My mother was quite adept at whipping up great family dinners in no time at all. One of her favorite dishes was that old stand-by, meatloaf. I’m not sure what her recipe was but I do know it involved a lot of bacon and catsup. Luckily for us, Chef Jerry Pellegrino knows quite a bit about meatloaf and is eager to share his ideas.
Jerry prefers to use 100% ground beef in his meatloaf, but he quickly admits that using a mix of beef, pork and veal is also a perfectly valid approach. He also feels that a long slow cook is preferable since it will help keep the meatloaf moist.
Jerry’s private recipe for meatloaf looks involved, but once you have collected your ingredients, it’s really quite easy.
The Basic Meatloaf
Meatloaf Ingredients:
- 2 lbs ground beef, 85% or 90% lean
- 1 med onion, finely chopped
- 2 large eggs
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 Tbsp ketchup
- 3 Tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 3/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 ½ tsp salt, or to taste
- 1 ½ tsp Italian seasoning
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- ½ tsp ground paprika
Meatloaf Sauce Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup ketchup
- 1 ½ tsp white vinegar
- 2 ½ Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions:
Line a 9”x5” loaf pan with parchment paper and preheat oven to 375°F.
In a large bowl, add all of the ingredients for the meatloaf. Mix well to combine.
Add meat to the loaf pan, gently press meat down and shape evenly and bake meatloaf at 350˚F for 50 minutes.
In a small bowl, mix all of the ingredients together for the sauce. Spread the sauce over meatloaf then return to oven and bake additional 15-20 minutes or until the internal temperature is 160˚F. Rest meatloaf 10 minutes before slicing. Drizzle with baking juices from the pan.
For some really good tips go here:
https://www.allrecipes.com/article/secrets-making-a-better-meatloaf/
https://www.thedailymeal.com/1341700/tips-making-best-meatloaf/
