. Glaze can. You can up the smoke to compensate. Or (better, imo), skip the glaze and make a sauce (or gravy) instead. Finishing the sauce with a bit of the dripping will tie it in quite nicely with the loaf.
 
First, the mix is fairly dry; second, the finish temp is high relative to the lack of moisture and fat in the mix. Possibly a third: the cooktemp is a bit high relative to the sugar quantity.

Alright...you know you can't say things like that and not offer alternatives.
Dry - reduce the amount of breadcrumbs?
Temps - start lower, finish lower?
Details, please.

And BTW, if ya'll didn't know...it's always an honor when Kevin comments on one of your posts! :-)
 
I make AB's meatloaf so often I literally have the recipe memorized, but I've never considered doing it on the grill.

Hmm...
 
Charles--

I wouldn't use lean chuck. Use good fattier chuck.

I'd cut the sugar to 1 tablespoon, mix the sauce and so forth, add half to the meat, then add the rest of the sugar to the remaining mix for the glaze, if glazing.

Actually, I'd increase the breadcrumbs by one third (so a full cup) but would suggest making your own (too easy, lighter and less dry, and you can an add better flavorings on your own). Either way, increased breadcrumbs means increased moisture retention so you can increase the liquid a bit in the mix - consider a little milk or some additional tomato - or both. A quarter cup or so of cheese will also help with finish texture.

Cook ~325. Play and see that you think.

Kevin

On edit: add another egg.
 

 

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