# Boring turkey meatloaf



## JustJoel (Jan 25, 2018)

I wasn’t sure which forum to post this in. Is meatloaf considered a casserole?

I have never made meatloaf, with any kind of meat, until yesterday. I don’t like it. This is based on a childhood memory. I think my mom attempted it once, and it was a dismal failure. And it’s just too beefy for me. But a few days ago, I caught an episode of a famous Italian chef’s show on PBS, and she was making turkey meatloaf with a mushroom sauce. It looked so good, and my husband loves it, so I decided to give it a try. I won’t mention the chef’s name, because I’m sure the fault was all mine.

It’s boring. Bland. It was nice and moist, but nearly flavorless. The mushroom sauce wasn’t much better. Now, I know turkey isn’t exactly famous for flavor. Is that where the fault lies (I did add a good amount of minced rosemary and thyme, and generous grinding of black pepper, and I didn’t forget to salt!). Should I ditch the turkey and try it with a blend of more flavorful meats, like beef and pork (veal is hard to find here, and too expensive)? Should I have used dry herbs instead of fresh?

I feel rather silly asking for advice on meatloaf, turkey or otherwise. It’s such an ubiquitous American comfort food. Any home cook could probably whip one up with his or her eyes closed. Heck, any home cook’s _teenager_ probably could. It’s kind of like a professional chef admitting he doesn’t know how to make scrambled eggs!

So, chuckle if you want (Hunh? He can’t make _meatloaf_?), but have some pity, and if you’ve got a tasty recipe or some tips, preferably for turkey, please share them! My husband will be eternally grateful!


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## Andy M. (Jan 25, 2018)

JJ, there are as many meatloaf recipes as there are grains of sand on the planet and some of them just suck.  We have several threads dedicated to meatloaf here with dozens of recipes.  No doubt, there are thousands of recipes on the rest of the internet.

I tend to make meatloafs with either beef or beef and lamb.  It's a freeform kind of recipe with you adding whatever you like for flavors.  The basics are to make a loaf the holds together, is moist and tastes great.  The rest is open to interpretation.

Turkey is a difficult meat to work with as flavor is in short supply.  Try other meats solo or in combination.  Breadcrumbs and an egg or two are basic.  I like to pureeing included veggies so you don't get a big chunk of onion or garlic in a bite.  Cheese and bacon are prominent players.

Keep trying.


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## caseydog (Jan 25, 2018)

Don't feel silly, good meatloaf is not as easy as people might think. 

I typically use a 50/50 blend of ground beef and ground pork. For more flavor, you can mix ground beef and one of those chubs of breakfast sausage, or even Italian sausage. 

I also smoke my meatloaf on my Weber Kettle. I put the coals on one side, and the meatloaf on the other. I like hickory chunks for the smoke. I form my loaf and put it in the fridge to firm up for a few hours. Then, it goes right on the grill grate, with a foil drip pan below. 

Smoked meatloaf is really, really good. 

CD


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## buckytom (Jan 25, 2018)

My wife makes a pretty good turkey meatlump.

I'll have to ask for her recipe. 

That reminds me. I've gotta post that teryaki recipe.

Hey, what about a meatlump topped with teryaki sauce? Hmmm...


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## Kayelle (Jan 25, 2018)

I like ground turkey about as much as I like Tofu. Actually I can't stand either one and they are similar in flavor..no flavor at all. 

Ground beef, with maybe some gr. pork or sausage is my choice. Try the recipe you used before with some meat.


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## RPCookin (Jan 25, 2018)

Either Cooks Country or America's Test Kitchen made turkey meat loaf just recently.  I don't remember what they did to jazz it up, but it came out looking almost like a regular beef loaf.    Should be able to find it by searching their site for that.


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## GBD Tempora (Jan 26, 2018)

If you're not averse to spice, I'd suggest adding a combination of chipotle peppers and fresh jalapenos to give it a smokey kick.


