Don't Let Your Meat Loaf

I've got a taste for meatloaf for dinner. I'm tired of my same old recipe. Does anyone have a recipe for a full-flavored meatloaf they would like to share?

Let's see if this works:

http://books.google.com/books?id=NHPQ1m ... q=&f=false

Funny, I was a little surprised when GWiv noted he rarely uses a recipe for pancakes, but I rarely use one for meatloaf, either - and if you think about it, they're not that different: a bunch of stuff glued together with egg.

I have had some successes, though: for instance, crushed dried porcini mushrooms add an awful lot of flavor. I also try to stretch my meat with as much vegitation as possible: I often add cooked red lentils, lots of onion of course, a bit of oatmeal, garlic, minced red pepper. It doesn't hurt to add a bit of ground lamb, either - but if you add a lot, you get something more like gyros than meatloaf.

However, the crowning touch on my meatloaf was discovered entirely by accident: I happened to make meatloaf the day after I made Masala Curry Crab souffle - and the Masala Curry sauce is just spectacular on meatloaf.

Three Cheese Meatloaf

Not traditional, but mighty tasty. I usually skip the veal, making up the difference with the beef or pork.

Big surprise I guess, but i do mine on the smoker nowdays, never going back to the oven.





basic recipe:

chuck
poblano peppers
onion
garlic
bread crumbs
ketchup
milk
eggs

Sometimes I do an asian twist on meatloaf, adding chopped waterchestnuts, scallions, soy sauce and sesame oil, and glaze it with teriyaki.

Another fave it the Italian version where I cut the beef with italian sausage, oregano, basil, and mix in big chunks of mozzarella mmmmmmm...
of course glazed with your favorite red sauce

And then there's that one covered in bacon and smoked...
which was basically a riff on the quaker oatmeal recipe-
oatmeal and tomato sauce and eggs,
meixed with beef and veal
and glazed with dried mustard, brown sugar, vinegar, ketchup
and I forget what else....

There's an Gourmet Magazine recipe on Epicurious of which we've become quite fond:

Buffalo and Pancetta Meat Loaf

That said, meatloaf isn't something we do often, so I don't have a broad base of recipes from which to draw comparisons. I just know we dig it.

Steve,

Here's a tasty meat loaf recipe. I typically sink a whole, or two halves if large, onion in the middle.

Enjoy,
Gary

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I have made the following recipe a number of times over the years, and while any meatloaf cooked on a smoker could rightly be called smoked meatloaf, the following particularly lends itself to this type of cookery. I diverge from the outlined recipe in that I use a bit of hot pepper and also poke a number of holes in foil meatloaf (bread) pans so the meatloaf can absorb extra smoke and the fat can drain.

I have also made this recipe using a grill topper wok with the meatloaf in the middle, this helps keep the meatloaf from falling apart, is easy on and off and lets the smoke get at the meat and the fat drain. Brinkman sells wire meatloaf pans for around 15 dollars, I don't own any, but can look up a url if anyone is really interested.

I've included a Pit Potato recipe that goes quite well with the meatloaf.

Enjoy,
Gary
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Ole Man Jim's Meat Loaf

Yield: 2 large loafs

5 lb Ground chuck roast
2-1/2 lb Ground Pork (Seasoned for breakfast sausage)
2 lg Onions, minced
2 Bell peppers, minced
16 oz Italian seasoned bread crumbs
2 oz Cajun Bbq rub
2 ts Thyme
2 ts Sage
6 lg Eggs, beaten
1/4 c Danny's glaze*
1/4 c Sesame Oil
1/3 c Danny's glaze for topping

GLAZE (Danny's Glaze)
1 c Brown sugar
1/4 c Apple cider vinegar
1/4 c Yellow prepared mustard

DANNY'S GLAZE
Place brown sugar, vinegar and yellow mustard in a small pot and bring to a simmer (Do not boil.)

MEATLOAF
Thoroughly hand mix first eleven (11) ingredients and form into 2 equal loaves. Place each loaf into a foil loaf pan and place both into a 275�F pit for 2-1/2 hours. Remove from pit, brush tops with Danny's glaze and return to pit for 15 more minutes.

