My Mom made awful meatloaf (sorry Mom!) so I thought all meatloaf was awful. Then I had my mother-in-law's meatloaf. I miss them both very much, but I miss my MIL's cooking more.
I never watched her make it before we got married, and we immediately moved away. I tried to make it on my own, but let's just say there were a few times dinner didn't get eaten.
After Steve graduated we moved back to Washington and I paid cursory attention to the meatloaf makins. Then Safeway had these "meatloaf packs" that had ground beef and pork in them (along with onions and green peppers but the green peppers were NOT going to happen).
Eventually I came up with my own setup.
My meatloaf is far from fancy, and I hesitate a little to share it here. But it is really, truly good, and it is what happens in my kitchen.
It's also barely a recipe. I could never write a cookbook! Here are the basics:
Ground Beef and Ground Pork, in a 2:1 ratio
1 or 2 eggs, depending on how much meat you have
Garlic salt and Onion Salt. Sprinkle it on until it smells good.
A few grinds of black pepper
A handful or so of Quaker Oats-the quick cooking kind. Why? Because that is what Shirley used.
A few squeezes of ketchup. Be careful here, if it is too much the meat will be too loose and not actually make a loaf!
I have tried making with chopped onion and minced garlic, and honestly using the salt works better. It distributes through the loaf better. Just don't add any additional salt! You could also use garlic or onion powder to control the salt content, but use less. I have a harder time controlling the flavor with powder though.
You really need to take off your rings and bracelets and dig in with your hands to mix it properly though. A spoon or spatula doesn't cut it. Mix until throroughly combined, but no more. Don't overmix.
Pat the meat mixture evenly into your baking pan. Here I had 2 1bs ground beef and 1 lb pork, so I used 9x11. I usually like to make a smaller meatlof and use the 9x9 pan.
And again spread ketchup on top for the glaze.
Put it in the oven at 350 Farhenheit for about an hour (once it smells good, check for doneness)
And you have meat loaf. Lots of fat! No one said it was healthy.
Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and usually green beans but I was just that lazy that night.
Labels: Main Dish
