Approximately once a year, which just so happens to be right now, I get a sudden, intense craving for meatloaf. I can only think of meatloaf one day and stuffed squash, warm grain salads, and beef stews the next. Bite-sized pieces of flavorful meatloaf drizzled with (ketchup, of all things) It’s time to reintroduce this classic if you have been scarred by dry or tasteless meatloaf in a previous life. Here’s how to prepare the most flavorful, tender meatloaf you can think of.
Every meatloaf recipe begins with the same ingredients: 2 pounds of ground meat and a “panade” of milk-soaked bread or crackers. This panade helps to bind the ground meat together and adds crucial moisture to the mixture along with a few eggs. You won’t notice a bread flavor in your meatloaf, but you will definitely miss it if it is absent.
Meatloaf can be made from any ground meat, including beef, pork, veal, or lamb. To give your meatloaf a variety of flavors and textures, you can either use just one kind of meat or combine a few different kinds. Personally, I love a mix of about 70% beef (for its flavor) and 30% pork (for its fatty richness) You must include some fat in your mixture to prevent the meatloaf from becoming crumbly and dry. I usually look for a beef that%E2%80%99s only 80% to 85% lean
The traditional mirepoix in this dish consists of small diced onions, carrots, and celery, but you can substitute any of your preferred vegetables for some or all of those, including mushrooms, additional carrots, peas, and even broccoli. Whatever vegetables you use, make sure to cook them first so they’re tender and toothsome rather than crunchy before adding them to the meatloaf.
Call me traditional, but I enjoy a generous amount of ketchup on my meatloaf. The ketchup concentrates while cooking, creating a creamy, intensely tomato-flavored glaze that goes incredibly well with the meatloaf’s intensely savory flavor. If you don’t like ketchup, you can substitute your preferred BBQ sauce or any other sauce you like. As we all know, bacon enhances everything, and this meatloaf is no exception. You can also omit the glaze entirely and cover the meatloaf in bacon strips before baking.
Cooking time and letting it rest are the final two components of the meatloaf recipe. Try not to overcook the meat because it will start to become tough and crumbly. A 2-pound meatloaf will consistently cook in about an hour. Checking a meatloaf’s internal temperature is the best way to determine when it is done; as soon as it reaches 155°F, you can remove it from the oven. Similar to when you cook a steak or a roast, giving the meatloaf some time to rest before slicing and serving allows the juices to redistribute and settle. The tasty juices pool out and the meatloaf becomes dry if you slice the loaf too quickly.
A traditional meatloaf contains a combination of 2 parts of ground beef to 1 part of ground veal and 1 part of ground pork. Regardless of oven type, you will need to cook the meatloaf recipe until the internal temperature reaches 160°F using a digital meat thermometer. However, use this time and temperature guideline for any combination of ground meats (not poultry) that includes beef, lamb, veal, and pork. Related Articles
To reach 165°F, meatloaf made with ground chicken, turkey, or duck must be cooked. In order to make the ground poultry in a meatloaf safe to eat, you must cook it at a higher temperature if it contains both ground beef and ground turkey. Cooking times will be as follows, with the cooking temperature remaining at 350°F for a conventional oven and 325°F for a convection oven. Check the temperature every few minutes until it reaches 165°F.
Allowing the meatloaf to rest after cooking is one of the secrets to making it juicy. This makes the loaf easier to cut by allowing the juices to soak into the meat and slightly firming the texture. Therefore, you must factor in resting time, which is 10 to 15 minutes, when calculating your cooking time. You can loosely tent the meatloaf with foil while it rests to keep it warm. As the meat rests, its temperature will also increase by a few degrees (between 2 and 5°F). Trending on LoveToKnow.
By using a fan to circulate the heat inside the oven and maintain a consistent temperature throughout, convection ovens shorten cooking times. With a convection oven, the general rule is to lower the temperature by 25°F and the cooking time by 25%. As a result, you can cook your meatloaf in a convection oven at 325°F and the cooking times will change as follows:
Should meatloaf be covered when cooking?
To keep a single large meatloaf moist while cooking, cover it with a piece of foil; however, uncover it for the final 15 minutes of cooking. Meatloaf is ideal for being either cooked and frozen for reheating, or frozen raw for later cooking. ” Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
How long does it take to cook a 1lb meatloaf at 350 degrees?
The bread must be baked in a conventional oven at 350 degrees. Depending on size, cooking times will vary, but a good guideline is 35 to 45 minutes per book.