All American Decadent Meat Loaf Recipes

ALL AMERICAN MEATLOAF

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Mix ground beef, quick oats, onion, milk, eggs, 1/4 cup ketchup, parsley, garlic, salt, basil, and black pepper together in a large bowl until thoroughly combined; pat the mixture into a 9x5-inch loaf pan.
• Bake meatloaf in the preheated oven until firm and no longer pink inside, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. An instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the center of the meat loaf should read at least 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).
• Remove from oven, spread 2 tablespoons ketchup over loaf, and top with Cheddar cheese slices; return to oven and bake until cheese has melted, about 5 more minutes.

BEST EVER MEAT LOAF

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Whisk eggs, milk, salt, and ground black pepper in a large bowl. Add crumbled bread and stir until dissolved. Mix ground beef, onion, Cheddar cheese, and carrot into bread mixture; transfer mixture to a 9x5-inch loaf pan. Combine brown sugar, ketchup, and mustard in a small bowl; spread over meat mixture.
• Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the center, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).

THE FOOD LAB'S ALL-AMERICAN MEATLOAF RECIPE

Steps:

• Combine the chicken stock and buttermilk in a liquid measuring cup and sprinkle the gelatin evenly over the top. Set aside.
• Place the bread and mushrooms in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
• Add the anchovies, Marmite, soy sauce, paprika, and garlic to the processor bowl and pulse until reduced to a fine paste, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the onion, carrot, and celery and pulse until finely chopped but not pureed.
• Heat the butter in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until foaming. Add the chopped vegetable mixture and cook, stirring and tossing frequently, until it is softened and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes; the mixture should start to darken a bit. Stir in the buttermilk mixture, bring to a simmer, and cook until reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the mushrooms and bread, stir thoroughly to combine, and let stand until cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes.
• Add the ground meat to the bowl, along with the eggs, cheese, parsley, 1 tablespoon kosher salt (or half that volume in table salt), and 1 teaspoon pepper. With clean hands, mix gently until everything is thoroughly combined and homogeneous; it will be fairly loose. Pull off a teaspoon-sized portion of the mixture, place it on a microwave-safe plate, and microwave it on high power until cooked through, about 15 seconds. Taste the cooked piece for seasoning and add more salt and/or pepper as desired.
• Transfer the mixture to a 9- by 5-inch loaf pan, being sure that no air bubbles get trapped underneath. (You may have some extra mix, depending on the capacity of your pan; this can be cooked in a ramekin or free-form next to the loaf.) Tear off a sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil large enough to line a rimmed baking sheet and use it to tightly cover the meatloaf, crimping it around the edges of the pan. Refrigerate the meatloaf while the oven preheats. (The meatloaf can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.)
• Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and preheat the oven to 350°F. When the oven is hot, remove the meatloaf from the refrigerator and, without removing the foil cover, carefully invert it onto the rimmed baking sheet. Loosen the foil and spread it out, leaving the pan on top of the meatloaf (see note). Fold up the edges of the foil to trap the liquid that escapes from the meatloaf while baking. Bake until just beginning to set (the top should feel firm to the touch), about 30 minutes.
• Use a thin metal spatula to lift an edge of the inverted loaf pan, jiggling it until it slides off the meatloaf easily, and use oven mitts or a folded kitchen towel to remove the pan, leaving the meatloaf on the center of the foil. Return to the oven and bake until the center of the meatloaf registers 140°F on an instant-read thermometer, about 40 minutes longer. There will be quite a bit of exuded juices; this is OK. Remove from the oven and let rest for 15 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to 500°F.
• Meanwhile, Make the Glaze: Combine the ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, and pepper in a small saucepan and cook over medium-high heat, whisking occasionally, until the sugar is melted and the mixture is homogeneous, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• Use a brush to apply some glaze to the meatloaf in a thin, even layer, then return it to the oven and bake for 3 minutes. Glaze again and bake for 3 minutes longer. Glaze one more time and bake until the glaze is beginning to bubble and is a deep burnished brown, about 4 minutes longer. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes. Slice and serve with any extra glaze and mustard or ketchup as desired.

ALL AMERICAN DECADENT MEAT LOAF

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Using a food processor, grind the croutons with the chili powder. Set aside. Process the onion, garlic, carrot, pepper, and parsley in the food processor until finely, finely diced.
• Mix the meat, ground croutons, and vegetables until well mixed. Season liberally with sea salt and pepper. Add the 3 eggs, mix without squeezing the meat too much.
• Mix the bottle of A1, ketchup, brown sugar, hot sauce, and dijon mustard in a bowl.
• I made mine freehanded, which in my opinion is more fun.
• When you form the loaf you want it to be pretty even to ensure its fully cooked when all is said and done. Mine was about 3 1/2 inches thick.
• Place strips of bacon horizontally over the loaf until it is fully covered. Bake in oven for 10 minutes. Take out of oven and add a heavy glaze of sauce. Bake for another 40 minutes. Add another layer of sauce. Cook until done, probably another 30-45 minutes. Using a meat thermometer, ensure that the thickest part of the loaf is 160 degrees. Add a final layer of sauce to the loaf and cover with foil until ready to serve. It stayed pretty hot for about an hour.

CLASSIC MEATLOAF

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Place the carrot, celery, onion, red bell pepper, mushrooms, and garlic in a food processor, and pulse until very finely chopped, almost to a puree. Place the minced vegetables into a large mixing bowl, and mix in ground chuck, Worcestershire sauce, and egg. Add Italian herbs, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Mix gently with a wooden spoon to incorporate vegetables and egg into the meat. Pour in bread crumbs. With your hand, gently mix in the crumbs with your fingertips just until combined, about 1 minute.
• Form the meatloaf into a ball. Pour olive oil into a baking dish and place the ball of meat into the dish. Shape the ball into a loaf, about 4 inches high by 6 inches across.
• Bake in the preheated oven just until the meatloaf is hot, about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, ketchup, Dijon mustard, and hot sauce. Stir until the brown sugar has dissolved.
• Remove the meatloaf from the oven. With the back of a spoon, smooth the glaze onto the top of the meatloaf, then pull a little bit of glaze down the sides of the meatloaf with the back of the spoon.
• Return meatloaf to oven, and bake until the loaf is no longer pink inside and the glaze has baked onto the loaf, 30 to 40 more minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the loaf should read at least 160 degrees F (70 degrees C). Cooking time will depend on shape and thickness of the meatloaf.