Second title for this post: Mastering the Meatloaf. Because this is the end all be all meatloaf recipe. Trust me. Meatloaf is a beloved classic in the world of comfort food. With its juicy, flavorful interior and a perfectly caramelized exterior, it’s no wonder this dish has stood the test of time. But creating the perfect meatloaf takes more than just throwing together some ground meat and breadcrumbs. This is the perfect meatloaf – not too dry… not falling apart… perfectly juicy and flavorful.
Years ago, we took our kids to Disney World. We ate at the famous 50’s Prime Time Cafe, and I had Cousin Megan’s Traditional Meatloaf. It was amazing. When I say amazing… y’all. I have been obsessing over this meatloaf for years. It was dense, not too dry, tangy, yet salty… I never thought that I could fall in love with a food – but it was the by far the best meatloaf I’d ever eaten. Ever since, I have been trying to create a recipe that comes close to duplicating that one. This is as close as could get… and it’s pretty darn close. My kids – who are not huge meatloaf fans love it. So at least there’s that. Here’s the scoop…
My Favorite Meatloaf Recipe EVER
Equipment
- Kitchen-aid Stand Mixer - paddle attachment
- 9x13 pan or baking dish
- Baster or Sauce Brush
- Immersion blender or regular blender
- Food processor *optional
Ingredients
- 1 pound 85/15 or 80/20 Ground Beef
- 2 pounds Mix of Ground Beef and Pork - if you can't find this at your grocery store, 2 pounds of ground beef and 1 pound of ground pork will work the same (total of 3 pounds)
- 4 Eggs - I use my immersion blender to thoroughly blend the eggs together before adding them to the meat mixture.
- 1/2 heaping cup Italian Bread Crumbs - a heaping 1/2 cup
- 1/2 heaping cup Crumbled/Blended Saltine Crackers - I use a small food processor attachment on the immersion blender to finely chop the saltine crackers. You could also put them into a baggie and hit with a rolling pin until they are finely broken up.
- 1/2 heaping cup finely diced white onion
- 1/4 heaping cup finely diced red bell pepper
- 1/4 heaping cup finely diced green bell pepper
- 1/2 scant cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 tablespoon A1 steak sauce
- 3 teaspoons freshly ground pepper
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
For the Glaze:
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
- 2 tablespoons Brown Sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons Of the juicy goodness that will be in the bottom of the pan after the meatloaf cooks for 1 hour
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350. Put the meat into the stand mixer and begin mixing. Let it continue to mix as you chop the vegetables and add other ingredients. This is crucial. The mixer will begin to break down the meat and combine it very very well.
- As the meat mixes, chop the bell peppers and onion and add them to the meat in the mixer. If you want some ideas of what to do with the extra bell pepper and onion search my site for the southwest beef and quinoa stuffed poblano peppers.
- Use an immersion blender, a regular blender, a food processor (whisking the eggs until they are fluffy would work too) to mix the 4 eggs. Add to the meat mixture as it continues to mix.
- Add the 1/2 cup bread crumbs and 1/2 cup crumbled saltine crackers.
- Add the ketchup, the A1 sauce, and the Worcestershire Sauce.
- Add the salt and pepper. (Don't be shy on either here!!)
- Stop mixing and remove bowl. Using your hands, mix the meat mixture around, removing the meat from the paddle and scraping down the sides of the bowl.
- Prepare a 9x13 baking dish/pan by spraying or rubbing with cooking oil. You can choose to divide the meat mixture in two - freezing one either before or after baking works well. The meatloaf shrinks down quite a bit - so if you have a large family, making one giant loaf would be best.
- Take the meat out of the mixer bowl and form your loaves. Good luck. It's a lot of meat. Just dump it into the pan and then start forming it. The meat gods are with you. You've got this.
- I do not cover with foil. Leaving it uncovered makes for a bit drier meatloaf, which is what we are going for here since we're using the 85/15 or 80/20 fat blend. It also helps the top to get nice and carmelized. Put your meatloaf into an oven heated to 350F. Bake for one hour. Get excited. It's gonna be soooo goooooood.
- After one hour, remove and use a baster or a sauce brush and baste the meatloaf with some of the juices in the bottom of the pan. Remove a few tablespoons of the juice for the glaze and set aside.
- Put the meatloaf back into the oven for 30 minutes.
For the Glaze:
- Add all ingredients in a small saucepan on medium low until the brown sugar dissolves.
- Remove the meatloaf and add the glaze with a brush.
- Put the meatloaf back into the oven and raise the temperature to 375F.
- Cook for an additional 30 minutes. Remove and let cool for about 15 minutes. Like a steak. Resist the urge to cut into it. Trust me. Let all the juices calm down. You can thank me later.