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## Aunt Bea (Jan 26, 2018)

I like to use the store prepared meatball mix of beef, pork and veal.

If all I have to work with is ground turkey then I add a packet of GOYA beef bouillon to the mixture of breadcrumbs and spices called for in the recipe.  A good shot of Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce and a good squirt of ketchup also helps to boost the flavor.

In my area it is also popular to use a mixture of ground smoked ham and beef to make a ham loaf. 

I make my meatloaf free form so it has more crust and is a little dryer than those baked in a pan.  I also like to add some finely chopped vegetables to the mixture.  A little bell pepper, onion, garlic, celery, carrot, mushrooms, etc...  

I don't really care for hot meatloaf but a cold meatloaf sandwich is hard to beat.

Good luck!


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## CakePoet (Jan 26, 2018)

The first meatloaf I made, the oven wasnt steady in heat and I used my then mother in laws recipe, it looked like dog food, smelled  worse, but my husband loved it and I just thought it tasted livery and salty.  Then I realised , yes it hard to make meat loaf, but easy when the spouse has zero taste buds and loves the taste of dog food.

When I flavour ground chicken or turkey, I make sure that  the herbs are ground into a paste or a fine dust, otherwise it always gets bland.

I prefer to make mine out of  half beef and half pork and wrapped with bacon.


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## tenspeed (Jan 26, 2018)

From what I have been able to gather, ground turkey is generally made from less expensive dark meat.  The 97 - 99% fat free stuff is made from more expensive white meat.  Which one did you use?  Dark meat will have a bit more flavor, but as with all ground turkey, that still isn't much.

Products - Shady Brook Farms® turkey


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## PrincessFiona60 (Jan 26, 2018)

All this talk of a poultry meatloaf has me thinking about a Cordon Bleu adapted meatloaf.


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## buckytom (Jan 26, 2018)

Ok, so my wife's turkey meatlump recipe is pretty basic, but it's healthy and fairly light.

She uses 93/7 ground turkey, eggwhites, Progresso brand seasoned breadcrumbs, fresh parsley, ketchup, a good mount of grated Romano cheese, finely minced Vidalia onion, and milk.

Sorry I don't have amounts, but she does it be eye, and by feel. Especially when adding the milk at the end. It's to get the right amount of gooey-ness, but not too gooey.


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## Sir_Loin_of_Beef (Jan 26, 2018)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELzhPuBMJFE&t=208s


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## Aunt Bea (Jan 26, 2018)

Sir_Loin_of_Beef said:


> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELzhPuBMJFE&t=208s



Thanks for the great video!

I need to try adding a little vanilla extract to my green beans, that is entirely new to me!


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## profnot (Jan 26, 2018)

Meatloaf is not an entree or main dish to enjoy for its own flavour.

Meatloaf is a mother's strategy, and a very smart and sneaky one at that.

Kids love meat and tomato sauce.  Meatloaf is like pizza without the crust and cheese.  Start with ground beef and pork, toss in some bread crumbs (crust substitute), eggs, and a few other things, top with tomato sauce and kids will want more, more, more.  Remember: tomatoes are really a fruit and quite sweet.

But loving, sneaky mums know meatloaf is a secret vegetable delivery system.

Sneaky mums saute onions, bell peppers, broccoli, zucchini, spinach, and other veggies.  Then they puree them and add to meatloaf mixture.  Then toss in herbs for more veggies and flavour.  A bit of Worcestershire works magic.

Kids (and husbands) will happily devour lots of meatloaf and ask for more.

Some very astute mums will "concede" to make meatloaf "just to please the family", but only if they agree to eat the side serving of green beans, whatever.

This is why you can never make your MIL's meatloaf recipe and have your DH be as happy with your recipe as with his mum's.

Have fun with meatloaf recipes!


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## caseydog (Jan 27, 2018)

profnot said:


> Meatloaf is not an entree or main dish to enjoy for its own flavour.
> 
> Meatloaf is a mother's strategy, and a very smart and sneaky one at that.
> 
> ...



