Meatloaf

For a really long time I thought I didn't like meatloaf. I think I tried it exactly once before I was even in preschool and just didn't like however that family prepared it. I have a newfound appreciation for it as an adult, mainly in being something easy and relatively cheap to make.

The food

  • 3lbs of ground meat. I like a 1½lb split of beef & pork.
  • Breadcrumbs. I recommend buying them in a resealable can.
  • Barbecue sauce
  • Garlic & onion powder
  • Three eggs. One per pound of meat.

    The tools

  • A large bowl
  • A bread pan (optional)
  • A butter knife (optional)
  • A sheet pan
  • An oven
  • A meat thermometer (optional but strongly recommended)

    The steps

    Preheat your oven to 350°F.

    Mix everything together in a bowl. Beyond the pounds of meat & number of eggs, I don't do any measuring when I make this. Add however many breadcrumbs, garlic powder, and onion powder as you feel it needs. I also add a big squirt of barbecue sauce, since meatloaf is super dry without it. Try not to overmix.

    Once mixed, shape it into a loaf. If you have a bread pan, you'll get a nice even shape. But it's not required, and you'll need a butter knife to get it out of the pan. When you have your ideal loaf shape, brush a layer of barbecue sauce over it, stick in a meat thermometer if you have one, and throw it in the oven for 15 minutes.

    Once 15 minutes pass, take it out of the oven, give it another barbecue sauce brush, throw it back in, and do it again 15 minutes later. After that, leave it for 30 more minutes, or until your meat thermometer says 160°F.

    Bacon


    (Click images to see them in full size)

    Some people layer strips of bacon over their meatloaves. It provides easier proportioning of slices, and oven-baked bacon is one of the single greatest foods on the planet. There is merit to doing this.

    HOWEVER

    Layering bacon atop your meatloaf prevents it from developing a crust, which is the best part of a meatloaf. You'll have to weigh your love of bacon against your love of crust if you choose to do this.