Meatloaf is a dish that has a notoriously bad reputation, especially from picky eaters. I know every cook makes the comment, “But my meatloaf is different,” and usually it’s not… With that being said, I promise my meatloaf recipe is different! The keys to delicious, non-boring meatloaf are three things: using a mixture of pork and beef, using bread slices instead of dried breadcrumbs, and not being afraid to use some seasoning. Let’s be honest, meatloaf mostly gets a bad reputation because of accusations of being dry and bland. In my recipe, the addition of pork adds some grease and moisture, the bread slices take away less moisture than breadcrumbs, and the seasonings give the dish some actual flavor.
1 lb Ground Beef
½ lb Ground Pork
4 medium Slices of Bread (White or wheat bread is fine, but avoid bread with excess seeds or grains.)
1 cup Milk
1 Egg
1 tsp Onion Powder
1 ¼ tsp Salt
¼ tsp Celery Salt
¼ tsp Garlic Powder
¼ tsp Ground Mustard
¼ tsp Sage
1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 tbsp Lemon juice
¼ tsp Hot Sauce
1. Use a large fork, mixing tool, or your hands to combine the two meats together.
Kitchen Tip: My preferred tool to make this dish is the Pampered Chef Mix ‘N Chop. Nothing seems to work better than it.
2. Mix all the liquids, the beaten egg, and the seasoning together with a whisk.
3. Pour the liquid mix into the combined meats.
Kitchen Tip: It will seem like there is a lot of excess liquid as it is first being combined, but the bread is going to end up soaking it up in the next step. Don’t panic if it doesn’t seem like the meats and liquids aren’t combining.
4. Rip the four slices of bread into small pieces. The pieces should be slightly smaller than an inch.
Kitchen Tip: Unfortunately, for the next step, you will need to get your hands dirty. No tool will do this next part as well as your own hands. If this concept bothers you, I recommend always having some cooking gloves stored in your cabinets.
5. Use your hands to combine the bread with the liquid and meat. The ingredients should be able to be shaped into one solid ball by the time you are done.
6. Put the ball into a loaf pan (do not grease the pan) and spread it out evenly.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 90 minutes
Very Important Kitchen Tip: If you have an oven that has the option for convection baking, DO NOT USE IT. In order to have a nice and juicy meatloaf that isn’t dried out, you will want to put your oven on regular bake instead. If your oven is only a convection oven, I recommend checking it after only 60 minutes. The internal temperature should be 160 degrees. Pictured below are two different meatloafs I have made. The picture on the left is done with standard baking for 90 minutes. The picture on the right is an example when I accidentally started using convection bake. I remembered after the first 25 minutes and switched it to regular baking mode, but I still had to pull the meatloaf out of the oven 75 minutes because of the accident I made at the beginning of the baking process. Personally, I don’t prefer the crispy edges on a meatloaf that a convection oven creates.
8. Let the meatloaf sit in the pan for 10 minutes before taking it out and cutting. Otherwise it will fall apart when you try to move it to a platter.
If you have never made a meatloaf, and are still feeling skeptical of this dish, I totally understand. It’s hard to overcome the reputation certain foods have earned over the years, but if you want to try it and see, I don’t think you will be disappointed! I recommend two different types of toppings if you are serving it, either ketchup or gravy. Usually I use ketchup because the meatloaf doesn’t always produce enough drippings to make a gravy, but sometimes I will make a Slow Cooker Roast early in the week, make gravy with that, and then make meatloaf a couple of days later to use up the gravy. Either way, it is delicious with a side of mashed potatoes!
August 27, 2024
Meatloaf – Soup's On with Schallock
maximios Recipes
Meatloaf is a dish that has a notoriously bad reputation, especially from picky eaters. I know every cook makes the comment, “But my meatloaf is different,” and usually it’s not… With that being said, I promise my meatloaf recipe is different! The keys to delicious, non-boring meatloaf are three things: using a mixture of pork and beef, using bread slices instead of dried breadcrumbs, and not being afraid to use some seasoning. Let’s be honest, meatloaf mostly gets a bad reputation because of accusations of being dry and bland. In my recipe, the addition of pork adds some grease and moisture, the bread slices take away less moisture than breadcrumbs, and the seasonings give the dish some actual flavor.
1 lb Ground Beef
½ lb Ground Pork
4 medium Slices of Bread (White or wheat bread is fine, but avoid bread with excess seeds or grains.)
1 cup Milk
1 Egg
1 tsp Onion Powder
1 ¼ tsp Salt
¼ tsp Celery Salt
¼ tsp Garlic Powder
¼ tsp Ground Mustard
¼ tsp Sage
1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 tbsp Lemon juice
¼ tsp Hot Sauce
1. Use a large fork, mixing tool, or your hands to combine the two meats together.
Kitchen Tip: My preferred tool to make this dish is the Pampered Chef Mix ‘N Chop. Nothing seems to work better than it.
2. Mix all the liquids, the beaten egg, and the seasoning together with a whisk.
3. Pour the liquid mix into the combined meats.
Kitchen Tip: It will seem like there is a lot of excess liquid as it is first being combined, but the bread is going to end up soaking it up in the next step. Don’t panic if it doesn’t seem like the meats and liquids aren’t combining.
4. Rip the four slices of bread into small pieces. The pieces should be slightly smaller than an inch.
Kitchen Tip: Unfortunately, for the next step, you will need to get your hands dirty. No tool will do this next part as well as your own hands. If this concept bothers you, I recommend always having some cooking gloves stored in your cabinets.
5. Use your hands to combine the bread with the liquid and meat. The ingredients should be able to be shaped into one solid ball by the time you are done.
6. Put the ball into a loaf pan (do not grease the pan) and spread it out evenly.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 90 minutes
Very Important Kitchen Tip: If you have an oven that has the option for convection baking, DO NOT USE IT. In order to have a nice and juicy meatloaf that isn’t dried out, you will want to put your oven on regular bake instead. If your oven is only a convection oven, I recommend checking it after only 60 minutes. The internal temperature should be 160 degrees. Pictured below are two different meatloafs I have made. The picture on the left is done with standard baking for 90 minutes. The picture on the right is an example when I accidentally started using convection bake. I remembered after the first 25 minutes and switched it to regular baking mode, but I still had to pull the meatloaf out of the oven 75 minutes because of the accident I made at the beginning of the baking process. Personally, I don’t prefer the crispy edges on a meatloaf that a convection oven creates.
8. Let the meatloaf sit in the pan for 10 minutes before taking it out and cutting. Otherwise it will fall apart when you try to move it to a platter.
If you have never made a meatloaf, and are still feeling skeptical of this dish, I totally understand. It’s hard to overcome the reputation certain foods have earned over the years, but if you want to try it and see, I don’t think you will be disappointed! I recommend two different types of toppings if you are serving it, either ketchup or gravy. Usually I use ketchup because the meatloaf doesn’t always produce enough drippings to make a gravy, but sometimes I will make a Slow Cooker Roast early in the week, make gravy with that, and then make meatloaf a couple of days later to use up the gravy. Either way, it is delicious with a side of mashed potatoes!