ISO Help - Meatloaf

[Coffeecup]

I'm new to DC and not quite sure how to ask a question, but here goes: Meatloaf is one of my favorite dishes, but my meatloaf will not hold together well for slicing. It has good flavor but it's eaten in chunks. Do I use more egg, or should I bake it longer? Right now, I use about 2 eggs for a 2-pound loaf, baked at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. Doing for a full hour has resulted in a dry meatloaf.

 

[Addie]

I'm new to DC and not quite sure how to ask a question, but here goes: Meatloaf is one of my favorite dishes, but my meatloaf will not hold together well for slicing. It has good flavor but it's eaten in chunks. Do I use more egg, or should I bake it longer? Right now, I use about 2 eggs for a 2-pound loaf, baked at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. Doing for a full hour has resulted in a dry meatloaf.

Welcome to DC. I am sure someone will come along with an answer to your problem with meatloaf.

I am the last person to help you. My kids have threatened me that they will put me in a home if I ever make meatloaf again.

 

[Cheryl J]

I'm new to DC and not quite sure how to ask a question, but here goes: Meatloaf is one of my favorite dishes, but my meatloaf will not hold together well for slicing. It has good flavor but it's eaten in chunks. Do I use more egg, or should I bake it longer? Right now, I use about 2 eggs for a 2-pound loaf, baked at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. Doing for a full hour has resulted in a dry meatloaf.

Hi Coffeecup, and welcome.

Do you add any bread crumbs, crushed saltines, or oatmeal to your meatloaf mix? That helps act as a binder and holds the meatloaf together a little better. I use about 1/2 -3/4 cup of some kind of grain for 2 lbs of meatloaf. I usually use a loaf pan for the meatloaf just to form it and pack it, then take it out and put it in a larger roasting pan. It has a chance to brown all the way around that way and doesn't sit in so much grease from the baking process.

 

[CWS4322]

Welcome to DC! That seems to be a common question when it comes to making meatloaf. Here are links to some previous discussions about meatloaf.


http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f48/my-meatloaf-dilemma-44086.html
http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f48/give-us-your-meatball-recipes-85134.html
http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f48/bacon-cheeseburger-meatloaf-recipe-42290.html

 

[puffin3]

Soak the fresh breadcrumbs in just enough whole milk to be absorbed. You do not want to have to squeeze out any excess milk. Let the bread/milk sit in the fridge for a hour or so.
Into food processor. Add a couple of eggs. Add any herbs/etc you want. I season with a good amount of pepper and salt at this point. Pulse a couple of times to mix. Add the ground meat. I use a combination of pork/beef/veal. I always add in a couple of T's of clarified butter to the meat and gently mix.
Quick pulse just until the ingredients are mixed.
Into the meat loaf tin.
Into a preheated 200 F oven. YES 200 F. Uncovered until the internal temp. reaches about 155 F. Remove from oven. Crank up the oven to screaming hot. Meatloaf back into oven. Watch as the surface turns a nice brown. This won't take long so watch it through the oven door with the light on. Remove/tent/rest for at least an hour.
If I want to cover the top with tomato sauce or whatever I do it after the meatloaf leaves the oven.
I use this roasting method for any roasting. Beef or birds. Very low and slow is the key to keeping any protein strands from contracting and thereby squeezing out moisture.
That's the reason to 'rest' any roasted meats. To give the protein strands a chance to relax and absorb moisture.
If you don't allow the strands to contract in the first place the results are even juicier.

 

[msmofet]

Ms. Mofet's Meatloaf

3 lbs. Ground beef
1 pkg/pouch Onion soup mix
1/2 Green Bell pepper - diced small
1/2 Red Bell pepper - diced small
2 - 3 Fresh button mushrooms - chopped small
1/2 - 1 cup extra sharp Cheddar cheese - small dice or shredded
1 Egg
1 - 2 TBSP Ketchup or to taste
1 - 2 TBSP Mustard or to taste
1 - 2 dashes Hot sauce or to taste
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
1/2 tsp. Dry porcini mushrooms - ground - optional
Rolled Oats - uncooked - enough to make meat hold/bind together
Mix all ingredients well. Divide in half and form into 2 loaf shapes. Place on a broiler pan (with grate). Bake in 350°F oven for 30 - 45 minutes or till internal temperature is 165°F.

