Meatloaf temperature

[bethzaring]

To what temperature do you cook a meatloaf, and why? It has been a while since I cooked one, and have relied on the advice of Adele Davis to cook it to 185 degrees F. I do like my loaf cooked, not pink inside. Is this possible without cooking it to 185*? This temperature seems excessive.

 

[Alix]

Beth, have you got a meat thermometer? Why don't you try that and cook it to medium? I don't know what that is without digging out my thermometer though. Sorry!

 

[bethzaring]

Seems like I do, I'll go look to see what temp is medium.

 

[bethzaring]

okay, the meat therm has med. beef at 160 degrees F hmmmm, now 185* seems to high to me, but 160* makes me nervous too, seems borderline low. Think I will cook the meatloaf presently in the oven to 170* today and see how I like that.

 

[Alix]

OK, let us know how it works out beth. Sorry I wasn't more help.

 

[TATTRAT]

160=well done.

I would shoot for 140-150, and let carry over cooking take care of the rest. You want to let it rest for a few anyhow. 185, I think would cremate it.

 

[VeraBlue]

125 is rare and 185 is burned.

Try 150. I think you'll be happier with those results.

 

[BreezyCooking]

185 degrees does seem rather excessive. Heck, even good old infamous bacteria-riddled poultry is more than cooked through at a lower temp than that - lol!!

I always make my meatloaf using ground turkey, & after an hour at 350 or 375 (depending on how large a meatloaf I'm making), I use a sharp thin knife to gently check the center for "no pink". Don't know what the interior temp has actually been, but so far I've never had to put one back in the oven, & it's always come out nice & juicy, but done.

 

[Michael in FtW]

Meatloaf and hamburgers are basically the same -160°F internal temp should kill any bugs (e. coli). 140°F is rare, pink and juicy - 180°F is overcooked and will result in a dryer loaf.

 

[bethzaring]

Meatloaf and hamburgers are basically the same -160°F internal temp should kill any bugs (e. coli). 140°F is rare, pink and juicy - 180°F is overcooked and will result in a dryer loaf.

Just what I was looking for, THANKS all.

In the past, my only reason for making meatloaf was to have the loaf to make sandwiches for DH's lunchbox and he is a well done beef guy. I am a med rare beefeater. I have always cooked the meatloaf to 185* and it is not creamated nor dry . I add a liberal amount of olive oil to the mix because goat meat is so lean. I have been interested in the recent thread on meatloafs and wanted to make meatloaf with mashed potatoes a lot this winter, having over 100# of ground meat and bushels of yukon golds in stock. But I did not want to eat a meatloaf cooked to an excessively high temperature. I was basically looking for the temperature to kill all the nasties (raw eggs plus e. coli).


I cooked yesterday's meatloaf to 170* and it was okay. I think I will cook the next one to 161 degrees F.

Thanks again for the inputs!!