meatloaf

The Best Meatloaf

Rex beef , , , , , , , 2 Comments
The Best Meatloaf

Dana and I love meatloaf.  Meatloaf is a delicious dish that is savory and rustic all in one.  We have been experimenting with various Meatloaf Recipes and this is quite possibly the best meatloaf recipe I have ever tasted.  The meatloaf was moist, tender and delicious.  Sometimes when you make/order meatloaf, you get a brick of meat.  This is not that meatloaf.

The Best Meatloaf

Easy Meatloaf

Prepare the loaf

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Cover a jelly roll pan/cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Add the ingredients

In a large bowl mix together the Parmesan Cheese, milk, egg, salt, pepper, black pepper, dried parsley, thyme, granulated garlic, onion and bread crumbs.

Mix the ingredients

Add the ground beef and mix lightly with your hands.  Mix just until the pre-mixed ingredients are fully dispersed into the ground beef.

Form the loaf

Using your hands form the meatloaf into a nice oval loaf.   Make sure to lightly form the loaf and not to press it too hard.

Perfect meatloaf

Place the loaf on the parchment lined pan.

Prepare the Topping

In a small bowl, mix together the ketchup, brown sugar, mustard and cider vinegar.

The meatloaf topping

Pour the topping over the formed loaf.

Pour the topping over the meatloaf

Cooking the Meatloaf

Place the loaf in the preheated 350 degree oven for 1 hour 20 minutes or until the center of the loaf reads 155 degrees.

Remove from the oven

Remove the loaf and let it sit for 10 minutes.

Perfect amazing best meatloaf

Slice and serve.

Print
The Best Meatloaf
Author: 
Recipe type: Meatloaf
Cuisine: American
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 4
 
The best meatloaf I have ever made!
Ingredients
The Best Meatloaf
  • 2 Pounds Ground Beef
  • 1 Cup Parmesan Cheese
  • 1 Cup Milk
  • 2 Eggs
  • ½ onion finely diced
  • ¾ cup plain bread crumbs
  • ¾ tsp Salt
  • ¼ tsp Black Pepper
  • ¼ tsp Seasoned Salt
  • 2 tbs Dried Parsley
  • ½ tsp thyme
  • ½ tsp granulated garlic
The Best Meatloaf Topping
  • 1 cup Ketchup
  • ⅓ cup Brown Sugar
  • 1 tbs Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 1 tsp Prepared Mustard
Instructions
Prepare the loaf
  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Cover a jelly roll pan/cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. In a large bowl mix together the Parmesan Cheese, milk, egg, salt, pepper, black pepper, dried parsley, thyme, granulated garlic, onion and bread crumbs.
  3. Add the ground beef and mix lightly with your hands. Mix just until the pre-mixed ingredients are fully dispersed into the ground beef.
  4. Using your hands form the meatloaf into a nice oval loaf. Make sure to lightly form the loaf and not to press it too hard. Place the loaf on the parchment lined pan.
Prepare the Topping
  1. In a small bowl, mix together the ketchup, brown sugar, mustard and cider vinegar.
  2. Pour the topping over the formed loaf.
Cooking the Meatloaf
  1. Place the loaf in the preheated 350 degree oven for 1 hour 20 minutes or until the center of the loaf reads 155 degrees.
  2. Remove the loaf and let it sit for 10 minutes.
  3. Slice and serve.

 

Bacon Wrapped Smoked Meatloaf

Rex All, BBQ , , , , , 7 Comments
Bacon Wrapped Smoked Meatloaf

I love meatloaf so I decided to break out the Weber and smoke one.  The Weber kettle is one of the most affordable and versatile bbq tools.  For $99 you can get an amazing grill and one of the best smokers around.  Since I decided to smoke this low and slow, I needed to come up with a way to keep the meatloaf moist and delicious.  To do this,  I wrapped it in bacon.  Not only does the bacon keep it moist, it adds another layer of flavor.  Bacon makes everything better!

Read more

Cheesy Meatloaf

Rex beef , , , , , , , , , , , 3 Comments
Cheesy Meatloaf

Dana and I love meatloaf. We have it at least once a month. However, having a food blog makes it hard to repeat recipes. So we don’t have it as much as we would like. So I started to think about ways I could change the recipe to make it new and blog-able. So I started to think about adding cheese to the mix. I decided on a nice white cheddar to add a contrasting color to the dish. It ended up being one of my new favorite dishes. It was amazing!