Variations: May add cooked crumbled bacon to meat.

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]LOWCARB/LOW FAT MEAT LOAF[/FONT]


[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]1pound 90% ground beef
1 pound ground turkey breast
1 cupoatmeal
½ onion, diced
½ bell pepper, diced
2 celerystalks, sliced
2 garlic cloves, pressed
2 eggs
1 Tbsoregano
½ cup tomato sauce
2 Tbs olive oil

Sautéonion, bell pepper, and celery in 2 Tbs olive oil until soft. Addgarlic and continue to sauté until onions are transparent. Addtomato sauce and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes then allow tocool. Whisk eggs in a large bowl. Add ground beef, ground turkeybreast, oatmeal, and oregano to bowl, mix thoroughly, then add sauceto bowl and combine. Pat tightly into Pyrex loaf pan with a papertowel in bottom. Bake in 375F oven for 1 hour. Makes 8 servings.

Total protein per serving – 17.0g
Total carbs perserving – 3.5g
Total fat per serving – 9.0g[/FONT]

 

[Coffeecup]

Meatloaf problems

Thankyou all for your suggestions and recipes. I think much of my problem is that while I use crumbs, I have not been using enough crumbs. I will follow your recommendations, and maybe my grandchildren will eat my meatloaf!

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Thankyou all for your suggestions and recipes. I think much of my problem is that while I use crumbs, I have not been using enough crumbs. I will follow your recommendations, and maybe my grandchildren will eat my meatloaf!

For practice, make your meatloaf mixture into meatballs. They are essentially the same thing, but with slightly different taste profiles. When you have that perfect texture in your meatball, you can use the same ratios of beef, pork, breadcrumbs, and chopped veggies in your meatloaf.

\Making meatballs allows you to start with your basic recipe, then adjust it, making a single meatball after each adjustment until you have the texture and flavor you are aiming for.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[Vanitas]

Ms. Mofet's Meatloaf

Oh my goodness, that looks amazing!! I love a good loaded meatloaf!

 

[salt and pepper]

Bread crumbs and eggs will bind your meat loaf. Also ground meat should have 20 percent fat to help bind.

 

[Addie]

If I have stale bread on hand, I will just barely soften it with milk and mix it into the meat. But considering I very rarely have any bread in the house, I use the recipe from the Quaker Oats company. But I still put about 1/8 cup of milk into a pound of meat. The enzymes in the milk, tenderize the meat.

 

[msmofet]

Oh my goodness, that looks amazing!! I love a good loaded meatloaf!

Thank you. I also make a meatloaf that is molded around a head of cauliflower. I call it meatloaf surprise because it shocked the heck out of my mom the first time I served it to her. LOL

 

[msmofet]

Thank you. I also make a meatloaf that is molded around a head of cauliflower. I call it meatloaf surprise because it shocked the heck out of my mom the first time I served it to her. LOL

 

[Addie]

That is one way of getting a veggie into them. Ingenious.

 

[Blackitty]

Meatloaf is one of precious few things I can make. When I made my grandma's and put it in a normal loaf pan, it fell apart and didn't taste quite the same. When I make it in HER old loaf pan, which is pretty small (not quite 8x4 and is metal with some kind of tan coating inside), it's really packed in there, but comes out exactly the way she made it. This leads me to believe that the pan might make a difference.

But I am not a real cook, so take it with a big, giant boulder of salt.

 

[Addie]

Meatloaf is one of precious few things I can make. When I made my grandma's and put it in a normal loaf pan, it fell apart and didn't taste quite the same. When I make it in HER old loaf pan, which is pretty small (not quite 8x4 and is metal with some kind of tan coating inside), it's really packed in there, but comes out exactly the way she made it. This leads me to believe that the pan might make a difference.

