Our affection for all things loafed and molded faded by the end of the 1970s, but meatloaf, every bit as weirdly sweet, soft, savory and oddly shaped, basks in both our memory and on our actual dinner plates.
It’s not on as many dinner plates as before, but there’s still much to love about the loaf.
“It’s something familiar,” says Hoover Alexander, owner of Hoover’s Cooking, which opened in Austin, Texas, 16 years ago.
“Meatloaf brings that memory, that comfort, that connection that people go back to. I’m always amazed how people connect to something so simple.”
Alexander says that the meatloaf continues to be a bestseller. “I hear a lot of ‘I didn’t like it when I was a kid.’ Or they’ll say they remember their mom or grandma cooking it. It has an element of emotion more than any other dish.”
Alexander uses breadcrumbs and eggs to bind the mixtures of 80-20 ground beef, ketchup, Worcestershire and Heinz chili tomato sauce, he says.
Other cooks, like “Pioneer Woman” Ree Drummond, prefer fresh bread crumbs or slices soaked in milk, while untold others go straight for the saltines or even oats.
That’s one of meatloaf’s most endearing traits: With a pound of meat and ingredients you can scrape together from the pantry and condiment shelf of the fridge, you can make dinner.
When it comes time to bake the loaf, Alexander and his staff smother the loaves with even more tomato sauce and then cover the pans with foil to cook the loaves at a lower-than-usual temperature (300 degrees in a convection oven) for a longer-than-usual time (1 1/2 hours), letting the loaf steam and cook slowly. The foil comes off for the last 15 to 20 minutes to brown up the edges.
(The editors at America’s Test Kitchen use that same low-and-slow approach when making meatloaf in a slow cooker.)
Meatloaf always needs a little something sweet inside and glazed on top, often a ketchup and brown sugar mixture, but also barbecue sauce, brown gravy, white gravy, or, to take it in a completely different direction, hoisin sauce, duck sauce or oyster sauce.
Searing sliced leftover meatloaf can lead to what many believe to be the best part of cooking it: the meatloaf sandwich. Top with cheese for a decadent route, as Alexander suggests, or go breadless and serve the seared slice on top of a salad.
In his newest book, “How to Cook Everything Fast,” Mark Bittman suggests a chicken spinach meatloaf that stays moist without any added fat, as most turkey or chicken meatloaf recipes call for. He quickly simmers the spinach and squeezes out as much as water possible, and the moisture of the greens, combined with an egg, breadcrumbs and a little Parmesan cheese, hold the meat together and keep it succulent.
Taking the Bittman approach of using one technique with endless substitutions, you could use any greens instead of spinach, including something such as bok choy combined with ground pork. Nutmeg complements spinach in his initial recipe, but could be replaced with red chili flakes for an Asian loaf, or cumin, coriander and cinnamon for a raisin-speckled Moroccan variation.
The flatter you form the loaf, the faster it will cook. Some cooks insist on using loaf pans, but free-forming the loaf on a sheet pan will allow more of the surface area to brown and crisp up slightly. Smaller, individual loaves are an option, but if you make them even smaller, you’ve made meatballs.
Alexander uses his meatball mixture to make the meatballs on his catering menu, but it’s the thick-cut slices of meatloaf that have their sticky-sweet strings tethered to customers’ hearts.
“It sells every day.”
Slow Cooker Glazed Meatloaf
America's Test Kitchen's newest slow cooker book, "The Healthy Slow Cooker Revolution" (Boston Common Press, $26.95), has this recipe for a classic ketchup-molasses-Worcestershire meatloaf that is cooked on low in a slow cooker for a few hours and then finished under the broiler.
Be sure to use 93 percent lean ground turkey, not ground turkey breast (also labeled 99 percent fat-free). Meatloaves made with poultry need to reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees, so now is a good time to pull out that digital thermometer you got for Christmas.
Note: To make it easy to get the meatloaf in and out of the slow cooker, the America’s Test Kitchen staff uses a foil sling. To make a sling, fold a sheet of aluminum foil into a 12-inch-by-9-inch rectangle, then shape meatloaf across center of sling into 9-inch-long loaf. Be sure to pack the meat mixture well so it doesn’t break apart while cooking.
