NFT: Who has a good meatloaf recipe?

I make it by feel, basically. The key thing is not too have any more filler than is necessary to hold the thing together, otherwise you get that spongy texture that is the hallmark of bad meatloaf. I use a pound of beef, a pound of pork, two beaten eggs, about a quarter cup of breadcrumbs. A pinch of salt, a few grinds of the pepper mill, and a couple of splashes of Worchestershire sauce. Mash it all up together, shape it, and bake it at 400 degrees.

If you want a low-carb version, substitute ground-up pork rinds for the breadcrumbs.

Was Randy from A Christmas Story.

Start with a meatloaf mix- ground veal, pork and beef. Less greasy and better flavor. I am not sure of the proportions, but egg and breadcrumbs to bind, ketchup (sorry), dijon mustard, Worcestershire, splash of milk and salt and pepper. My wife does not like adding diced onions or green peppers, but i would.

However, and this may sound gross but it's pretty damn good. My wife makes a turkey meat loaf with BBQ sauce. Just basic seasonings mixed in.

But she got a recipe from her Mom that is pretty damn good. I believe they use chili sauce instead of ketchup.

In comment 14683736 figgy2989 said:

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Was Randy from A Christmas Story.

lol, that was me on meatloaf day. and to be fair it was like a twice a year thing, but I hated it.

Make it by feel as much as anything. I never make it exactly the same twice in a row.

I / we (I taught my wife this) make it with all beef, some breadcrumbs or thoroughly crushed crackers (my mother used oats and that works great, too), an egg to hold it together, and we add some chopped mushrooms, onion, and a little bit of green pepper.

Seasoning is key. A lot of meat loaf has waaaay to much oregano. Take it real easy with that but use a little, and use some basil, salt, and pepper. I have been known to toss in a little red pepper, too. You can also use Italian seasoning in place of the basil and oregano, but don't overdo it.

For appearance as much as anything, we put a center stripe of ketchup or tomato sauce across the top from end to end, but you can certainly eliminate that.

Since you rarely get exactly the same amount of meat - it'll be 1.01 pounds, or 1.07 pounds, or so on - it's never the exact same amount of breadcrumbs. I sprinkle a little bit on it to start, mix it up, and see how it's holding together. If it's still kind of crumbly, I'll add some more.

put a tablespoon or two of Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute in there.

turkey/chicken mix .... garlic powder, black pepper, celery salt, onion powder and cajun seasonings, egg/bread crumb to bind ... "top hat" sauce of your liking.

Ingredients Hamburger,Chopped onion,Chopped Garlic,Italian Bread crumbs,Break a egg or two depending on size,Add some catchup and mix it well should be somewhat dry.

is what we use except we include the sauteed diced onions for moisture and added flavor.

I like a little A1 steak sauce on the side.

save the unfinished ends of Italian/French bread; after they harden grate them and add your own seasoning. It’s especially great for meatballs too, and superior to supermarket cylinder breadcrumbs.

Ton of ingredients but well worth it! I have changed things here and there, so but amazing
Link - ( New Window )

...RAISINS, leaves of fresh parsley, cubes of mozzarella, a slice of bacon and barbeque sauce on top.

THAT disgusting atrocity was my grandmothers meatloaf - it had some evil Sicilian origins - worse even than it sounds, I HATED it as a kid, would dump a quarter cup of ketchup on the side of my plate and fish out some edible pieces to dunk.

Fucking RAISINS in a hot meatloaf. May as well dump live roaches in it. Disgusting.

My wife thought it was odd that I hated meatloaf when we met.

The recipe we use now is basic, no crazy ingredients - I can actually make it without a recipe.

My only recommendation is a half-teaspoon of SAGE to any meatloaf - it IS a difference maker.

make me angry enough to throw things.

But my dad's favorite meatloaf is one my mom makes with a lattice of bacon over it.

but two outta three ain't bad.

I make my meatloaf like most people.

1lb ground meat of choice. I use beef.
2 eggs
2 cups of plain bread crumbs
1 TBS of Worcestershire sauce
2 TBS steak sauce or ketchup
1 pkg onion soup mix (like lipton's)
1 tsp garlic powder, more if you like garlic
Salt and pepper to taste. I usually don't use salt...but I like pepper so I use a lot.

Make a loaf.

Place loaf in the middle of a large backing dish.

Peel and dice (large dices) 4 good size potatoes
Peel and rough chop or cut into 8ths, a large onion
Open a 15oz can of peas and drain MOST of the liquid.

Arrange peas, onion, and potatoes around the meat loaf, dot with small amount of crisco or other shortening.

Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour, and make sure you stir the peas and potatoes around about half way through. Add more water at the half way and 3/4 marks if the potatoes and peas are drying out.

I'm not kidding, this is a great, tasty, easy one pan meal.

What's she DOING in there?

Once made meatloaf with oatmeal. Texture was sort of soft and silky. It was DISGUSTING. Avoid. Eggs and breadcrumbs are a nice binder.