But I am not a real cook, so take it with a big, giant boulder of salt.

Take pride in your accomplishment of being able to make your grandmother's meatloaf. You could be right.

The making of mother's meatloaf is one of those dishes that pops up every so often. We all want the dishes of our childhood. The way and taste of mother's or grandmother's. As you can see, meatloaf is one of the dishes that can provide us with a plethora of recipes and methods of making.

 

[Blackitty]

Take pride in your accomplishment of being able to make your grandmother's meatloaf. You could be right.

The making of mother's meatloaf is one of those dishes that pops up every so often. We all want the dishes of our childhood. The way and taste of mother's or grandmother's. As you can see, meatloaf is one of the dishes that can provide us with a plethora of recipes and methods of making.

Agreed! I do feel closer to my mom and grandma when I make it. I have my mom's recipe card for it and remember her using it and how it got stained...and I'm back in that kitchen, being a teen...my mom was alive and we made meatloaf together and that stain on the 3x5 recipe card, typed on a typewriter, is evidence of it. At some point, she put a smilie face sticker on it that said, "My Favorite recipe". (Aside from Cheeseburger Pie, it was the only recipe of anything she actually made, but that's not important.) It's my favorite recipe, too.

I have typed instructions from my grandma on a variety of things that I pulled out of mom's box. One has a note about her horror that Nixon had been elected, lol. Many have admonishments to only give the food to the kids because it was high in calories.

When I left the state, my neighbor who loved to cook gave me a Snickerdoodle recipe for a cookie she made that I loved, so I wouldn't have to miss it. It's in the box.

There is something about a recipe box filled with odds and ends from our past that you just cannot duplicate with any app or an online "recipe box" at allrecipes.com.

We all think our own meatloaf is the best...and we are all right.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Agreed! I do feel closer to my mom and grandma when I make it. I have my mom's recipe card for it and remember her using it and how it got stained...and I'm back in that kitchen, being a teen...my mom was alive and we made meatloaf together and that stain on the 3x5 recipe card, typed on a typewriter, is evidence of it. At some point, she put a smilie face sticker on it that said, "My Favorite recipe". (Aside from Cheeseburger Pie, it was the only recipe of anything she actually made, but that's not important.) It's my favorite recipe, too.

I have typed instructions from my grandma on a variety of things that I pulled out of mom's box. One has a note about her horror that Nixon had been elected, lol. Many have admonishments to only give the food to the kids because it was high in calories.

When I left the state, my neighbor who loved to cook gave me a Snickerdoodle recipe for a cookie she made that I loved, so I wouldn't have to miss it. It's in the box.

There is something about a recipe box filled with odds and ends from our past that you just cannot duplicate with any app or an online "recipe box" at allrecipes.com.

We all think our own meatloaf is the best...and we are all right.

I can tell. Blackitty, you are a good lady. I too make certain recipes to remind me of my parents. And yes, your comment about each of our meatloaves is spot on. It's good to have you here on DC.

May your cold things be cold, your hot things be hot, and your cheddar be at room temperature.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[Maelinde]

I do a recipe for mini meatloaves in a muffin tin. Hubby calls them "Meat Muffins" which the name kinda grosses me out. <grin> He loves it though and asks for it frequently.

Here's the recipe:

Mini Meat Loaves aka Meat Muffins


INGREDIENTS:
1lb total ground turkey breast, ground beef, or ground meat blend of your choice
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons pasta sauce, divided
1 egg
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons Italian-flavored or Panko bread crumbs
1 teaspoon Italian-style seasoning

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Coat a 6-cup muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, combine the ground meat, onion, 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese, 1/3 cup pasta sauce, the egg, Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, and Italian seasoning; mix well. Divide the mixture equally among the muffin cups.
3. Brush the tops with the remaining 2 tablespoons pasta sauce and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until no pink remains in the meat. Serve immediately.

Slice any left-overs up and make into sandwiches if you like, and top with some pasta sauce and Parmesan or sliced mozzarella. That's what Randy likes to do if we're lucky enough to have left-overs.