1 shallot, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme (or 1/4 tsp. dried)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 slices hearty white sandwich bread, crusts removed, torn into quarters
6 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon pepper
4 oz. white mushrooms, trimmed
1 large egg
2 pounds (93 percent) lean ground turkey
6 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons molasses
Fold sheet of aluminum foil into 12-inch-by-9-inch sling. Microwave shallot, garlic, oil, thyme and cayenne in large bowl, stirring occasionally, until shallot is softened, about 2 minutes; let cool slightly.
Process bread, milk, Worcestershire, salt and pepper in food processor until paste forms, about 20 seconds, scraping down bowl as needed. Add mushrooms and pulse until coarsely chopped, about 6 pulses; transfer to bowl with cooled shallot mixture. Stir in egg until combined. Mix in ground turkey using hands until uniform.
Shape turkey mixture into 9-inch-by-4-inch loaf across center of foil sling. Using sling, transfer meatloaf to slow cooker. Cover and cook until meatloaf registers 160 degrees, 2 to 3 hours on low.
Adjust oven rack 6 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Whisk ketchup and molasses together in bowl. Using sling, transfer meatloaf to rimmed baking sheet, allowing juices to drain back into slow cooker; discard juices. Press edges of foil flat and brush meatloaf with ketchup mixture. Broil meatloaf until spotty brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes before slicing and serving. Serves 8.
— From "The Healthy Slow Cooker Revolution" from the editors of America's Test Kitchen (Boston Common Press, $26.95)
Asian-Style Meatloaf
Even on a weekday, Kin & Comfort, Ek Timerek's Hana World Market food court standout, is absolutely worth the drive from South Austin to Parmer and Metric for a late afternoon lunch. One of the highlights is Timerek's Thai take on meatloaf: ground beef and pork mixed with sweet soy sauce, ground peppercorns, as well as water chestnuts, carrots and onions. Instead of using a hoisin or other glaze, he smothers the thin, seared-to-order slices in a Japanese curry, which also soaks into the mashed Japanese sweet potatoes on which the meatloaf is served. A dish that will change how you look at meatloaf forever.
1 pound ground meat (beef, turkey, pork or chicken)
1/2 cup panko (or plain) bread crumbs
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon chile garlic paste, sambal or Sriracha sauce (more or less, to taste)
4 tablespoons hoisin sauce, divided
1 large scallion, finely chopped
1 egg
1 clove garlic, minced
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray lightly with oil.
In a large bowl, use your hands to combine ground meat, bread crumbs, soy sauce, chile paste or Sriracha, 2 Tbsp. hoisin sauce, scallion, egg and garlic. Mix until just combined.
Form the mixture into a log-shaped loaf on the pan and spread remaining hoisin sauce on all sides of the meatloaf. Place in the oven and bake for 50-60 minutes. Garnish with scallions, slice and serve. Serves 4.
— Adapted from a recipe on rachaelray.com
Bulgur Mini Meatloaves
What an effortless way to get your grains — in these individual-serving meatloaves or meatballs. In addition to its nutritional goodness, the bulgur adds a delicious nutty, chewy quality to this dish of comfort. You can buy bulgur in the bulk section of many grocery stores.
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed with garlic press
2 cups water
1 cup bulgur
1 pound lean (90 percent) ground beef
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh parsley leaves, chopped
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 jar (14 to 16 oz.) marinara sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
In nonstick 1 1/2-quart saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add onion and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in garlic; cook 30 seconds. Add water, and stir bulgur into saucepan with onion; cover and heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until bulgur is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Transfer bulgur to large plate and spread out to cool, about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line 15-inch-by-10-inch jelly-roll pan with nonstick foil (or spray regular foil with nonstick spray).
In large bowl, combine beef, parsley, egg, 3/4 cup marinara sauce, salt and pepper. Add bulgur mixture and mix with fingertips just until blended. Shape meat mixture by scant cupfuls into six 4-inch-by-3-inch mounds (about 1-inch high) in prepared pan.
Bake meatloaves until instant-read thermometer inserted into center of loaves reaches 160 degrees, 20 to 25 minutes.
In microwave-safe medium bowl or 4-cup liquid measuring cup, heat remaining marinara sauce, covered, in microwave oven on high for 1 minute or until hot. Serve sauce with meatloaves. Serves 6.
— From "Good Housekeeping 400 Healthy Recipes" by the editors of Good Housekeeping (Hearst, $19.95)
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