Meatloaf help please!

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I have recipes for ML because I like to be able to recreate a tasty dish. Nothing worse than having someone say they loved the last one and make it the same way and you can't.

Yeah, I've been there. Now if I make something up and everyone likes it I write it down right away, (usually when everyone else is cleaning the kitchen :cool:)
 
I was really embarrassed when I read this thread--I don't have a recipe for meatloaf, I just do it. Sometimes it has grated carrot in it, sometimes it has salsa and chard in it, sometimes it is "cabbage roll" meatloaf, but I must confess, I don't have a recipe. I do it be "guess and by golly." Amazing that so many folks have meatloaf recipes. And it is so embarrassing not to have one.

CWS,CWS,CWS,CWS!!!!!!! I missed you!!!

I don't think I've ever made the same meatloaf twice, even with a recipe.
 
It's nice to have all these recipes in one place. I will pull some of these. I can't make a good meatloaf to save my life. It's always either dry or tasteless. It's such a shame because meatloaf is one of my favorite things!
Someone on television (either Ina Garten or Nigella Lawson, can't remember which as they've both demo'ed meatloaf this week) said it was important not to compact the mixture too much or it squishes out the moisture and makes it dry. Whoever it was used their finger tips too very lightly move it round to mix it. NL covered hers in strips of streaky bacon but I can't remember whether IG did. It would help to baste the m/loaf and keep it moist.

Oh dear, here's a"foreigner" preaching to an American about such an iconic American dish as meatloaf. What my late father would describe rather rudely as "teaching your grandmother to suck eggs"!
 
The vegetables you add to the mix provide moisture along with the fat. Unless you overcook it, it shouldn't be dry. I cook it according to internal temperature.
 
I read that business about handling the meat very gently and believed it too, but the meatloaf hangs together better if you mix it really well and I've never made a dry meatloaf.
 
I read that business about handling the meat very gently and believed it too, but the meatloaf hangs together better if you mix it really well and I've never made a dry meatloaf.

I mix the heck out of it and put it in the pan, but I don't try pack it solid in the pan. Actually I free form it on top of foil on my broiler pan. That allows the bulk of the fat to run off. No dry meatloaf here, either.
 
I pack mine pretty good. I use the KA to mix everything up.
I think it's a texture thing packing it loosely. Just like hamburgers are supposed to be formed.
 
If I am making meatloaf for cold sandwiches I pack it into a loaf pan. When it comes out of the oven I put another pan on it and weight it down until it cools. I also use a teaspoon of curing salt and let it sit in the refrigerator for a few hours to mellow before baking.

Hot meatloaf for dinner with mashed potatoes and crater gravy is always free form on a baking sheet.

The Two Fat Ladies called it a Hedgehog, I miss them! :ermm::ohmy::LOL:
 
I love meatloaf! I like trying different fillers - leftover bread heels, stuffing mix, croutons, diced leftover cornbread.

Lately, I've only been able to find 80/20 hamburger. It turned out too crispy on the outside, so I'll either have to use a topping, or maybe cook it for less time, or a little less temperature.

The 73/27 hamburger is much better for meatloaf.
 
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I love meatloaf too! Mine is usually not dry unless like others have said the ground beef is to lean or....I get heavy handed with the oats I use as filler. I don't use a recipe and never measure for meatloaf. Like Chopper said "just supposed to know how to make it" (in my family too). When I was growing up, I believe we ate meatloaf at least once a week.
 
Thanks for the suggestions, but I fear I'm a lost cause when it comes to this dish.

Maybe Addie and I can make reservations somewhere while ya'll enjoy your yummy loaves at home. LoL!
 
Here is an old family favorite...Texas style.

Frito's Meat Loaf

INGREDIENTS
2 pounds ground beef
1 egg
1 large onion, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 cups crushed Fritos corn chips
2 cups canned crushed tomatoes

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Mix all of the ingredients except the tomatoes together in a large bowl.
2. Place in an oiled loaf pan.
3. Pour the tomatoes over the loaf
4. Bake, uncovered, at 325° until internal temperature is 170 (about an hour).

.40
 
Heeeey...that sounds easy and tasty. Can I use any kind of corn chips? We don't have Fritos up here.
 
Heeeey...that sounds easy and tasty. Can I use any kind of corn chips? We don't have Fritos up here.
No Fritos!? You poor thing. We get them here in Quebec. For a long time we could only get bbq, but now we can get plain again.
 
It is a testament to your cooking skill. Cheers!
Don't know if that is true--Tuesday night was meatloaf and I had to make it. My dad still asks me to make meatloaf whenever I visit. A bit of this, a bit of that...but one of my favorite meatloaf combos is to mix salsa in with the meat and put a layer of spinach or chard in the middle. a bit of salsa, a bit of cheese, and top the meatloaf with salsa and mozz.And the other fav in our house is cabbage-roll meatloaf.
 
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No kidding, all the mad cooking skills and the folks want meatloaf and oatmeal...I don't know why I learned how to cook.
 
I usually add powered milk and some oatmeal or saltine crackers...or bread soaked in milk. Depends on what is in the house.

And that is what meatloaf has always been. A way to stretch the family dollar for meat. And that is what the fillers do. For those of you who are too young to remember, there was a time when ground meat (was it beef or something else) was the cheapest thing to buy per pound (other than chicken). A pound of ground beef could be stretched to feed a family of six. :angel:
 
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