Mix in some mayo which really helps to keep it moist. Also some Anchovy paste mixed in will also add some umami to it and take it to another level

as a dumpster for exotic from our CSA that she can't find a creative way to cook. I like it, but she doesn't have a great feel on the filler to meat ratio. The meatloaf is usually falling a part. Still taste fine.

to those that glaze with ketchup. the glazed tastes way too sweet.

my staple is meat,egg, breadcrumbs, worchester, ketchup and a packet of dry onion soup mix.

But I also will throw some other things i here and there varing it up each time then not remembering what worked well.

Key is to keep it lean so it doesnt get overly greasy. oh and mashed potatoes and corn on the side.

In comment 14683835 aimrocky said:

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as a dumpster for exotic from our CSA that she can't find a creative way to cook. I like it, but she doesn't have a great feel on the filler to meat ratio. The meatloaf is usually falling a part. Still taste fine.

Meant to say exotic veggies.

And stuff it with mozzarella wrapped in thin-sliced deli ham, kind of like a giant chicken cordon blue. It's the bomb.

Bacon wrapped meatloaf with a ketchup glaze is freaking amazing.
Link - ( New Window )

In comment 14683818 Shepherdsam said:

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but two outta three ain't bad.

there he is. lol.

In comment 14683843 pjcas18 said:

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In comment 14683818 Shepherdsam said: Quote: but two outta three ain't bad. there he is. lol.

Indeed...you took the words right out of my mouth, pj

Adapted from the back of a Pepperidge Farm stuffing bag in the 60's. I usually double the recipe.

1 lb meat (dealer's choice)
1/4ish c. grated parm
1/2c. pepperidge farm stuffing
beef broth (1/2c mixed into the loaf - the rest for the gravy)
1 egg
1 med sauteed onion
tsp black pepper
chopped fresh parsley
can of tomato sauce

dot w/ butter
cook 30 min (+10ish if you double the recipe)

pour 1/2 the sauce on top - sprinkle with oregano
cook 30 min (+10ish if you double the recipe)

remove from pan and let rest

mix remaining beef broth and t-sauce in the pan w/ the drippings to make your gravy. Ad a little flour slurry if you want.

A mid-century masterpiece.
Also makes amazing sandwiches the next day.

Bread crumbs...spend an extra buck and buy a baquet, tare it up put in in a blender with 1 or 2 cups of cream with chives etc and mix with the traditional 2 or 3 meat loaf . No ketchup.

In comment 14683805 BleedingBlue2 said:

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Ton of ingredients but well worth it! I have changed things here and there, so but amazing Link - ( New Window )

This is the recipe follow. But the taste of processed mushrooms plus the marmite are a little off-putting for me. But otherwise it's a good recipe.

and in one issue the compiled a ton of meatloaf recipes. There was one, which I unfortunately lost, that was a stroganoff meatloaf with mushrooms and sour cream in the meatloaf and smothered in a stroganoff gravy. It was killer.

rather than breadcrumbs.....but when I tried that, I couldn't discern any real difference. Didn't think it was worth the trouble.

Stove Top Stuffing instead of bread crumbs.

In comment 14683858 Bill L said:

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and in one issue the compiled a ton of meatloaf recipes. There was one, which I unfortunately lost, that was a stroganoff meatloaf with mushrooms and sour cream in the meatloaf and smothered in a stroganoff gravy. It was killer.

sounds closer to what I'm looking for, I think it's almost like a salsbury steak (the Amish Market meatloaf).

and crumbled up bread, not dried bread crumbs. In a loaf pan topped with undiluted Campbells tomato soup.

My wife's latest recipe has green pepper and onions, wrapped in bacon and cooked as a lump on parchment paper on a flat oven pan. Sometimes garnished with french fried onions.

Best recipe ever.
FIVE MINUTE PREP

Add 4 cups stove stop stuffing mix, 1C water, and egg to 1 lb. ground meat.

Breadcrumbs - check
spices - check

I also add little bbq sauce for some attitude.
Top with catsup

scoop into sprayed muffin pan.
25 minutes at 350. The small size of each portion cuts cook time by 50%

bang.

(you're welcome)

Actually just putting this into the oven. Coincidence. I use toasted white bread not the bread crumbs, I use fresh thyme from our garden and I don’t usually have enough parsley on hand but it’s a meatloaf so you can riff where you want.
Cooks Country meatloaf - ( New Window )

That can't be right. That think would be stuffing with a bit of meat here and there.

but the bacon lattice comment reminded me of the famous bacon turtle from years ago. I was posting as Raultney back then and haven't posted in forever, so my account expired. I think this was back around 2008 or so.

I made a few bacon turtles (not exactly meatloaf) and posted pics on here. Those were the days.

Instead of ketchup. Ketchup = surrender.

Is the best. It's also really good cooked in the smoker for something different.

.