Drain fat from loafs, slice and serve
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Note:

- OMJ suggests one to two TB of minced ginger to compliment the sesame oil and give it an Asian flavor.

- Another option is to sink onions in the meatloaf, like my grandmother did, or The Hound (BBQ List) suggests Italian sausage.

Regards,
Gary

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Ole Man Jim Anderson's Pit Potatoes

6 sm Red potatoes, quartered
2 tb Vegetable oil
2 tb Cilantro, chopped fine
1/2 tb Dried thyme
1 ts Dried oregano
1 ts Hungarian paprika
2 tb Orange or lemon zest

Quarter the potatoes, leaving the skins on. Place all spices and oil in a large bowl. Tumble potatoes in oil mixture to coat. Place in baking pan. Sprinkle with salt. Place pan in 375 degree pit for 40 minutes, turning once. Fork test for tenderness.

NOTE-- If desired, cayenne pepper can be added to the oil mixture and garlic powder sprinkled over the potatoes prior to smoking.

I know the addition of lemon or orange zest on potatoes sounds weird but it sure adds an outstanding taste to them

Thanks for the inspiration, everyone. I ended up going with a mixture of beef, veal, pork and bison. I fried up some onions along with some peppers from the garden and added that to the meat along with a couple of eggs, cream, some herbs, hot sauce, Dijon mustard and fresh breadcrumbs I made from a chunk of a past-its-prime loaf of Bennison's cibatta. I glazed it with some home made BBQ sauce. Basically, I used up a bunch of stuff I had around the house. It's in the oven now.

That Big Jim recipe (which I already have) is something I want to try one of these days. Tonight, my goal was to stay out of the rain and to make the house smell good, so the smoker was out of the question.

My camera's at the office, so no pictures. I'll try to take one of the finished product with the Chow Poodle's camera.

I'm real happy with the result. Thanks everyone!

Funny, I made meatloaf for dinner tonight because I had a craving for it (not something I usually want). I purposely tried to keep my version light but also used it as an opportunity to clean out the fridge of produce that was starting to lose its luster: leeks, chard, red pepper, garlic. The end result was very savory but also tasty and moist. I served the turkey meatloaf with oven-roasted butternut squash and a salad.

Here's what I did:
Swiss Chard & Roasted Red Pepper Turkey Meatloaf
1 red bell pepper, roasted and diced
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves minced garlic
1/2 leek, white part only, chopped fine
8 stalks Swiss chard, stems and greens separated, chopped fine
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 cup unseasoned bread crumbs
2 large eggs
20 ounces ground lean turkey

Roast a red bell pepper. Peel, seed and dice.

Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray a loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

Sweat the garlic, leeks and Swiss chard stems for 15 minutes. Add the chopped greens and cook for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper then pour in the wine. Cover the pan and continue to cook for 3 minutes or until the vegetables are soft. Remove the pan from the heat and cool the vegetables to room temperature.

Mix the vegetables in a bowl with the remaining ingredients. Spoon the mixture into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Bake at 350°F until the internal temperature of the meatloaf reaches 170°F, about 50 to 55 minutes.

Let the meatloaf sit for 5 minutes before serving with roasted squash or a salad.

G Wiv wrote:I have also made this recipe using a grill topper wok with the meatloaf in the middle, this helps keep the meatloaf from falling apart, is easy on and off and lets the smoke get at the meat and the fat drain.

Would it really be a problem to NOT use any sort of pan to hold the shape of the meat? I'm going to smoke a couple of meatloaves (sp?) tomorrow for Easter and I wasn't planning on keeping them in a pan while on the kettle. I was going to use a lot of a good binders (Bread Crumbs/Eggs) and form the loafs/loaves in a cake pan and pop them out, hoping they would hold their shape. Is this expectation unrealistic?

the sleeve wrote:I was going to use a lot of a good binders (Bread Crumbs/Eggs) and form the loafs/loaves in a cake pan and pop them out, hoping they would hold their shape. Is this expectation unrealistic?

It hasn't worked for me, YMMV.

If you don't have a wok grill topper, and most people don't, a cheap aluminum loaf pan with pencil size holes poked into it, both sides and bottom, is a good way to start the meatloaf until it holds shape.

