Traditional meatloaf

Hello I figured it would be fitting for the first recipe for me to post about would be a traditional meatloaf. Meatloaf just sounds like the everyday home cooked meal that mom makes. Then again is also notorious for coming out dry and flavorless. Let's try to fix that today with my "traditional meatloaf."

First things first. Quick talk about the meat choices we got. I'd recommend a fattier ground beef, Like 85/15. Some people could try mixing half beef and veal, or half beef and pork. Either way you'll need about 2 1/2 pounds of meat. But for now let's leave the meat in the fridge. You want it to stay cold until your ready to put it in the oven to prevent the fat from melting too soon.

So the first thing we're going to start with is making our breadcrumbs. Use fresh white bread. Rip the bread putting it into a food processor. Pulse till you have your desired texture. Enough for about 1/2 cup. Then place the breadcrumbs in a bowl and soak with a 1/2 cup of milk for about 10 minutes. 

Next in another bowl mince a large yellow onion, a green bell pepper, 6 garlic cloves minced, chopped parsley, 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard, 2 large beaten eggs, 1/4 cup of permission, and salt and pepper to taste. I leave the veggies raw, because if You cook them ahead of time it will release their natural moisture and we don't want that. You can add some of your favorite herbs like rosemary, oregano, and thyme. 

Then drain the breadcrumbs and add it into the veggie mix bowl. Mix all together. Do this before adding your chosen meats to prevent over mixing. If you over mix it could cause the meatloaf to be tough. Lightly mix and then place into a casserole dish or a lined baking sheet. Shape in the classical log shape either one or two. (If you did make two loafs the second one can be frozen and kept for a rainy day for up to 3 months.)  Place in the oven at 350° for 50 minutes. 

We're almost done. At this point while the meatloaf is in the oven we're going to make our meatloaf glaze. In another bowl  (I know it's a lot of dishes) start with 1/2 cup of ketchup, 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce, 1/4 cup of Dijon mustard, and our secret ingredient sriracha sauce. Now I wouldn't put too much to make it spicy. You don't want them to know it's there, but it will act as a "background flavor ." Mix all together. 

After the the timer is up pull the meatloaf out, glaze with your sauce, and put back in the oven for 10 minutes, Until it reaches 160°. Let the meatloaf sit out for 10 -15 minutes. By doing this it'll give it time to set and continue cooking. At this point the meatloaf is so hot that it continues to cook itself outsideof the oven. By catching it early it'll help prevent it from over cooking and getting dry. Now that it is set you should be able to get whole slices instead of it crumbling apart on you.

I hope this has helped. I hope this provides your family with a wonderful meal. Feel free to comment or ask questions. Have a great day. 

-Cole

Ingredients 

2 1/2 pounds of ground beef 

1 large onion 

1 green bell pepper 

6 cloves of garlic  (I like garlic)

Rosemary 

Thyme 

Parsley 

1/2 cup of milk 

1/2 cup of breadcrumbs 

1/4 cup of Parmesan

1 tablespoons of Dijon mustard 

2 large beaten eggs 

Salt and pepper to taste

Meatloaf glaze 

1/2 cup of ketchup

1/4 cup of Dijon mustard 

2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce 

2-3 teaspoons of sriracha sauce  (Shh it's a secret)