This recipe has gotten more compliments than anything else I have cooked...it's on a Rec-Tec smoker

SMOKEHAUS MEATLOAF
INGREDIENTS:

2lbs. 80/20 ground beef
1lb. country sausage
2 eggs
1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
1/2 cup bell pepper, diced
3 tbsp REC TEC Grills Ben's Heffer Dust
1/2lb. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup steak sauce
Topping:

1/2 cup REC TEC Gourmet BBQ Sauce
INSTRUCTIONS:

Pre-heat REC TEC grill to 325°F.
Combine all the ingredients in large bowl and mix well.
Shape the meatloaf using a grill mat to a uniform loaf, flattening the top slightly.
Cook until the loaf registers an internal temperature of 140°F.
Add your choice of ketchup or REC TEC Gourmet BBQ sauce to the top and continue cooking until the loaf reaches an internal temperature of 155°F.
Allow the meatloaf to rest for 15-20 minutes, then slice.

In comment 14684266 Greg from LI said:

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.

Ha! It's not traditional meatloaf but really good. I know PJ likes his smoker and cooking things a little special. Plus what man doesn't like cooking with fire!?

definitely saving this thread :)

In comment 14684442 BigBlue in Keys said:

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In comment 14684266 Greg from LI said: Quote: . Ha! It's not traditional meatloaf but really good. I know PJ likes his smoker and cooking things a little special. Plus what man doesn't like cooking with fire!?

this is true, I love the smoker. It's a legit reason for day drinking. which at my age and stage of my life I cherish. In fact day drinking is one of the things I'm looking forward to with getting old. retire, sit on my porch or fish at a lake somewhere, and drink and I might even take up tobacco smoking. Maybe a pipe or cigars. weed too.

This recipe calls for beef and sausage, but my wife occasionally adds veal as well.
Market St Meatloaf - ( New Window )

for those of us who are gluten free

In comment 14684901 gidiefor said:

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for those of us who are gluten free

Gluten Free Meatloaf = House Burger. This is from Google.

2 lbs ground beef 80/20
1/2 tsp. Cayenne
To Taste Salt & Pepper
1 tsp Garlic powder
1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
1 Green Pepper (minced)
½ Onion (minced
1 Egg

Mix it all together, and cook patties on the grill.

been using. I've been using 1 1/2 lbs beef, 1/2 pound pork, personally. Recipe from Jeff Mauro, former Food Network Star.

Ingredients
Meatloaf:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small Spanish onion, cut into small dice
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon hot sauce, such as Tabasco
2 large eggs
1 pound ground chuck
8 ounces ground pork
8 ounces ground veal
1 cup coarsely crushed saltine crackers (about 24)
1/3 cup minced fresh parsley
Glaze:
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons sriracha sauce
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
For the meatloaf: Heat a skillet over medium heat, add the oil and saute the onions until translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt, add the garlic and saute for 1 to 2 minutes without letting the garlic brown. Set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, mustard, Worcestershire, hot sauce and eggs, then season with salt and pepper. Add the beef, pork and veal along with the crackers, parsley and cooked onion-garlic mixture. Use your hands to mix until everything is evenly combined. Place the meat mixture on the prepared baking sheet and use your hands to gently form into a rustic loaf shape, about 9 inches by 5 inches.
For the glaze: In a small bowl, combine the barbecue sauce, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar and sriracha.
Slather the glaze all over the meatloaf, then bake, basting once halfway through, until the internal temperature registers 165 degrees F, about 1 hour. Let rest for 20 minutes before serving.

...if you can't make meatloaf, get the fuck out of the kitchen. You have absolutely no business there.

In comment 14685029 BMac said:

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...if you can't make meatloaf, get the fuck out of the kitchen. You have absolutely no business there.

What's up B?

In comment 14683861 Greg from LI said:

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rather than breadcrumbs.....but when I tried that, I couldn't discern any real difference. Didn't think it was worth the trouble.

I don't get how using bread is any trouble. I've used recipes that use bread crumbs, bread, saltine crackers or even rice as a filler and all are good.

you might as well make 2. Here's my basic standby meatloaf, This is half of the recipe, but it will freeze well after cooking.

5 lbs. 80/20 Ground Beef
4 Cups Onion (small dice)
4 Cups Celery (small dice)
4 Cups Crimini Mushrooms (small dice)
1/4 Cup Minced Garlic
1 Cup Chopped Fresh Parsley
2 Cups Ketchup (Heinz)
1 Cup Dijon Mustard (Maille brand kicks ass right Lou?)
1/4 Cup Lea & Perrins Worcestershire (use L&P!)
4 Cups Pank Bread Crumbs

Add a little oil to a large saute pan and sweat the onions until they soften, then remove to a bowl. Then repeat with the celery, then the mushrooms, add the garlic to the mushrooms for the last two minutes of cooking. Let the vegetables cool down, then mix in the ground meat. Add all remaining ingredients, and mix until combined. Form into 2 loaves (I usually make them about 2 1/2 inches high, and 5 inches wide)
Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes to an hour. If you want to glaze it with anything, do it for the last 1/2 hour of cooking. This is good with mushroom & onion gravy.