Enjoy,
Gary

G Wiv wrote:

the sleeve wrote:I was going to use a lot of a good binders (Bread Crumbs/Eggs) and form the loafs/loaves in a cake pan and pop them out, hoping they would hold their shape. Is this expectation unrealistic?

It hasn't worked for me, YMMV.

If you don't have a wok grill topper, and most people don't, a cheap aluminum loaf pan with pencil size holes poked into it, both sides and bottom, is a good way to start the meatloaf until it holds shape.

Enjoy,
Gary

Gary,
After I asked the question, I did a search and found this thread where you wife apparently did a freeform meatloaf from a Bobby Flay recipe. How was that one kept together? Also, you had referenced in the same thread that you were going to try the free form technique. Can I assume from your reply here that it didn't hold up on the grill? I actually posted a recipe of my own on later in that same thread, which I did freeform, and it did hold up. Maybe because I draped it in bacon while on the kettle? Even though it worked out for me when I tried it in that recipe, reading the references in this thread has got me doubting it for tomorrow's cook. Yawll have scary credibility I guess.

How about Meatloaf Cordon Bleu I made this for a friend of mine and her family, she said it was very good. I also put in a dash of Montreal steak seasoning. I'd also suggest to put the cheese down first then the ham, otherwise the cheese will all go to the center.

the sleeve wrote:Would it really be a problem to NOT use any sort of pan to hold the shape of the meat? I'm going to smoke a couple of meatloaves (sp?) tomorrow for Easter and I wasn't planning on keeping them in a pan while on the kettle. I was going to use a lot of a good binders (Bread Crumbs/Eggs) and form the loafs/loaves in a cake pan and pop them out, hoping they would hold their shape. Is this expectation unrealistic?

The meatloaf that I made pictured upthread was made freeform on a rack in the oven. There's no reason that same technique wouldn't work in a smoker.

stevez wrote:The meatloaf that I made pictured upthread was made freeform on a rack in the oven. There's no reason that same technique wouldn't work in a smoker.

In an oven freeform meatloaf is resting on a flat bottom sheet pan, in a smoker its on a grate and will sink/stick between the bars before it 'sets' making it very difficult to both move around and remove. Also, the oven is about 100 degrees hotter than the smoker and the meat loaf will 'set' faster without loosing shape.

Enjoy,
Gary

the sleeve wrote:After I asked the question, I did a search and found this thread where you wife apparently did a freeform meatloaf from a Bobby Flay recipe.

I think you misread, my wife is an excellent cook, but the odds of her doing meatloaf from a Bobby Flay recipe are slim as Olive Oil's forearm.

the sleeve wrote:Also, you had referenced in the same thread that you were going to try the free form technique. Can I assume from your reply here that it didn't hold up on the grill?

I have done meatloaf free style direct on the smoker grate and, as I tend to make my meatloaf large, the weight sinks the bottom into the cooking grate making it hard to move and remove. For further explanation see my post just upthread.

Enjoy,
Gary

G Wiv wrote:

stevez wrote:The meatloaf that I made pictured upthread was made freeform on a rack in the oven. There's no reason that same technique wouldn't work in a smoker.

In an oven freeform meatloaf is resting on a flat bottom sheet pan, in a smoker its on a grate and will sink/stick between the bars before it 'sets' making it very difficult to both move around and remove. Also, the oven is about 100 degrees hotter than the smoker and the meat loaf will 'set' faster without loosing shape.

Enjoy,
Gary

I might not have been real clear with my post. The rack I am talking about is a cooling rack that I rest in a sheet pan. I didn't mean the oven rack itself. You need the tight cross hatch pattern of a cooling rack to keep the meatloaf from sinking through the grates.

Free form 3# meatloaf smoked on the kettle this past saturday.

3# fresh ground local chuck
3/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1 hamburger bun torn up
3/4 cup ketchup
3-4 garlic cloves minced
dehydrated onions
salt
black pepper
2 organic eggs




glazed with ketchup & 57




skipped out on adding any fresh onions or bell peppers to the mix, I dont like the moisture they add. Load was dense, and a nice ring.

Took about 1.5 hours indirect on the kettle using lump.

As great as it was for supper Sat.,it was even better pinched cold from the fridge the next couple days.