My mom's meatloaf was dry and bland. Smothered in gravy, it worked. 

I don't really agree with your statement that, "_Meatloaf is not an entree or main dish to enjoy for its own flavour._"

Done right, it is really good "comfort food." When I make meatloaf, I make it to enjoy. 

CD


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## PrincessFiona60 (Jan 27, 2018)

me, too!  I love meatloaf and I don't trick anyone to eat more veggies.


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## Cooking Goddess (Jan 27, 2018)

In some cases, you do what you have to do to get family to eat veggies. Thankfully, I never had that problem. We probably could happily become vegetarians with all of the veggies we like, if it weren't for giving up that truly yummy meat stuff.


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## GotGarlic (Jan 27, 2018)

profnot said:


> Meatloaf is not an entree or main dish to enjoy for its own flavour.
> 
> Meatloaf is a mother's strategy, and a very smart and sneaky one at that.



We don't have children and we enjoy meatloaf regularly. Maybe you need to try a new meatloaf recipe


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## RPCookin (Jan 27, 2018)

caseydog said:


> My mom's meatloaf was dry and bland. Smothered in gravy, it worked.
> 
> I don't really agree with your statement that, "_Meatloaf is not an entree or main dish to enjoy for its own flavour._"
> 
> ...



Agreed.  I love meat loaf, perhaps more than I should.  Mom never put veggies in it aside from some chopped onions, and mushroom soup and sliced pimento olives on top.  Not even a drop of tomato anything in it, and quick oats instead of breadcrumbs. I still make it like she did. (All this talk about it - I may have to thaw out some ground beef this week  )


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## Andy M. (Jan 27, 2018)

I make three or four different meatloaf recipes. One is with lamb and beef with Near East spices, the other is a bacon cheeseburger meatloaf I found on DC and the third is an older more traditional recipe with beef that I whipped up.

I don't wrap any of these in bacon or top them with canned tomato soup.


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## tenspeed (Jan 27, 2018)

RPCookin said:


> quick oats instead of breadcrumbs.


I've made this recipe with old fashioned oats (Quaker doesn't care which one you use), 85% ground beef, and gravy made with Better Than Bouillon.  I made it once with 90% ground beef, and it barely held together.

Classic Meatloaf - Recipe | QuakerOats.com


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## RPCookin (Jan 27, 2018)

tenspeed said:


> I've made this recipe with old fashioned oats (Quaker doesn't care which one you use), 85% ground beef, and gravy made with Better Than Bouillon.  I made it once with 90% ground beef, and it barely held together.
> 
> Classic Meatloaf - Recipe | QuakerOats.com



I don't know what percent my ground beef is... we buy it on the hoof.  It's generally somewhere around 90% lean.  It's packed in 1.5 lb packages, and one package doesn't release more than 2 or 3 tablespoons of fat when browned in a frying pan.  When I make a meat loaf, I don't have to pour off any grease like I would for the 83% grocery store hamburger.  It hangs together nicely.


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## di reston (Jan 28, 2018)

Meatloaf is one dish that they just absolutely love in Italy. And it's been adopted in the the USA. I have a very nice recipe book given to me by a very good friend in America. Their meatloaf is epic. So's the Chief's, only more so. I make the Chief's meatloaf now. It uses beef and pork. You'll find it in the D.C. archives, if you do a search. I'm sure you could make a 'white' meat version that would be very good.

di reston


Enough is never as good as a feast  Oscar Wilde


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## blissful (Jan 28, 2018)

I have never made a good turkey meatloaf or turkey meat balls. I have tried and then I tried, then tried again, God knows I tried and God was happy, DH wasn't that pleased. I'm going to stop trying to make a good one and it comes down to putting some spices into it, and DH doesn't like spicy, so there is no way for it to turn out good, to him.


