Honor The Humble Meatloaf

Meatloaf and Meatloaf Recipes have probably been around as long as there has been ground beef.

I would guess that it probably has an Italian origin since it's a second cousin to the meatball.

It's also along the same lines as forcemeats or pates, which are more European. But the popularity of this ground beef concoction is strictly because of North Americans.

Most recipes consist of seasoned ground beef with a binder such as egg, a starch such as bread or cracker crumbs and sometimes vegetables, formed into a loaf shape and then baked.

It can be a combination of meats as well, including veal, lamb or pork.

Many recipes call for pasta sauce, tomato sauce or even catsup to be poured over the loaf to form a crust during baking.

It is often served warm as the main course, but can also be sliced as a cold cut. To me there's nothing better than a cold meatloaf sandwich with lots of mayonnaise.

Creating a Meatloaf Recipe

Meatloaf is a blank canvas for beef cooking. There is no definitive recipe. It can be anything you want it to be.

Think of it more as a food category rather than a food item. The same as "cookie" or "cake" is.

Great meatloaf is always juicy but never greasy. It shouldn't fall apart when sliced. It should not be bland but it should also not be so heavily seasoned that it looses its meatiness.

And it should always be cooked to perfection.

The Meat Mixture

This all begins with the selection of the meat. Personally I prefer all ground beef but if you would like a combination of meats that's ok too.

Ground beef comes in at the right price range. This is meant to be an economical dish.

Part of what makes a meatloaf dry and tough is using ground beef that is to low in fat.

You should shoot for 15 to 20% fat in your meatloaf mixture. Any leaner than that you'll get a dry loaf, any more fat than that you'll get a greasy loaf.

Ground chuck has exactly that proportion.

If you're using a meat mixture other than ground chuck be sure it winds up with roughly that amount of fat.

The grind of the beef is also important.

Ground chuck as it comes from the grocery will be sufficient but if you like a denser loaf then give it at least one more pass through a meat grinder. (Pulsing in a food processor will work.)

A really fine grind will give an end product that's almost steak like in texture.

The Starch

Mario Batali of the food network says that Italian meatballs can be up to 25% breadcrumbs. That applies to meatloaf also.

That would mean up to 4 ounces of dry breadcrumbs for every pound of beef. An excess of breadcrumbs can make the loaf spongy.

The starch doesn't have to be breadcrumbs though.

My Mom always used cracker crumbs so that's what I have a tendency to use. Just be careful about adding additional sodium.

You can also use flavored croutons. Garlic flavored is great. Just pulse them in the food processor until they don't look like croutons any more.

Starches also act as a binder in your meatloaf recipe.

The Vegetables

Vegetables in your meatloaf recipe add extra flavor, body and sweetness. In addition they also supply moisture.

I'm sure you've seen meatloaf recipes that have additional moisture added. Some call for milk, cream, water or even additional oil.

With half an onion and a carrot minced in the food processor there's no need for additional moisture of any kind. Just don't make a puree out of it. Leave a little for texture.

Throw in a clove or two of garlic if you like.

Seasoning

Seasoning is a matter of taste. Use whatever you like.

If there were anything basic I would say just salt and pepper. Beyond that let your taste buds be your guide.

Want a Mexican meatloaf? Try chili powder and cumin.

How about Italian? Then it's oregano and basil.

Do you see what I mean?

Additional flavor can be in the form of toppings, relishes or gravy made from the pan drippings.

Mixing and Adding The Binder

Mixing your meatloaf mixture is a critical step in the whole process.

Over mixing Meatloaf will make it tough. Don't even think of using a food processor. The best mixing device is your own two hands.

The objective of mixing is to just get all the ingredients thoroughly combined. Everything equally distributed. Just lift and turn the mixture gently until you reach that stage.

In addition to the breadcrumbs you should add one egg to the mixture as an additional binder. Eggs contain lecithin, which will hold everything together.

One beaten egg for every 1 1/2 pounds of meat mixture is enough. Remix until the egg is distributed evenly throughout the mixture.

Taste Testing

Even if you're making a meatloaf recipe that you've made many times before it's still a good idea to make a taste test. It's easy to leave stuff out that the recipe calls for.

There's nothing worse than having a beautiful loaf baked to perfection and presented to your family and friends and then find out

"something's not quiet right".

Don't eat it raw!

Just pinch off a bit and fry it up in a hot skillet. A small piece will cook quickly and it's just darned good insurance.

Forming the Meatloaf

Ok. You've passed the taste test and it's time to form your meat loaf.

Meatloaf is traditionally baked in a loaf pan. I guess that's where it gets its name. There's only one problem with that.

Fat!

Fat accumulates in the bottom of the pan and that's not a good thing.

If you want to use a loaf pan there are several solutions to the fat problem. Some are good and some are not so good.

You could just pour it off during the cooking process. But that's a little tricky. Not so good.

You could use a bulb baster to siphon it off. But it's hard to get to the bottom of the pan. Not so good.

Paula Deen of the food network suggests using slices of bread in the bottom of the pan to soak up the grease.

However the bottom is usually the presentation side of the loaf and I don't know what those bread slices would do to it. I'd have to say not so good.

There are loaf pans on the market designed specifically for meatloaf which cooks the loaf on a rack nestled inside the pan so the fat drips off. But I'm not going to buy a special pan just for meatloaf. Good but unnecessary.

The best method as far as I'm concerned is using disposable aluminum loaf pans. Punch holes in the bottom of the pan and place it on a larger baking pan with a rack.

The fat drips through the holes and is caught by the larger pan.

Baking

Now the most important thing about cooking meatloaf or beef cooking in general is temperature management.

If you overcook meatloaf, or cook it to fast, you're going to get a grainy texture. It will crumble on the plate. Very unsatisfying.

The best thing to do is to stick with a 325 degree oven and use a probe thermometer set to 155 degrees.

Just insert the probe at a 45� angle right into the top of the loaf and be sure it's in the middle. To close to any of the pans edges and you're going to get a false reading.

Resting Time

Your probe thermometer chirps at you when the internal temperature of your meatloaf recipe reaches 155 degrees.

But it's not ready to serve just yet.

It needs a little R and R. Rest and recuperation. After all it is meat and it needs a few minutes just to kind of get its juices back together.

So ten minutes on the counter.

When cutting time does arrive, break out your serrated knife or electric knife. Either one will make for a much, much cleaner cut.