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United States, Americas

Meatloaf

The American classic: a tender beef loaf with onion and breadcrumbs, baked under a sweet-tangy ketchup glaze.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time1 h 3 min
DifficultyEasy
About servingsGround meat must be cooked to 71 °C in the centre. Wash hands and boards right after handling raw meat.

Method

  1. Heat the oven to 180 °C and line a baking tray with parchment. In a large bowl, soak the breadcrumbs in the milk for . This soaked mixture holds on to the meat juices and keeps the meatloaf moist.

    Add in this stepDry breadcrumbs (or panko) 30 gMilk 60 ml

  2. Heat the oil in a small 18 cm pan over medium heat and cook the finely chopped onion and garlic for , until soft and translucent. Spread them on a plate to cool; added hot, they melt the fat in the meat and make it dry.

    Add in this stepNeutral oil 1 tspOnion ½Garlic cloves 1

    medium heat

  3. Add the beef, cooled onion and garlic, egg, ketchup for the meat, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper to the breadcrumb bowl. Mix gently with your hands just until evenly combined; overmixing makes it dense and tough.

    Add in this stepGround beef (15–20% fat) 340 gEgg, beaten (for a half, beat 1 egg and use half) 1Ketchup (for the meat) 2 tbspWorcestershire sauce 1½ tspSalt ¾ tspBlack pepper ½ tsp

  4. Tip the mixture onto the parchment and shape it into a loaf about 16×9 cm, keeping the height even so it cooks evenly. You can press it into a loaf tin instead, but baked free-form on the tray it gets more browned crust.

  5. In a small bowl, mix the glaze ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar and mustard. Brush half of it over the top and sides of the loaf.

    Add in this stepKetchup (for the glaze) 4 tbspBrown sugar 1½ tbspApple cider vinegar 1 tspYellow mustard 1 tsp

  6. Bake at 180 °C for , then brush on the rest of the glaze and bake more. It's done when a thermometer in the centre reads 71 °C, or the juices run clear when you poke the middle.

  7. Let it rest out of the oven for so the juices settle, then cut into 2 cm slices. Sliced straight away, it loses its juices and crumbles.

Cook's tip

Half ground beef, half ground pork makes it even more tender. Very lean meat turns dry, so choose beef with some fat. Leftover slices are great the next day pan-fried for a sandwich. Mashed potatoes and green beans are the classic sides.

Cooking it at camp

Shape the loaf at home, wrap it in foil and carry it in the cooler. At camp, set it on a trivet in a Dutch oven with coals above and below for 45–60 minutes, or split it into small foil-wrapped loaves and cook over indirect heat on a lidded grill. Always check for 71 °C in the centre.