Let's Create A Meatloaf Recipe Together: The Huffington Loaf

It's winter and I'm not grilling as much as usual, so I've been fiddling with my meatloaf recipe (which I also cook on the grill in the summer). It's getting pretty good, but whenever the topic comes up with friends, they all have some great ideas and new twists on this All-American classic. So I never can finish my recipe.

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So here's my idea. Let's develop a killer meatloaf together. In the comments below, please share with everyone your recipes or your tips and tricks and tell us your meatloaf stories. Tell us about the best one you ever tasted, the worst, and your kitchen disasters and successes.

I'll take the best sounding ideas, cook them, and try to organize them into a recipe that I'll post here. Hopefully a few of you will try these ideas too, and offer feedback. In a few weeks, perhaps we'll end up with a recipe we can call the Huffington Loaf. Hey, maybe we can even get Arianna to try it.

Let's start with about 2 pounds of meat. Allowing for mix-ins and shrinkage, that should make enough to serve 4 to 6. Here are some ideas:

Meat. Should it be ground beef only? Pork? Veal? Turkey? Sausage? Bacon? Pepperoni? Coarse grind? Low fat?

Mix-ins. Onions? Garlic? Peppers? Carrots? Fruit? Eggs? Panade? Bread crumbs? Crackers? Flour? Ketchup? Mustard? Canned soup? Soup mix? Celery? Grains? Potatoes? Cheese? Beets (yes, I've heard of beets in a meatloaf!)?

Seasonings. Which herbs and spices?

Toppings. BBQ sauce? Honey? Jam? Balsamic reduction? Gravy? Bread crumbs? Sour cream? Mushrooms? Cheese?

Prep and cooking. What shape is it? In a loaf pan or not? Temp? Time? Grill? Smoke? How to drain the fat?

Side dishes. What do we serve, and drink, with meatloaf.

Other tips. Do you freeze uncooked meatloaf? Cooked? How do you serve leftovers?

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Comments

[bungholio]

03:14 PM on 03/05/2011

Hey Meat-meister! I like 3/4 80% ground beef, 1/4 (or 1/3) ground pork. 2 lbs total. Add 1-1/2 cups seasoned breadcrumbs, milk, 2 eggs, pepper, salt, 1/4 tsp cayenne, minced garlic, and 1 tsp of sage 2 tbs of worcestershire. cook to 165 temp, or when juices run clear, before taking out, pour on some BBQ sauce, I like KC masterpiece. or Sweet baby Ray's.

[LeeRep]

04:35 PM on 03/02/2011

Add to meatloaf: 1/4 cup dry Marsala Wine, grated carrots and instead of bread crumbs use crushed Caesar Salad croutons. Excellent local brand here in Los Angeles made by Just Off Melrose. Just Off Melrose products are available via Amazon.com.

[LoseLips1224]

02:50 PM on 03/02/2011

waterchestnuts... finely chopped.

[Finnegans Wake]

12:39 PM on 03/02/2011

I rarely use a recipe other than variants of the one in my head, but for Christmas I made some meat loaves and froze them for my MiL, who raved. And I kept some back for myself, and it did seem to be my best yet. Here's my suggestions.

"Let's start with about 2 pounds of meat...Should it be ground beef only? Pork? Veal? Turkey? Sausage? Bacon? Pepperoni? Coarse grind? Low fat?"

My proportions would work better with 3 pounds, as it is 6:2:1 beef:pork:bacon, but for 2# the split would be 1.33#, 0.44#, and 0.22# respectively. Bacon must be pre-crisped and chopped fine. Don't muck it up with too much variety.

"Mix-ins. Onions? Garlic? Peppers? Carrots? Fruit? Eggs? Panade? Bread crumbs? Crackers? Flour? Ketchup? Mustard? Canned soup? Soup mix? Celery? Grains? Potatoes? Cheese? Beets (yes, I've heard of beets in a meatloaf!)?"

Please no to the soup or soup mix. For the 3# recipe I used 2 eggs, and would use 2 for 2#. 1 medium onion, chopped fine and 2 cloves garlic, minced, and 1/3 fennel bulb, chopped fine, because I adore fennel in a meat loaf: these to be sauteed until tender. A panade of 4 slices pumpernickel, toasted, soaked in 1/2 cream, drained of excess -- would adjust that to 3 slices for a 2# loaf. 1 T. Dijon, 3 T. ketchup, or 2 t. and 2 T. respectively for the 2# loaf... (Cont.)

[Finnegans Wake]

01:11 PM on 03/02/2011

Also, 1/2 c. toasted walnuts or pistachios, ground fine. This is a new addition that has added a nice depth, IMO.
"Seasonings. Which herbs and spices?"

1 T. fennel seeds, ground fine; 2 T. dried Italian seasoning blend; 2 T. ground black pepper; 1 T. kosher salt; adjust to 2# loaf recipe.

"Toppings. BBQ sauce? Honey? Jam? Balsamic reduction? Gravy? Bread crumbs? Sour cream? Mushrooms? Cheese?"

Unwanted frippery, each and all. The two traditional toppings are strips of bacon, or a tomato sauce. For my recipe, I used 1 c. of crushed tomatoes with basil.

Form into a free-form loaf, oblong, and bake at 350F approximately 1 hour, until the sauce is caramelized and the meat is cooked through.

Serve with homemade mashed potatoes (plenty of cream and butter) and tender-crisp green beans fresh from the garden, and a hearty glass of red (petit syrah, cab sav) for a down-home comfort food.

[TSRVT]

10:35 AM on 03/02/2011

Years ago in the small town of Bondville VT, there was a restaurant called the River Cafe. They used to have a house special meatloaf sandwich that was served on rye, with swiss or provolone and cranberry sauce, grilled panini-style. I can't have a meatloaf sandwich anymore without cranberry sauce.