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## Cheryl J (Jan 28, 2018)

blissful said:


> *I have never made a good turkey meatloaf or turkey meat balls. I have tried and then I tried, then tried again, God knows I tried *and God was happy, DH wasn't that pleased. I'm going to stop trying to make a good one and it comes down to putting some spices into it, and DH doesn't like spicy, so there is no way for it to turn out good, to him.


 
Same here, Blissful. I've tried several turkey meatloaf and meatball recipes over the years and was not happy with any of them. I ended up staying with the beef and pork combo and figured that I wasn't going to eat a mountain full of it every week, so what the heck.


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## blissful (Jan 28, 2018)

Cheryl J said:


> Same here, Blissful. I've tried several turkey meatloaf and meatball recipes over the years and was not happy with any of them. I ended up staying with the beef and pork combo and figured that I wasn't going to eat a mountain full of it every week, so what the heck.



Oh Yeah, and you were born with the same sign on your forehead, "I will eat the food you deem inferior", yeah, I have that sign.


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## Cheryl J (Jan 28, 2018)

blissful said:


> Oh Yeah, and you were born with the same sign on your forehead, "I will eat the food you deem inferior", yeah, I have that sign.


 Comes with having children and eating what they won't eat....back in the day.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Jan 29, 2018)

blissful said:


> Oh Yeah, and you were born with the same sign on your forehead, "I will eat the food you deem inferior", yeah, I have that sign.



Funny, I do that for my 72 year old.


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## di reston (Jan 29, 2018)

I dug this out of my stash of recipes:

1. For all the meatloaves, the components are ground meat or other non-meat ingredients like salmon, and vegetarian.

Turkey or chicken meatloaf:

Ground chicken/turkey, minced and sausage.
black  pepper
breadcrumbs
parmesan
parsley
nutmeg
chopped garlic - not too much
nutmeg
1 clove garlic
fresh parsley - the mix should look 'speckled'
thyme, garlic rosemary sage to taste

2. enough  thin slices of either pork or veal

Mix together all the ingredients that go with the mince chicken/turkey. salt and pepper. Work well until you have a mass of minced meat that doesn't fall apart.

lay out the slices of veal so as to keep the shape of the meatloaf together. At this stage, you can wrap some thin bacon round it.

You can use you're imagination and experience to improve on this recipe. For example, you could put a filling of spinach, ricotta, parmesan, bound with an egg. It really is something you can experiment with and put you're own stamp on it.

When you do come to cook it, use butter, oil, or both, white wine, so you can baste the meat.

di reston


Enough is never as good as a feast



Tie with string before putting in the oven.


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## salt and pepper (Jan 29, 2018)

Sounds fowl to me.........wheres the beef?... lol


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## LPBeier (Jan 30, 2018)

Personally, I like a 50/50 mix of beef and pork for my meatloaf. I can get a premix from my butcher or just do a pound of each. TB loves meatloaf sandwiches for work so I always make a big one.

As for your turkey one, I would be interested in what seasonings were used. I used to make a chicken meatloaf and used poultry seasoning, tarragon, thyme, and garlic, plus salt and pepper of course. It was pretty tasty.

As for the mushroom sauce, if it isn't already called for, add a few splashes (not too much) of Worcestershire sauce and/or hot sauce to bring out the flavour. Also, with fresh mushrooms, it is important to saute them in a hot pan to get all the flavours out. I do mine in a little butter and really hot so they caramelize and don't just lose all their liquid. Anything left in the pan should go into the sauce!

Hope this helps.


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## JustJoel (Jan 31, 2018)

caseydog said:


> Don't feel silly, good meatloaf is not as easy as people might think.
> 
> I typically use a 50/50 blend of ground beef and ground pork. For more flavor, you can mix ground beef and one of those chubs of breakfast sausage, or even Italian sausage.
> 
> ...


OMG, this sounds like something I could get on board with! I think this weekend would be a good time! It’s so beautiful here in Vegas, that it’s time to clean off the BBQ.


