Mealoaf was pretty bland when I was growing up but I loved it anyway. There is something about ground meat formed into a loaf and baked. It gets a great texture, keeps moist and makes the best leftover sandwiches.
Of course, I have added a bit more flavour to my meatloaf than the ones of my childhood but it is still a major comfort food to me, particularly when it is cooked on a smoker.
I have just called for ground beef. I like to use fattier regular ground beef. She Who Must Be Obeyed prefers lean ground beef. Guess which I usually use!
I started off by mixing the fill and flavourings for my meatloaf:
Set the mixture aside.
I heated up a frying pan over medium high heat and added 125 ml (1/2 cup) of chopped bacon. I used bacon trimmings from when I slice my home made bacon. Cook until starting to brown. Add 1/2 of a large onion, finely chopped, and cook until the onion is translucent and soft.
Add the onion and bacon to the bread crumb mixture. Crumble 1 kg (2 pounds) beef over the mixture and mix lightly until well combined.
Form the beef into a loaf shape. If smoking, put it on a perforated smoking rack. If cooking in the oven, Put it in a loaf pan.
Put the beef in a smoker preheated to 250 F and cook to an internal temperature of 160 F. It took about 1 hour 45 minutes.
While the meat is cooking, mix up a sauce of:
Let the meatloaf rest for 10 minutes, slice and serve.
The Verdict:
This is a classic meatloaf with more flavour and complexity. I love the dense texture, moist meat and meaty bold flavour.
Disco
Of course, I have added a bit more flavour to my meatloaf than the ones of my childhood but it is still a major comfort food to me, particularly when it is cooked on a smoker.
I have just called for ground beef. I like to use fattier regular ground beef. She Who Must Be Obeyed prefers lean ground beef. Guess which I usually use!
I started off by mixing the fill and flavourings for my meatloaf:
- 175 ml ( 3/4 cup) dry bread crumbs
- 40 ml (3 tbsp) ketchup
- 40 ml (3 tbsp) HP Sauce or your favourite steak sauce
- 20 ml (4 tsp) Worcestershire sauce
- 2 eggs
- 10 ml (2 tsp) Creole or Cajun seasoning mix
- 7 ml (1 1/2 tsp) garlic powder
- 5 ml (1 tsp) Italian seasoning mix
Set the mixture aside.
I heated up a frying pan over medium high heat and added 125 ml (1/2 cup) of chopped bacon. I used bacon trimmings from when I slice my home made bacon. Cook until starting to brown. Add 1/2 of a large onion, finely chopped, and cook until the onion is translucent and soft.
Add the onion and bacon to the bread crumb mixture. Crumble 1 kg (2 pounds) beef over the mixture and mix lightly until well combined.
Form the beef into a loaf shape. If smoking, put it on a perforated smoking rack. If cooking in the oven, Put it in a loaf pan.
Put the beef in a smoker preheated to 250 F and cook to an internal temperature of 160 F. It took about 1 hour 45 minutes.
While the meat is cooking, mix up a sauce of:
- 40 ml (3 tbsp) ketchup
- 40 ml (3 tbsp) mustard
- 40 ml (3 tbsp) barbecue sauce (I used Koss Sauce)
- 25 ml (2 tbsp) brown sugar
Let the meatloaf rest for 10 minutes, slice and serve.
The Verdict:
This is a classic meatloaf with more flavour and complexity. I love the dense texture, moist meat and meaty bold flavour.
Disco