[Vickster]

12:32 AM on 03/03/2011

Cranberries?
Mmm...
Might be tasty.
I add golden raisin to my lamb and venison meatloafs. Now you have me thinking that substituting cranberries for the raisins might be worth a try.

[deleweye]

10:46 PM on 03/01/2011

3 lbs lean ground beef
2 lbs ground venison
1 lb pork sausage
5-6 eggs
1 package corn bread mix (pref. Jiffy or Cinch).
approx. 1 tsp each of salt, black pepper, garlic powder & onion powder.
Mix thoroughly; form into 2-3 loaf pans & top with KCMasterpiece BBQ sauce (1 for now & 1 or 2 to freeze for later).
Bake at approx. 350 until done - 30-40 min. or so.

[Nancy Palmer Bledsoe]

06:40 PM on 03/01/2011

This is my favorite Meatloaf Recipe. I add about 4-6 oz ground pork, garlic and my mother said never make a meatloaf with out grating a small carrot to go in it. I think the salsa and dijon adds a good KICK.

CANADIAN FIREFIGHTERS MEATLOAF

2 slices whole wheat bread
2 pounds ground beef
1 green onion, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 cup medium salsa
2 tablespoons whole grain Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon barbeque sauce
Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Soak the bread in warm water in a small bowl. Place the beef in a large bowl. Drain bread and add to beef along with green onion, onion, salsa, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix by hand until well blended. Form into a loaf and place in a greased loaf pan.
Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven. Drain off excess fat and top with barbeque (Diana) sauce. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

[andygaus]

11:40 AM on 03/01/2011

Let's see if you can come up with an edible version of the "nutriloaf" served in prisons.

[Mzunga]

07:16 AM on 03/01/2011

How odd, I woke up just today in the mood for meatloaf. I've been searching for recipes. This has been my favourite so far:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Meatloaf-241512

Now a trick my momma taught me: to make your meatloaf fluffy, add a couple of tablespoons of powdered mashed potato. Really works wonders!

[D Logan]

11:49 PM on 02/28/2011

I read through all 5 pages of comments expecting to see a recipe like the one we do in our family. I didn't find one so I'll post ours. We call it "Thanksgiving in one bite". Makes great turkey burgers as well, on the grill in the summer.
1 lb ground turkey
1/2 package of stove top or similar stuffing (dry crumbs right out of the package don't cook it)
1 egg
1/2 cup (to taste) Cranberry vinaigrette
1/2 cup (to taste) dried cranberries
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
mix and cook at 350 for 45 min or so (check temp of course ! before serving). It's a favorite at our house. We've substituted raspberry vinaigrette when we couldn't find cranberry with no noticeable side effects. I usually drizzle a bit of the vinaigrette on the top of the loaf in the last 10 min of cooking. We serve with mashed potatoes and some side veggie that the kids usually complain about.

[cmm5713]

01:59 PM on 03/01/2011

Fabulous idea, this recipe sounds delicious. Will definitely try it! Thanks.

[Graceless]

03:07 PM on 03/01/2011

I'm actually quite excited to try your family recipe! Thank you for sharing :)

[chavezcoach]

09:28 PM on 02/28/2011

Pound each of ground beef, sausage, and lamb. Your favorite seasonings, plus sauteed onions and garlic and orange and red peppers. Ketchup is the topping, but it's optional.

[AKJM]

06:50 PM on 02/27/2011

The list of toppings gives me lots of ideas, I think I'll try a balsamic red onilon reduction, with a bit of butter to smoothe the sauce.

[revbruce]

06:04 PM on 03/02/2011

That's what I top my meatloaf with, it's awesome (if I do say so myself). I caramelize the onions using butter and EVOO, takes about an hour.

[OdinsEye]

05:46 AM on 02/27/2011

I dislike ground beef. Try a mixture of lamb and bison. Tastes much better. Or if you like to be a bit exotic, ostrich is very beef like. And deer, elk, or other venison would also be good.

Never tried beets in meatloaf, but I have had blackberries in a meatloaf like meat patty and it was pretty tasty.

When it comes to spices, try using some chili spices or red pepper flakes.

[Vickster]

11:58 PM on 02/27/2011

I make a lamb and venison meatloaf that includes golden raisins in the ingredients.

[chavezcoach]

09:29 PM on 02/28/2011

Oh I might want to try this one! Thanks.

[Robin Wormser]

09:17 PM on 02/26/2011

Gotta have worcestershire, dry onion soup mix and ketchup. All other ingredients are negotiable. I used to be a snob about the meat and only used equal parts veal, pork and beef. Now? Anything goes, usually a turkey and beef combo. The filler is a matter of taste and availability; you have leftover rice? Use it. Bread, oatmeal it all works. Eggs keep everything together but the first three ingredients are crucial.

[cmm5713]

04:36 PM on 02/26/2011

My Mom's Recipe
Meat mixture
2 lbs lean ground beef, I brown it in the oven 1st and drain fat
1 Cup milk
2 cups crushed saltines (plain oatmeal works too if no saltines available)
Onion to taste
Salt & pepper to taste
Mix eggs & milk, stir in crushed saltines, then add browned ground beef.
Place mixture in a casserole dish

Topping for meatloaf
8 tbsp ketchup
6 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp dry mustard, regular works OK too
Mix sauce well, spread over meatloaf.
Bake @ 325* for 1 - 1 1/2 hours.
Serve with baked potatoes & corn
The meatloaf sliced up cold makes a great sandwich too.

[cmm5713]

04:53 PM on 02/26/2011

Woops - forgot to include an egg in the list of ingredients for meat mixture.
Bake in a casserole dish as it provides more space for the sauce.