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## JustJoel (Jan 31, 2018)

*So, consensus is, turkey: blech*

Thank you all for your input. I’m getting the idea that if you wanna make meatloaf, use _meat._ I think I’m gonna do the smoked meatloaf, with 50/50 pork and beef (I’d love to through in a bit of lamb, but Mark hates it). The weather’ss Perfect here for outdoor cooking.


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## caseydog (Feb 1, 2018)

JustJoel said:


> OMG, this sounds like something I could get on board with! I think this weekend would be a good time! It’s so beautiful here in Vegas, that it’s time to clean off the BBQ.



Do it! Everyone I have ever turned on to smoked meatloaf has loved it. Of course, it works best with meat that has some fat in it. But, if you don't put the meatloaf in a loaf pan, and let the fat render and go to a drip pan, your meatloaf is not "greasy," just moist. 

If you have any questions, ask. I've done it enough times to get the hang of it. 

CD


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## Kayelle (Feb 2, 2018)

LPBeier said:


> Personally, I like a 50/50 mix of beef and pork for my meatloaf. I can get a premix from my butcher or just do a pound of each. TB loves meatloaf sandwiches for work so I always make a big one.
> 
> As for your turkey one, I would be interested in what seasonings were used. I used to make a chicken meatloaf and used poultry seasoning, tarragon, thyme, and garlic, plus salt and pepper of course. It was pretty tasty.
> 
> ...



Just a bit more about getting mushrooms to perfectly caramelize. I only use unsalted butter and never add any salt until they are finished. I  learned that ages ago from some cooking show. 

*Casey*, would it be a waste of time for me to do a meatloaf on my gas grill?
Wait! I have a smoke box I can use.


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## jennyema (Feb 2, 2018)

I add ketchup and beefy onion soup mix and it tastes pretty good.


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## caseydog (Feb 2, 2018)

Kayelle said:


> Just a bit more about getting mushrooms to perfectly caramelize. I only use unsalted butter and never add any salt until they are finished. I  learned that ages ago from some cooking show.
> 
> *Casey*, would it be a waste of time for me to do a meatloaf on my gas grill?
> Wait! I have a smoke box I can use.



If you have a smoke box that generates some decent smoke, that will work just fine. I have an _Amazen Pellet Tube Smoker_. It works great on my gasser. 

https://www.amazon.com/Amazen-Pellet-Tube-Smoker-12/dp/B00CS6YFIC

CD


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## JustJoel (Feb 3, 2018)

JustJoel said:


> OMG, this sounds like something I could get on board with! I think this weekend would be a good time! It’s so beautiful here in Vegas, that it’s time to clean off the BBQ.


Quick question: Do you glaze the meatloaf? If you do, do you glaze it before you put it on the grill, halfway through cooking, or at the end of cooking? I cleaned my BBQ today, and meatloaf ingredients are on my shopping list! (Can you believe I’m gonna fire up the barbie in _February?_ it’s beautiful here in the desert, uncharacteristically so. Today’s high was 71°!)


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## caseydog (Feb 3, 2018)

JustJoel said:


> Quick question: Do you glaze the meatloaf? If you do, do you glaze it before you put it on the grill, halfway through cooking, or at the end of cooking? I cleaned my BBQ today, and meatloaf ingredients are on my shopping list! (Can you believe I’m gonna fire up the barbie in _February?_ it’s beautiful here in the desert, uncharacteristically so. Today’s high was 71°!)



I don't generally use any kind of mop or glaze on my smoked meatloaf. I have done it, but I can take it or leave it. If you use a glaze, like a sugary BBQ sauce, I would suggest you add that at the end of your cook, so it caramelizes but doesn't burn. 

CD


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## caseydog (Feb 3, 2018)

Here is a better photo of my setup for smoked meatloaf on a Weber Kettle. Indirect heat, charcoal for heat, wood chunks for smoke. It takes about an hour at 350F. Use a probe thermometer to check the internal temperature for doneness. You may be done in less or more time. 

CD

.


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