Cheesy Meatloaf

  • 1 lb beef
  • 8 oz white cheddar (block not shredded)
  • 1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
  • 1/2 cup beer
  • 1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tbs parsley
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp pepper
  • 2 eggs

Glaze

  • 3/4 cup Ketchup
  • 2 tbs mustard
  • 2 tbs brown sugar
  • 6 dashes hot sauce (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a bowl add the beef, Worcestershire sauce,  parsley, garlic, salt and pepper.  Mix together. Add the eggs and mix.

Start the mixture

Then add the beer and mix.  Finally add the breadcrumbs and mix, the final mixture should be moist but not soupy.

Add the beer

Dice the cheddar into 1/2 inch cubes.

Cube the cheese

Divide the meatloaf mixture into thirds.  Add 1/3rd of the mixture into a loaf pan.  Pat down and then add 1/2 of the cheese cubes.  Cover with another 1/3rd of the meatloaf mix.  Pat down and then add the other 1/2 of the cheese cubes. Finally top with the remaining 1/3rd of the meatloaf mixture.

Layer the cheese and meatloaf mixture

In a small bowl combine the ketchup, mustard and brown sugar.  Add the hot sauce if you like a little heat, but this is optional. Not necessary if you do not like the heat.  Mix the ingredients and then coat the top of the meatloaf with the glaze.

The glaze

Place the meatloaf in a preheated 350 degree oven for 55-65 minutes.  This will vary depending on the size of your loaf pan.  The best way is to check the temperature of the meatloaf after 55 minutes.  You want the thermometer to read 155 degrees.

Ready for the oven

When the meat reaches 155 degrees, remove it from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes before cutting.  You need to let this meatloaf rest or else the cheese will ooze out like molten lava.

The meatloaf with the cheese starting to poke through

Slice it and serve.

Cheesy and gooey meatloaf

This was a delicious meatloaf.  Tasty, tender and full of flavor.

The perfect meatloaf slice

The cheese added an extra layer of flavor and texture that made this meatloaf over the top.

Potato Meatloaf

Rex beef , , , , , , 6 Comments
Potato Meatloaf

I love meatloaf and when Dana suggested that we have it for dinner, I was excited.  One of my specialties is Potato meatloaf.  Instead of using all breadcrumbs, I used half potato flakes from instant potatoes.  It adds a creaminess to the meatloaf that is completely awesome!   I used this technique once before on the blog, on the grilled meatloaf recipe. The problem with using the grilled meatloaf recipe indoors, is that it was super dense so that it would not fall apart when you grilled it.  I like my pan based meatloaf to be more tender.  So this is a nice and tender recipe that is perfect for the fall.

Potato Meatloaf

  • 2 lbs ground beef
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 medium onion, rough chop
  • 1/2 cup bread crumbs
  • 1/2 cup dried potato flakes, instant variety
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tsp basil
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 1/2 tsp dried mustard
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 cup bacon ketchup, or substitute regular ketchup or bbq sauce

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large bowl, combine the garlic, basil, thyme, salt and pepper.  Mix.

Start with the seasonings

Then add the peppers, onions and ground beef.

Peppers and onions and ground beef

Next add the egg, bread crumbs, potato flakes and Worcestershire sauce.

Add the binding agents

Using a wooden spoon or your hands, mix the meat.  I find that using your hands is the only way to go.  Make sure that you have the spices, egg and meat mixed together well.

All mixed up

Grease a loaf pan and then add the meatloaf mixture to the pan.  Using your hands, even it out.

All sauced up

Then top the mixture with your favorite ketchup or barbecue sauce.

Bacon Ketchup

I love Captain Thom’s Bacon Ketchup.  It adds a nice little smokey flavor to the meatloaf.

Finally place the meatloaf in the preheated 350 degree oven for 65-75 minutes.  This will vary depending on the size of your loaf pan.  The best way is to check the temperature of the meatloaf after 65 minutes.  You want the thermometer to read 155 degrees.

Fresh out of the oven

When the meat reaches 155 degrees, remove it from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes before cutting.

Potato Meatloaf

Slice it and serve.

This was a delicious meatloaf.  Tasty, tender and full of flavor.

Grilled Meatloaf and Giveaway

Rex beef, Grilling, pork , , , , , , , , 12 Comments
Grilled Meatloaf and Giveaway

I love meatloaf, but it has been so hot outside that I have not wanted to turn on the oven.  So I decided to make a meatloaf on the grill.  It is super simple and you get to be outside. I love cooking outdoors in the summer. OK it is not summer yet, but it is extremely close.  I have been wanting to grill something ever since the guys from Pork Barrel BBQ gave me a bottle of their new Sweet Barbecue Sauce.  I utilized the barbecue sauce inside and on top of this meatloaf.  It was amazing!

Read more