Chef Johns Zombie Meatloaf Recipes

CHEF JOHN'S ZOMBIE MEATLOAF

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Melt butter in a pan over medium-high heat. Saute diced onion, celery, mushrooms, and 1 teaspoon salt until the mixture dries out and starts to turn golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic, black pepper, thyme, and cayenne pepper. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes.
• Combine remaining 2 teaspoons salt, ground beef, bread crumbs, egg, buttermilk, 2 tablespoons ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce in a large bowl. Add cooled vegetable mixture. Mix with your hands until thoroughly combined. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator.
• Slice 2 round sides, about 1/2-inch-thick, off the second onion for the zombie eyes. Push 1 clove into the center of each slice. Cut a 1-inch-wide section off the remaining onion and dice into chunks to form zombie teeth.
• Transfer meatloaf mixture to the prepared baking sheet and use damp hands to shape into a zombie skull shape that is 3 to 4 inches tall. Form indents to represent the eyes, nose, and mouth. Drape bacon over the face, covering most of the meatloaf. Add onion eyes and teeth. Tuck in loose ends of bacon under the sides with a spatula. Cover the onion eyes with aluminum foil to prevent browning.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the meatloaf reaches an internal temperature of 155 degrees F (68 degrees C), about 1 hour.
• Stir barbeque sauce, 1/4 cup ketchup, and hot sauce together in a bowl to make the blood sauce.

CHEF JOHN'S ZOMBIE MEATLOAF

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Melt butter in a pan over medium-high heat. Saute diced onion, celery, mushrooms, and 1 teaspoon salt until the mixture dries out and starts to turn golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic, black pepper, thyme, and cayenne pepper. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes.
• Combine remaining 2 teaspoons salt, ground beef, bread crumbs, egg, buttermilk, 2 tablespoons ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce in a large bowl. Add cooled vegetable mixture. Mix with your hands until thoroughly combined. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator.
• Slice 2 round sides, about 1/2-inch-thick, off the second onion for the zombie eyes. Push 1 clove into the center of each slice. Cut a 1-inch-wide section off the remaining onion and dice into chunks to form zombie teeth.
• Transfer meatloaf mixture to the prepared baking sheet and use damp hands to shape into a zombie skull shape that is 3 to 4 inches tall. Form indents to represent the eyes, nose, and mouth. Drape bacon over the face, covering most of the meatloaf. Add onion eyes and teeth. Tuck in loose ends of bacon under the sides with a spatula. Cover the onion eyes with aluminum foil to prevent browning.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the meatloaf reaches an internal temperature of 155 degrees F (68 degrees C), about 1 hour.
• Stir barbeque sauce, 1/4 cup ketchup, and hot sauce together in a bowl to make the blood sauce.

CHEF JOHN'S MEATBALL-INSPIRED MEATLOAF

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
• Heat olive oil and butter together in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute onion with a pinch of salt in hot oil and butter until onion is golden brown and soft, 5 to 10 minutes. Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove skillet from heat and cool onion mixture to room temperature.
• Place bread crumbs in a large bowl. Add milk and stir with a fork until combined. Let sit until all of the milk is absorbed into the breadcrumbs, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Combine ground chuck, cooled onion mixture, parsley, Parmesan cheese, eggs, 2 teaspoons salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper in a bowl. Grab a handful of breadcrumbs and squeeze very gently to remove excess milk. Repeat with remaining breadcrumbs, transfer breadcrumbs to ground chuck mixture, and discard excess milk. Stir ground chuck mixture until evenly combined.
• Turn chuck mixture out into prepared baking dish, and shape meat into a 3x4x10-inch meatloaf. Pour tomato sauce over the loaf and into the bottom of the dish.
• Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the center, about 1 hour 10 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 160 degrees F (70 degrees C). Let meatloaf rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing.

HALLOWEEN ZOMBIE MEATLOAF

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and grease the foil.
• Mix ground beef, onion, crackers, milk, Cheddar cheese, eggs, Worcestershire sauce, and seasoned salt together in a bowl. Transfer beef mixture to the prepared baking sheet and form into a skull-shape, leaving holes for "eye sockets" and a "mouth". Place hard boiled egg halves into the "eye sockets", shaping the beef mixture around them to hold in place.
• Mix ketchup, brown sugar, and barbeque sauce together in a bowl until sauce is smooth. Spread 1/2 of the sauce onto the entire beef mixture, including the "eyes" and "mouth".
• Bake in preheated oven until no longer pink in the center, about 50 to 60. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).
• Arrange the garlic pieces in the mouth for the "teeth". Brush the remaining sauce over the meatloaf or serve on the side.

MINI MEATLOAF GHOSTS

Steps:

• Combine ground beef, salt, pepper, cayenne, green onions, parsley, bread crumbs, egg, and Worcestershire sauce in a large bowl. Mix with a fork until just combined; do not overmix. Wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a sheet pan with a silicone liner (such as Silpat®).
• Remove meat from the refrigerator and divide into 8 equal portions. Dampen your fingers with cold water and roll meat into smooth balls. Form each ball into a ghost (or pear) shape and place on the prepared sheet pan; try to center the heads over the bodies.
• Bake in the center of the preheated oven until cooked through, about 20 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 150 degrees F (66 degrees C).
• Remove from the oven and immediately place a slice of provolone cheese on the top of each ghost, centering it the best you can. Cut the remaining 2 slices of provolone into quarters and place those over the center to provide more cheese for the head. The residual heat from the meat will start to melt the cheese and it will droop down.
• Return to the oven until the cheese melts, 30 to 60 seconds.
• Remove from the oven and take some of the melted cheese around the bottoms and wrap and drape it back up over the heads. Use the tip of a knife to form eyes and mouths, then neaten up the bottom of the cheese "sheets."
• Combine ketchup, barbecue sauce, and Sriracha for blood sauce; ladle onto plates and serve meatloaf ghosts on top.

JOHN'S MEAT LOAF

Steps:

• Mix all ingredients together, keeping mixture light and chunky. Don't overmix.
• Place mixture in ungreased loaf pan. Dent top of loaf and baste with extra Honey BBQ sauce.
• Place loaf in oven and bake at 400-425 for approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes for a single loaf. (Mixture can be divided into two loaf pans. Use 350 degree oven and shorten cooking time to 40 minutes.).
• Let loaf rest for 10 minutes before removing to serving plate for slicing. (If leaving in loaf pan, drain excess oil and juices from pan after meat rests.).